Latest / Raymond Lull- First Missionary to the Moslems / 03 - Raymond Lull- First Missionary to the Moslems by Samuel Zwemer

Transcript

03 - Raymond Lull- First Missionary to the Moslems by Samuel Zwemer · Raymond Lull- First Missionary to the Moslems

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Chapter two of Raymond Loll, First Missionary to the Moslems,
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: by Samuel's Wemer. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Chapter two, Raymond Loll's Birthplace and Early Life eighty twelve
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: thirty five to twelve sixty five. I think that I'd
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: better understand the proud, hardy, frugal Spaniard and his manly
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: defiance of hardships, since I have seen the country he inhabits.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: The country, the habits, the very looks of the people
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: have something of the Arabian character Washington Irving's The Alhambra.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: Raymond Lowell was born of an illustrious family at Palma,
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: in the island of Majorca of the Beleirk group, in
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: twelve thirty five. Footnote. Some authorities give the date twelve
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: thirty four and one twelve thirty six, but most agree
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: on the year twelve thirty five. See Bearing Gold, Lives
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: of the Saints, Volume six, page four eighty nine and footnote.
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: His father had been born at Barcelona and belonged to
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: a distinguished Madalonian family. When the island of Majorca was
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: taken from the Saracens by James, the first King of Aragon,
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: Loll's father served in the Army of Conquest. For his
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: distinguished services, he was rewarded with a gift of land
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: in the conquered territory, and the estates grew in value
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: under the new government. Southern Europe, between the Atlantic and
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: the Adriatic, is almost a duplicate in climate and scenery
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: of northern Africa. When the Moors crossed over into Spain
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: and occupied the islands of the western Mediterranean, they felt
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: at home not only in the names of rivers and
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: mountains and on the architecture of Spain. They leave the
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: impress of their conquest, but on the manners of the people,
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: their literature, and their social life. Catalonia, the eastern province
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: of Spain, which was the home of Loul's ancestors and
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: for a time of Loll himself, is about one hundred
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: and thirty miles broad and one hundred and eighty five
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: miles long, with a coast of two hundred and forty miles.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: It has mountain ranges on the north, three considerable rivers
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: and woodland as well as meadow The climate is healthy,
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: in spite of frequent mists and rains, sudden changes of temperature,
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: and great mid day heat, mountains and climate and history
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: have left their impress on its people. The Catalonians are
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: distinct in origin from the other inhabitants of Spain, and
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: differ from them to this day in dialect, dress and character.
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: About four seventy eight, this part of the peninsula was
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: occupied by the Goths. Once it was called Gothalonia and
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: later Catalonia. It was taken possession of by the Berbers
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: in seven twelve, who in turn were dispossessed by the
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: Spaniards and the troops of Charlemagne. In eleven thirty seven,
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: Catalonia was annexed to Aragon. The Catalonians are therefore a
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: mixed race. They have always been distinguished for frugality, wit
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: and industry. They have much national pride and a strong
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: revolutionary spirit. The Catalan language and its large literature are
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: quite distinct from that of the other Spanish provinces. The
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: poetical works of Lul are among the oldest examples of
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: Catalan extant. The Baleyriic islands have always belonged to the
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: province of Catalonia as regards their people and their language.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: On a clear day, the islands are plainly visible from
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: the monastery of Mansarat, and by sea from Barcelona, it
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: is only one hundred and forty miles to Palma. Between
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: these two harbors, there has always been and is now
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: a busy traffic. Majorca has an area of fourteen hundred
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: and thirty square miles, a delightful climate, beautiful scenery, and
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: a splendid harbor. Palma. Some of its valleys, such as
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: Valdemosa and Solar, are celebrated for picturesque luxuriance. The northern
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: mountain slopes are terraced, The olive, the vine and the
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: almond tree are plenteous everywhere in the plains. According to
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: the description of modern travelers, it is an earthly paradise.
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: During the summer there is scarcity of water, but following
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: a system handed down from the Arabs, the autumn rains
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: are collected in large reservoirs. On the payment of a
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: certain rate. Each landholder has its fields flooded. Palma, Loll's
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: birth place and burial place, is a pretty town with
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: narrow streets and a sort of medieval look, except where
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: modern trade has crowded out the old world Moorish character
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: of the buildings. The cathedral is still a conspicuous building
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: and was commenced in twelve thirty and dedicated to the
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Virgin by the same king James, who gave Lull's father
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: estates near Palma. Portions of the original buildings still remain,
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: and the visitor can enter the Royal Chapel, built in
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: twelve thirty two, with assurance that if Lull did not
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: worship here, he at least saw the outside of the
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: building frequently. Palma probably owes its name and harbor to
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: medalist Billeurchis, who in one twenty three b c. Settled
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: three thousand Roman and Spanish colonists on the island, and
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: whose expedition is symbolized on the Roman coins by a
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: palm branch. He also gave his name to the island group,
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: and the Balearic slingers are famous in Caesar's commentaries. Palma
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: is today a busy little port, and direct commerce is
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: carried out with Valencia, Barcelona, Marseilles, Cuba, Puerto Rico and
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: even South American ports. The present population is about sixty thousand. Formerly,
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: Palma was a great center for ship building, and there
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: is little doubt that in Loll's time this industry also
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: gave importance to the town. As early as the fourteenth century,
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: a mole to a length of three hundred and eighty
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: seven yards was constructed to improve the harbor of Palma.
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: This picturesque town was the birthplace of our hero, and
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: today its inhabitants are still proud to lead you to
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: the church of San Francisco, where he lies buried. As
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: late as eighteen eighty six, a new edition of Loulds's
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: works was printed and published at Palma by Rosello. The
