Huh... Another funny coincidence with Robert Keim. I was just writing something today about how the printing press and the early industrialisation of paper production, and the move away from hand made books on parchment, had a massive influence on how we perceive time.
Time is one of those things that becomes less clear the more you think about it. It's probably the most fundamental concept that we know the least about.
Well said. Time is and always will be an enduring mystery, no matter how many "unperturbed ground-state hyperfine transition" frequencies the scientists can come up with.
It would also explain why the monastery bells, marking out the hours of the Divine Office, were so important to the daily life of everyone else. It's all of a piece, I can see why you love the medieval time period and the monasteries. I'm loving it more and more with each of your posts.
"It's all of a piece"—exactly! That's why I place so much emphasis on the theme of wholeness in this newsletter. Life in the Middle Ages was far from perfect, and far from easy, but it was, at least compared to modern life, all of a piece: an era of psychological, social, and cosmic wholeness.
I've never given a thought about how time was kept before clocks were made. This is a new world of time, marked by the stars. That is so wonderful and so fitting. Life may have been much harder then, compared to ours, but it flowed so harmoniously with the natural rhythms of life. Stars and monasteries fit so well together!
Truly, there is (or at least there was) deep affinity between the stars and the monastic life. The wonders of the heavens and the pursuit of Heaven go hand in hand. Even Immanuel Kant sensed this: "Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the oftener and the more steadily we reflect on them: the starry heavens above and the moral law within."
Apologies a somewhat glib comment about modern construction projects - it’s an English train line that has been endlessly delayed and over budget, probably so much so that it would have seen off at least a couple of members of the medieval episcopate
Ah, I see, so HS2 is an example of modern corporations/governments continuing the medieval tradition of painfully long construction timelines. Was this the result of bureaucratic red tape? In some cases modern bureaucracy can probably slow things down almost as effectively as technological limitations did in the Middle Ages.
Huh... Another funny coincidence with Robert Keim. I was just writing something today about how the printing press and the early industrialisation of paper production, and the move away from hand made books on parchment, had a massive influence on how we perceive time.
That sounds like a fascinating piece, Hilary, I'm looking forward to reading it!
Time is one of those things that becomes less clear the more you think about it. It's probably the most fundamental concept that we know the least about.
Well said. Time is and always will be an enduring mystery, no matter how many "unperturbed ground-state hyperfine transition" frequencies the scientists can come up with.
It would also explain why the monastery bells, marking out the hours of the Divine Office, were so important to the daily life of everyone else. It's all of a piece, I can see why you love the medieval time period and the monasteries. I'm loving it more and more with each of your posts.
"It's all of a piece"—exactly! That's why I place so much emphasis on the theme of wholeness in this newsletter. Life in the Middle Ages was far from perfect, and far from easy, but it was, at least compared to modern life, all of a piece: an era of psychological, social, and cosmic wholeness.
I've never given a thought about how time was kept before clocks were made. This is a new world of time, marked by the stars. That is so wonderful and so fitting. Life may have been much harder then, compared to ours, but it flowed so harmoniously with the natural rhythms of life. Stars and monasteries fit so well together!
Truly, there is (or at least there was) deep affinity between the stars and the monastic life. The wonders of the heavens and the pursuit of Heaven go hand in hand. Even Immanuel Kant sensed this: "Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the oftener and the more steadily we reflect on them: the starry heavens above and the moral law within."
Love it.
I think we would be much happier living by material time…the natural rhythms of day and year. I envy these monks.
I think it's sad that we don't even have the option of living by material time. We live in the era of clock time, whether we like it or not.
Fascinating and informative.
I recently wrote about this issue of timekeeping but I hadn't come across the use of the stars. Thanks for this, it makes a lot of sense.
You're welcome, thanks for the comment.
It's a beautiful article, but have you heard of HS2?
No, I'm not familiar with HS2.
Apologies a somewhat glib comment about modern construction projects - it’s an English train line that has been endlessly delayed and over budget, probably so much so that it would have seen off at least a couple of members of the medieval episcopate
Ah, I see, so HS2 is an example of modern corporations/governments continuing the medieval tradition of painfully long construction timelines. Was this the result of bureaucratic red tape? In some cases modern bureaucracy can probably slow things down almost as effectively as technological limitations did in the Middle Ages.