Scourge: Difference between revisions
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The priests of [[Cybele]] scourged themselves and others. Such stripes were considered sacred.{{sfn|Tierney|1909}} | The priests of [[Cybele]] scourged themselves and others. Such stripes were considered sacred.{{sfn|Tierney|1909}} | ||
===Flagellation of Jesus and other Roman uses=== | ===Flagellation of Jesus and other Roman uses=== | ||
Hard material can be affixed to multiple thongs to give a flesh-tearing "bite". A scourge with these additions is called a scorpion. {{lang|la|Scorpio}} is Latin for a Roman {{lang|la|flagrum}} and is referred to in the Bible: [[Books of Kings|1 Kings]] 12:11: "...My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions" said Rehoboam, referring to increased conscription and taxation beyond Solomon's. The name testifies to the pain caused by the [[arachnid]]. Testifying to its frequent Roman application is the existence of the Latin words {{lang|la|Flagrifer}} 'carrying a whip' and {{lang|la|Flagritriba}} 'often-lashed slave'.{{sfn|Tierney|1909}} | Hard material can be affixed to multiple thongs to give a flesh-tearing "bite". A scourge with these additions is called a scorpion. {{lang|la|Scorpio}} is Latin for a Roman {{lang|la|flagrum}} and is referred to in the Bible: [[Books of Kings|1 Kings]] 12:11: "...My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions" said Rehoboam, referring to increased conscription and taxation beyond Solomon's. The name testifies to the pain caused by the [[arachnid]]. Testifying to its frequent Roman application is the existence of the Latin words {{lang|la|Flagrifer}} 'carrying a whip' and {{lang|la|Flagritriba}} 'often-lashed slave'.{{sfn|Tierney|1909}} | ||
According to the [[Gospel of John]], [[Pontius Pilate]], the Roman governor of [[Judaea (Roman province)|Judaea]], ordered [[Flagellation of Christ|Jesus to be scourged]]<nowiki/>before his [[Crucifixion of Jesus|crucifixion]].<ref>{{bibleref2|John|19:1|RSV}}</ref> Josephus records the scourging of [[Jesus ben Ananias]], a Jew who repeatedly prophesized [[Jerusalem]]'s impending destruction; after each lash, he declared "Woe to the Jerusalemites" and was ultimately released by procurator [[Lucceius Albinus|Albinus]] (r. 62–64 AD), who considered him a madman.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Rogers |first=Guy McLean |title=For the Freedom of Zion: The Great Revolt of Jews against Romans, 66–74 CE |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2021 |isbn=978-0300248135 |pages=129, 196, 361–362, 383}}</ref> In 66 AD, during the events leading up to the [[First Jewish–Roman War]], Roman authorities under procurator [[Gessius Florus|Florus]] scourged and crucified many inhabitants of Jerusalem, including women and children.<ref name=":0" /> Later, in 71 AD, [[Simon bar Giora]], a leader of the revolt, was scourged shortly before his execution on the [[Capitoline Hill]], following his appearance in the [[Roman triumph]] celebrating the [[Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|conquest of Jerusalem]].<ref name=":0" /> | |||
[[Image:Flagellants.png|thumb|right|Fifteenth-century woodcut of flagellants scourging themselves]] | [[Image:Flagellants.png|thumb|right|Fifteenth-century woodcut of flagellants scourging themselves]] | ||
