Contenu du sommaire

The myths of Korê and Baldur : an example of inversion in mythology The inversion concept in mythology, introduced by Claude Lévi-Strauss, finds its application both in the Indo-European field as among « peoples without writing », because there was a time when the speakers of Indo-European languages had not yet invented writing. One outstanding example is provided by comparing the Greek myth of the abduction of Korē with the Germanic myth of the murder of Baldur. Revolving around one invariant, the introduction of death and the yearly cycle, each myth is the exact opposite of the other. Furthermore, this raises the issue of how extremely ancient, paleolithic, mythical material evolved in different societies, among primitive Indo-Europeans, on the one hand, and a neolithic culture in « Ancient Europe », on the other.

Vision of a Crusade against the Saracens in fifteenth-century Castile : Alonso de Espina and his "Fortalitium Fidei" Alonso de Espina, a Franciscan friar and itinerant preacher, completed his "Fortalitium Fidei" around 1465. In this work he advocates a crusade against the Muslims within a « total war » against the four enemies of the Christian faith : heretics, Jews, Saracens and demons. Its importance lies not in its erudite inter-religious polemics, but in its practical conclusions : a crusade to liberate the Holy Land from the Saracens, the institution of an Inquisition against the "conversos", and the expulsion of all Jews from Spain. He recommends a step-by-step war, like the Spanish "Reconquista". Espina's call, however, failed to materialize.

Robert Estienne's "Sommaire des livres du Vieil et Nouveau Testament", or the curious peregrination of a confession of faith In 1532 Robert Estienne prefixed a short summary of the doctrine contained in the Bible to a Latin Bible. In 1533 a modified version of his summary appeared in Antwerp. Then in 1540 he proposed a revised version in Paris. In 1543 theologians in Zurich expanded his text. Finally, in 1522, Estienne reviewed his version once again in Geneva. At each stage the summary was translated not only in French but in most of the other Western languages as well. The French version was modified for the last time in 1566 when René Benoist introduced it into a Catholic bible. The circumstances surrounding each revision and their significance are explained briefly. Appendix one lists 200 editions of the summary and appendix two reproduces five Latin and four French versions (in facing columns).