The Anathemata
Sherthursdaye and Venus day (continued)
As a paterfamilias among his own on his own festal-night
empties out to the Genius of the place1
he in this place
empties himself
to the Lar of this place
of this household
in session, here
under the roof-beam at the bright hearth of
this Lar.
Here, to the Genius of this familia of new-gens founders
inaugurally met.
Informed from before history proper:
from the boundary-time.
They say that, once-upon-a-time, there was a duke without tree
the stirplessa lord, a man of estate sine genealogia
a rites-offerant
of an immutable disciplina.
Rex Pacis was his name
gentle, was his station.2
Out from his dwelling place3
to the tithing of the spoil
to take his war-dues.4
David Jones notes
1 Cf. the Roman domestic rites on the birthday of the head of the house whlch was also the chief festival of the genius of the household. In making the oblations the father offered in fact to his own Genius, to the ‘indwelling spirit that gave the father of the family the power to prolong its existence’. H. Stuart Jones, Companion to Roman History .
2 Cf. Heb. VII, 4 (A.V.), ‘consider how great this man was’.
3 Cf., e.g.
Alice Bradshaw is my name
Simple is my station
Rotherhithe my dwelling place
And Christ my salvation.
4 Gen. XlV, 20.
additional notes
DJ note 3: The whole of the passage from the Epistle to the Hebrews (7:1-4) is relevant here. It is referring to the Hebraic priest Melchizedec, who is taken by the Church to be a forerunner of Christ:
[1] Melchesidec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;
[2] To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
[3] Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.
[4] Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
DJ note 4: Genesis 14:18-20 reads:
[18] And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
[19] And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
[20] And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
see also
This is not only a birthday but a new beginning (page 51).
semantic structures
glossary
a stirpless: without a family history (i.e. sine genealogia in Latin).
comments
Jesus is the Roman ‘paterfamilias’ at his annual birthday celebration, in which he makes oblation to the spirit of himself as father of the family. Informing this new rite is the ancient rite of Melchizedec, an agriculural priest of ancient Hebrew times who met Abraham returning from war.