Saturday 6 June 2015

The skull with ears



A man died and they had the floor of his tomb covered with tiles bearing images of skulls with ears.  It was done to warn people not to speak ill of the dead, for in those days the dead could hear what was being said in their presence.  




If the flesh
has come into existence
because of the spirit
it is a marvel.

If the spirit
has come into existence
because of the body
it is a marvel of marvels.

But I marvel
at how this great wealth
has made its home
in this poverty.

                          The sayings of Jesus 
no. 29 
from the Gospel of Thomas


8 comments:

  1. __The spirits hear beyond your voice; speak well of their character, think better of their soul.
    _m

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Walls have ears,
      as do tiles on floors!

      Delete
  2. That needs some thinking about Gwil - it is complicated and I shall certainly give it some thought.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you mean the verse. As I read it: The 'great wealth' is the spirit. The 'poverty' is the body.

      Delete
  3. My take on this is that the first verse refers to Christ entering the world in human form; the second refers to the Resurrection; and the third the prospect of eternal life (the great wealth) arising from the poverty of a mortal being made possible by the Resurrection.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it refers the creation, as perceived.

      Delete
  4. The body still; spirit surges forward. _m

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As if the body was only one manifestation of the surge forward of spirit.

      Delete

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.