Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Life Scenes among the Mountains of Ararat

If you happen to find yourself unsure of whether you've come across a Patriarch or a Priest and are desperate to know which specimen you are dealing with, here is a brief guide:

 
You will notice the Patriarch is laden with gold jewels. He wears a monocle, perhaps anachronistically? You will notice his beard, shaped like a clover, prefiguring the Christian notion of the Trinity. You will notice old, tired eyes that know what it is to be a man. You will feel with him the exhaustion of leading a group of hardheaded sinners through unfavorable ecosystems. 
 
The Priest, you will see, carries beads (prayer beads?) in his hand, much like the Patriarch. Do not be fooled. His brow, carrying the weight of God emanated, droops over his eyes and shades them. His beard, though neat, is longer than the Patriarch's. His robes, most confusingly, lack the religious symbols that you've seen on those of the Patriarch. Finally, his eyes carry the expression of deepest sorrow exhibited by those who have been in the Lord's presence but have now returned to mundanity.

The book: http://a2.lib.uchicago.edu/pip.php?/pres/2010/pres2010-0003.pdf

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