Medieval Latin Online (University of Oklahoma)

Week 7: Hrabanus Maurus: De rerum naturis.

Reading Overview

Printable version of this week's readings.

Reading #1. In this passage, Hrabanus inventories the "mystical" meanings of the word terra. He demonstrates both interpretations "in bonum," when something is understood in terms of Christ and salvation, and interpretations of the same object "in malum," when it is understood in terms of the devil and sin.

Reading #2. Here Hrabanus moves on to a tradition of geography in more familiar terms; in particular, he is very worried about the ways in which the world is "round" and the ways in which it is "square" defined by 4 cardinal points. How can the world be both round and square at the same time? Euclid to the rescue!

Reading #3. In this final passage of geography, Hrabanus discusses the division of the lands between Europe, Africa and Asia, together with an allegorical interpretation of this arrangement of the world: the world is divided into three parts like the three measures of flour in the parable of the woman and the yeast.

Modern Languages 4970 / MRS 4903: Medieval Latin. Spring 2003 Online Course at the University of Oklahoma. Visit http://www.ou.edu/online/ for more info.
Laura Gibbs, University of Oklahoma - Information Technology © 2003. laura-gibbs@ou.edu. Last updated: December 29, 2002 7:12 PM

	Reading #1. In this passage, Hrabanus inventories the "mystical" meanings of the word terra. He demonstrates both interpretations "in bonum," when something is understood in terms of Christ and salvation, and interpretations of the same object "in malum," when it is understood in terms of the devil and sin.
	Reading #2. Here Hrabanus moves on to a tradition of geography in more familiar terms; in particular, he is very worried about the ways in which the world is "round" and the ways in which it is "square" defined by 4 cardinal points. How can the world be both round and square at the same time? Euclid to the rescue!
	Reading #3. In this final passage of geography, Hrabanus discusses the division of the lands between Europe, Africa and Asia, together with an allegorical interpretation of this arrangement of the world: the world is divided into three parts like the three measures of flour in the parable of the woman and the yeast.