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: significance or the derivation of Lols's family name is lost
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: in obscurity. His personal name, Raymond in Spanish Ramon or Ramundo,
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: is Teutonic and signifies wise, protection or pure in speech.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: It was borne by two distinguished counts of Tulos. One
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: of them, Raymond four forty five to eleven o five,
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: was a crusader, and the other eleven fifty six to
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: twelve twenty two, befriended the Albigenezes against the Pope. It
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: is possible that Lull received his first name from one
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: of these martial heroes, whose exploits were well known in Catalonia.
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: Of Loull's infancy and early youth, nothing is known for
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: certain He was accustomed to medieval luxury from his birth,
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: as his parents had a large estate and his father
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: was distinguished from military services. Loll married at an early age, and,
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: being fond of the pleasures of court life, left Palma
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: and passed over with his bride to Spain, where he
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: was made senesial at the court of King James the
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: second of Aragon. Thus his early manhood was spent in
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: gaiety and even profligacy. All the enthusiasm and warmth of
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: his character found exercise only in the pleasures of the court,
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: and by his own testimony, he lived a life of
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: utter immorality. In this corrupt age, wine, women and song
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: were then, as often since the chief pleasures of kings
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: and princes. Notwithstanding his marriage and the blessing of children,
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: Lull sought the reputation of a gallant and was mixed
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: up in more than one intrigue for this sort of life.
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: His office gave him every temptation and plenty of opportunity.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: A senesial, literally an old servant, was a chief official
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: in the household of a medieval prince or noble, and
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: had the superintendence of feasts and ceremonies. These must have
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: been frequent and luxurious at the court of James the
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: second for Aragon, previous to the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella,
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: enjoyed the most liberal government of Europe. According to one authority,
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: the genius and maxims of the court were purely republican,
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: the kings were elective, while the real exercise of power
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: was in the hands of the courties. An assembly consisting
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: of the nobility, the equestrian order, the representatives of cities,
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: and the clergy. A succession of twenty sovereigns reigned from
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: the year ten thirty five to fifteen sixteen at such
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: a court, and amid such an assemblage, probably in the
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: capital town of Zaragoza, Saragassa Lull spent several years his life.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: He was early addicted to music and played the cithern
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: with skill, but he was yet more celebrated as a
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: court poet. According to his own confessions, however, the theme
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: of his poetical effusions was not seldom the joys of
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: lawless love. I see O Lord. He says in his
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: contemplations that trees bring forth every year flowers and fruit,
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: each after their kind. Once mankind derived pleasure and profit
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: but thus it was not with me a sinful man
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: that I am. For thirty years I brought forth no
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: fruit in this world. I cumbered the ground, Nay, was
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: noxious and hurtful to my friends and neighbors. Therefore, since
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: a mere tree, which has neither intellect nor reason, is
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: more fruitful than I have been, I am exceedingly ashamed,
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: and count myself worthy of great blame. In another part
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: of the same book, he returns thanks to God for
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: the great difference he sees between the works of his
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: after life and those of his youth. Then he says
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: all his actions were sinful, and he enjoyed the pleasures
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: of sinful care companionship. Raymond Lowell was gifted with great
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: mental accomplishments and enthusiasm. He had the soul of a poet,
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: but at first his genius groveled in the mire of
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: sensual pleasures, like that of other poets whose passions were
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: not under the control of religion. We do lull in justice. However,
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: if we judge his court life by the standards of
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: our Christian century, his whole environment was that of medieval darkness,
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: and he was a gay knight at the banquets of
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: James the Second. Before he became a scholastic philosopher and
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: a missionary as knight, he knew warfare and horsemanship so
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: well that among his books there are several treatises on
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: these sciences, first written in Catalan and afterward put into Latin.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: Undoubtedly these were written, as was most of his poetry,
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: before he was thirty years old. He was the most
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: popular poet of his age in Spain, and his influence
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: on Catalonian poetry is acknowledged in such terms of praise
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: by students of Spanish literature that he might be called
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: the founder of the Catalonian school of poets. The philological
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: importance of Lolll's ca Madalonian writings, especially his poems, was
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: shown by Adolph Helferich in his book on loll and
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: the Origin of Catalan Literature. In this volume, specimens of
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: his poetry and proverbs are given. A writer in the
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: Encyclopedia Britannica speaks of one of his poems, Lo desconorte
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: despair as eminently fine and composite in its diction. This poem,
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: if it was written before his conversion, as is probable,
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: would already show that lol himself was dissatisfied at heart
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: with his life of worldly pleasure. Already, perhaps there arose
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: within him a mighty struggle between the spirit and the flesh.
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: Sensual pleasures never satisfy, and his lower and higher natures
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: strove one with the other. It seems that at about
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: his thirty second year he returned to Palma, although there
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: is little certainty of date among his biographers. At any rate,
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: it was at the place of his birth that Loll
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: was born again. It was in the Franciscan church, and
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: not at the court of Aragon, that he received his
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: final call and made his decision to forsake all and
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: become a preacher of righteousnes. The prodigal son came to
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: himself amid the swine, and his feet were already toward
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: home when he saw his father, and his father ran
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: out to meet him. The story of Saint Augustine under
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: the fig Tree at Milan was re enacted at Palma.
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: End of chapter two read by Alethia Caris