Albert the Great, prostrate in death as in life

"when one asked, out of devotion, to see his body in its tomb, one found it, not lying on its back, as it had been laid out according to custom, but prostrate, face to the earth, in the attitude that [Master Albert] adopted in life for prayer."

     L'histoire de saint Thomas d'Aquin de Guillaume de Tocco:  Traduction française du dernier état du texte (1323), chap. 14 (Sagesses chrétiennes, trans. Claire Le Brun-Gouanvic (Paris:  Les Éditions du Cerf, 2005), 44).

"Cuius corpus pre deuotionis gratia requisitum in tumba quod positum fuerat, ut est consuetudo, supinum, inuentum est, ut sibi moris erat dum uiueret, quasi in oratione procumbens,"

     Ystoria sancti Thome de Aquino de Guillaume de Tocco (1323), chap. 14, ed. Claire le Brun-Gouanvic, Studies and texts 127 (Toronto:  Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, 1996), 119.  According to le Brun-Gouanvic, these lines were not present in the first (of the four) "editions" of Tocco's text, as represented by F (Florence, Biblioteca Nazionale, Conv. Soppr. J. VII.27).  Cf. the Ystoria sancti Thome de Aquino ed. Prümmer, chap. 13 (=Fontes vitae S. Thomae Aquinatis, vol. 2, p. 80).

Greene, on violence as potentially "an imperfection of charity"

"'The Church is in the world, it is part of the suffering in the world, and though Christ condemned the disciple who struck off the ear of the high priest's servant, our hearts go out in sympathy to all who are moved to violence by the suffering of others.  The Church condemns violence, but it condemns indifference more harshly. Violence can be the expression of love, indifference never. One is an imperfection of charity, the other the perfection of egoism.  In the days of fear, doubt, and confusion, the simplicity and loyalty of one apostle advocated a political solution.  He was wrong, but I would rather be wrong with Saint Thomas than right with the cold and the craven.  Let us go up to Jerusalem and die with him.'"

     The priest at the "Mass for Joseph and the other dead men (all three were Catholics), and Jones, whose beliefs were not known," on Jn 11:16, in Graham Greene, The comedians III.iv.4 ((New York:  Viking Press, 1966), 305).

"blood libel"

     "This pre-Christian material suggests that Anidjar's main argument is indefensible.  The documentary record discredits Blood at every crucial point."

     David Van Dusen on "the superficiality of [Anidjar's] knowledge", in a review of Blood:  a critique of Christianity (New York:  Columbia University Press, 2014) entitled "Red cells and grey," Times literary supplement no. 5818 (October 3, 2014):  32.

"According to the free and gracious will of God the eternal Son of God is Jesus Christ as He lived and died and rose again in time, and none other."

"Der ewige Sohn Gottes ist nach Gottes freiem gnädigem Willen Jesus Christus, wie er in der Zeit lebte, starb und auferstand, und nur er."

     Karl Barth, Church dogmatics IV/1, trans. Bromiley & Torrance, p. 52 (German of KD IV/1, p. 55, from the Digital Karl Bath Library).