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Its use as a punishment was general in the seventh century in all monasteries of the severe [[Columban rule]].<ref>{{harvnb|Tierney|1909}} cites St. Columbanus, in "Regula Cœnobialis", c. x, in ''Patrologia Latina'', LXXX, 215 sqq; for later centuries of the early Middle Ages see [[Louis Thomassin]], ''Vetus ac nova ecclesiae disciplina'', II (3), 107; [[Du Cange]], "Glossar. med. et infim. latinit.", s. v. "Disciplina"; [[Gretser]], "De spontaneâ disciplinarum seu flagellorum cruce libri tres" (Ingolstadt, 1603); [[Franz Quirin von Kober]], "Die körperliche Züchtigung als kirchliches Strafmittel gegen Cleriker und Mönche" in Tüb. "Quartalschrift" (1875).</ref> | Its use as a punishment was general in the seventh century in all monasteries of the severe [[Columban rule]].<ref>{{harvnb|Tierney|1909}} cites St. Columbanus, in "Regula Cœnobialis", c. x, in ''Patrologia Latina'', LXXX, 215 sqq; for later centuries of the early Middle Ages see [[Louis Thomassin]], ''Vetus ac nova ecclesiae disciplina'', II (3), 107; [[Du Cange]], "Glossar. med. et infim. latinit.", s. v. "Disciplina"; [[Gretser]], "De spontaneâ disciplinarum seu flagellorum cruce libri tres" (Ingolstadt, 1603); [[Franz Quirin von Kober]], "Die körperliche Züchtigung als kirchliches Strafmittel gegen Cleriker und Mönche" in Tüb. "Quartalschrift" (1875).</ref> | ||
===Use | ===Use for punishment in canon law=== | ||
[[Canon law]] ([[Decree of Gratian]], [[Decretals of Gregory IX]]) recognized it as a punishment for ecclesiastics; even as late as the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, it appears in ecclesiastical legislation as a punishment for [[blasphemy]], [[concubinage]] and [[simony]]. Scourging as a means of [[penance]] and [[Mortification of the flesh|mortification]] is publicly exemplified in the tenth and eleventh centuries by the lives of [[St. Dominic Loricatus]]<ref>{{harvnb|Tierney|1909}} cites ''Patrologia Latina'', CXLIV, 1017; the surname means 'strapped'</ref> and [[St. Peter Damian]] (died 1072). The latter wrote a special treatise in praise of self-flagellation; though blamed by some contemporaries for excess of zeal, his example and the high esteem in which he was held did much to popularize the voluntary use of a small scourge known as a [[Discipline (mortification)|discipline]], as a means of mortification and penance.{{sfn|Tierney|1909}} | [[Canon law]] ([[Decree of Gratian]], [[Decretals of Gregory IX]]) recognized it as a punishment for ecclesiastics; even as late as the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, it appears in ecclesiastical legislation as a punishment for [[blasphemy]], [[concubinage]] and [[simony]]. Scourging as a means of [[penance]] and [[Mortification of the flesh|mortification]] is publicly exemplified in the tenth and eleventh centuries by the lives of [[St. Dominic Loricatus]]<ref>{{harvnb|Tierney|1909}} cites ''Patrologia Latina'', CXLIV, 1017; the surname means 'strapped'</ref> and [[St. Peter Damian]] (died 1072). The latter wrote a special treatise in praise of self-flagellation; though blamed by some contemporaries for excess of zeal, his example and the high esteem in which he was held did much to popularize the voluntary use of a small scourge known as a [[Discipline (mortification)|discipline]], as a means of mortification and penance.{{sfn|Tierney|1909}} | ||
===Flagellants and use by royalty for self-discipline=== | ===Flagellants and use by royalty for self-discipline=== | ||
Latest revision as of 17:45, 14 October 2025
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "other uses".
A scourge is a whip or lash, especially a multi-thong type, used to inflict severe corporal punishment or self-mortification. It is usually made of leather.
Etymology
The word is most commonly considered to be derived from Old French escorgier - "to whip", going further back to the Vulgar Latin excorrigiare: the Latin prefix ex- "out, off" with its additional English meaning of "thoroughly", plus corrigia - "thong", or in this case "whip". Some connect it to Template:Langx, "to flay", built of two Latin parts, ex- ("off") and Script error: No such module "Lang"., "skin".
Description
A scourge (Template:Langx; diminutive: Script error: No such module "Lang".) consists of a rope with metal balls, bones, and metal spikes.
