Well Words…

Piero di Cosimo 1504-06   

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‘Well-Being’ – ‘Well-Advised’ – ‘Well-Mannered’ – ‘Well-Favoured’ – ‘Well-Known’ –

‘Well-Read’ – ‘Well-Fed’ – ‘Well-Met’ … ‘Well-Adjusted’ – ‘Well-Done…

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… John is traditionally depicted in one of two distinct ways: either as an aged man with a white or grey beard or alternatively as a beardless youth. The first way of depicting him was more common in Byzantine art, where it was possibly influenced by antique depictions of Socrates, the second was more common in the art of Mediaeval Western Europe and can be dated back as far as the 4th century.

In mediaeval works of painting, sculpture, and literature, Saint John is often presented in an androgynous or feminized manner. Historians have related such portrayals to the circumstances of the believers for whom they were intended. For instance, John’s feminine features are argued to have helped to make him more relatable to women or for male believers who sought to cultivate an attitude of affective piety, a highly emotional style of devotion that, in late-mediaeval culture, was thought to be poorly compatible with masculinity.

Legends from the Acts of John contributed much to mediaeval iconography; it is the source of the idea that John became an apostle at a young age…

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Not only is there a depiction of John Schorne in North Marston Church but there is also a

depiction of St John the Evangelist.

It is contained in a large stained glass window in the south wall to the right of the pews

which afforded so much comfort on our first visit to the church.

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We now know, from long experience, that the existence of a St George or a St Michael window,

or icon, or statue, designates a church on one, or more, ley-lines.

Could something similar be true for images of St John the Evangelist?

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‘The key to understanding… is to ask yourself questions…’ – The Initiate, Chapter One

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Q: What does a dragon, or a snake, or a devil, in a chalice, or a boot mean?

A: It means that the Ley is on tap – Huh?…