History
Symbol of Osiris
The scourge, or flail, and the crook are the two symbols of power and domination depicted in the hands of Osiris in Egyptian monuments.[1] The shape of the flail or scourge is unchanged throughout history.[2] However, when a scourge is described as a 'flail' as depicted in Egyptian mythology, it may be referring to use as an agricultural instrument. A flail's intended use was to thresh wheat, not to implement corporal punishment.[3]
Use by the priests of Cybele
The priests of Cybele scourged themselves and others. Such stripes were considered sacred.Template:Sfn
Flagellation of Jesus and other Roman uses
Hard material can be affixed to multiple thongs to give a flesh-tearing "bite". A scourge with these additions is called a scorpion. Script error: No such module "Lang". is Latin for a Roman Script error: No such module "Lang". and is referred to in the Bible: 1 Kings 12:11: "...My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions" said Rehoboam, referring to increased conscription and taxation beyond Solomon's. The name testifies to the pain caused by the arachnid. Testifying to its frequent Roman application is the existence of the Latin words Script error: No such module "Lang". 'carrying a whip' and Script error: No such module "Lang". 'often-lashed slave'.Template:Sfn
According to the Gospel of John, Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judaea, ordered Jesus to be scourgedbefore his crucifixion.[4] Josephus records the scourging of Jesus ben Ananias, a Jew who repeatedly prophesized Jerusalem's impending destruction; after each lash, he declared "Woe to the Jerusalemites" and was ultimately released by procurator Albinus (r. 62–64 AD), who considered him a madman.[5] In 66 AD, during the events leading up to the First Jewish–Roman War, Roman authorities under procurator Florus scourged and crucified many inhabitants of Jerusalem, including women and children.[5] Later, in 71 AD, Simon bar Giora, a leader of the revolt, was scourged shortly before his execution on the Capitoline Hill, following his appearance in the Roman triumph celebrating the conquest of Jerusalem.[5]
Use to enforce discipline in Christian monasteries
Scourging was soon adopted as a sanction in the monastic discipline of the fifth and following centuries. Early in the fifth century it is mentioned by Palladius of Galatia in the Script error: No such module "Lang".,[6] and Socrates Scholasticus[7] tells us that, instead of being excommunicated, offending young monks were scourged. (See the sixth-century rules of St. Cæsarius of Arles for nuns,[8] and of St. Aurelian of Arles.[9]) Thenceforth scourging is frequently mentioned in monastic rules and councils as an enforcer of discipline.[10]
Its use as a punishment was general in the seventh century in all monasteries of the severe Columban rule.[11]
Use for punishment in canon law
Canon law (Decree of Gratian, Decretals of Gregory IX) recognized it as a punishment for ecclesiastics; even as late as the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, it appears in ecclesiastical legislation as a punishment for blasphemy, concubinage and simony. Scourging as a means of penance and mortification is publicly exemplified in the tenth and eleventh centuries by the lives of St. Dominic Loricatus[12] and St. Peter Damian (died 1072). The latter wrote a special treatise in praise of self-flagellation; though blamed by some contemporaries for excess of zeal, his example and the high esteem in which he was held did much to popularize the voluntary use of a small scourge known as a discipline, as a means of mortification and penance.Template:Sfn
Flagellants and use by royalty for self-discipline
From then on the practice appeared in most medieval religious orders and associations.Template:Sfn The fourteenth-century Flagellants were named for their self-flagellation; King Louis IX of France and Elisabeth of Hungary also made private use of the "discipline".Template:Sfn
Attila as the Scourge of God
Semi-literal uses such as "the scourge of God" for Attila the Hun (i.e. "God's whip with which to punish the nations") led to metaphoric uses to mean a severe affliction, e.g. "the scourge of drug abuse".
See also
- Cat o' nine tails
- Flagellation, includes flogging
- Knout
- Skin
Notes
References
Further reading
- H. H. Mallinckrodt, Latijn-Nederlands woordenboek (Latin-Dutch dictionary)
External links
- Scourging of Jesus - Video scene from the movie The Passion of the Christ
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Template:1911
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Template:Bibleref2
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Historia Lausiaca vi
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Socrates Hist. Eccl., IV, xxiii
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Patrologia Latina, LXVII, 1111
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Patrologia Latina, LXVIII, 392, 401-02
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Hefele, "Concilieng.", II, 594, 656
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites St. Columbanus, in "Regula Cœnobialis", c. x, in Patrologia Latina, LXXX, 215 sqq; for later centuries of the early Middle Ages see Louis Thomassin, Vetus ac nova ecclesiae disciplina, II (3), 107; Du Cange, "Glossar. med. et infim. latinit.", s. v. "Disciplina"; Gretser, "De spontaneâ disciplinarum seu flagellorum cruce libri tres" (Ingolstadt, 1603); Franz Quirin von Kober, "Die körperliche Züchtigung als kirchliches Strafmittel gegen Cleriker und Mönche" in Tüb. "Quartalschrift" (1875).
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". cites Patrologia Latina, CXLIV, 1017; the surname means 'strapped'