- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2009-2022: CFx6, CP, VdlPx2, Mozarabe, more later.
For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
What an interesting threat! Thanks for sharing! Sitting out time in volunteer quarantine myself so I am quite grateful for every interesting distraction that comes along the way!I am myself in volunteer quarantine. So plenty of time to read, and I found an interesting article (in Norw.) that I may share with you all:
What does the word quarantine means, and what is its origin?
The word comes from Italian: quaranta giorni which means 40 days. Tha background for the word goes back to the crusades and the Knights Hospitalleres, a sub-order of the Knights Templars. Mainly on the islands of Malta and Rhodos, they took care of pilgrims and crusaders to and from the Holy Land. They had several rules for isolating (possibly) sick people. We have a worldwide pandemic right now, even in our modern world. Imagine how much more important it was to isolate sick people back then?
But why 40 days?
The Knight Templars had a religious start, and as such, they looked to the Bible for advice. If you read Luke ch. 4, v. 1-13, You will find the story about Jesus and his 40 days in the desert, where he was constantly challenged and tempted by the Devil. But after 40 days and nights the Devil gave up, and Jesus could return from the desert as a purified man. In Greek it is called katharsis. At least researchers claim that this is the origin of the term quarantine. So the thougt of the Knights was that it was working for Jesus, so it should be good for all others too. Of course, illnesses like leprosy required lifelong isolation, but for most other illnesses, a Biblical quaranta giorni should do the job
In today's world, medicine is far more knowledgeable, and we are now asked to self-isolate for 14 days, of which I am halfway now. Hopefully all of us will be purified and protected.
Now you know.
Buen future Caminos!
My intention! We need something else now and then in these times...What an interesting threat! Thanks for sharing! Sitting out time in volunteer quarantine myself so I am quite grateful for every interesting distraction that comes along the way!
Maybe more! I tried to get my head around the difference between quarantine and isolation. The first one lets me get out for a walk, so that is my chosen state. At the moment. I keep my distance but still try to connect with the rare others on the path!And after the 14 days of isolation, what then?
I don't think that "purification" comes into the equation. As soon as you end your self isolation and go back out into the world you are no longer protected.In today's world, medicine is far more knowledgeable, and we are now asked to self-isolate for 14 days, of which I am halfway now. Hopefully all of us will be purified and protected.
We must distinguish between isolation and quarantine. For quarantine, a 14 day period is enough to determine that you are not contaminated and can return to the outer world without contaminating others. You risk of course to catch it then. If you are contaminated, you must stay in isolation until you are no longer a danger to others. The benefit, according to health personell, is that you have now become immune to the beast. A fine distinction here...I don't think that "purification" comes into the equation. As soon as you end your self isolation and go back out into the world you are no longer protected.
Glad you made it. Just in time.Luckily it was an early arrival and my train departing 7.10am was heading south (away from City) and therefore was almost empty. Easy to keep distance.
Predating the Templars, Jesus and even Moses, I believe Noah and his family are believed to have spent forty days away from the rest of humanity.I am myself in volunteer quarantine. So plenty of time to read, and I found an interesting article (in Norw.) that I may share with you all:
What does the word quarantine means, and what is its origin?
The word comes from Italian: quaranta giorni which means 40 days. Tha background for the word goes back to the crusades and the Knights Hospitalleres, a sub-order of the Knights Templars. Mainly on the islands of Malta and Rhodos, they took care of pilgrims and crusaders to and from the Holy Land. They had several rules for isolating (possibly) sick people. We have a worldwide pandemic right now, even in our modern world. Imagine how much more important it was to isolate sick people back then?
But why 40 days?
The Knight Templars had a religious start, and as such, they looked to the Bible for advice. If you read Luke ch. 4, v. 1-13, You will find the story about Jesus and his 40 days in the desert, where he was constantly challenged and tempted by the Devil. But after 40 days and nights the Devil gave up, and Jesus could return from the desert as a purified man. In Greek it is called katharsis. At least researchers claim that this is the origin of the term quarantine. So the thougt of the Knights was that it was working for Jesus, so it should be good for all others too. Of course, illnesses like leprosy required lifelong isolation, but for most other illnesses, a Biblical quaranta giorni should do the job
Edit: It should also be mentioned that also Moses went off for self-purification for 40 days...
In today's world, medicine is far more knowledgeable, and we are now asked to self-isolate for 14 days, of which I am halfway now. Hopefully all of us will be purified and protected.
Now you know.
Buen future Caminos!
Forget English. The origin is Italian/Latin.Predating the Templars, Jesus and even Moses, I believe Noah and his family are believed to have spent forty days away from the rest of humanity.
Looking up quarantine in the OED, I notice that the first use of the word predates its use (in English) for medical isolation and was for the legal right of a widow to remain in the house of her late husband for 40 days. It was only some decades later, in the mid-17th century, that we see it referring to medical isolation.
If I forget English, I won't be able to communicate very well. My Spanish won't get me too far, my French somewhat less, my Hebrew much less, and otherwise, I can pretty much just say "thanks". Certainly, the origin is the word "forty", but I don't have etymological dictionaries of Italian or Latin to go back further. And since English is the language I am communicating in, I thought it was interesting that it entered English first as a word in a legal context unrelated to medical matters.Forget English. The origin is Italian/Latin.
Here in Australia, we are distinguishing between self-isolation (a wonderful oxymoron) and social distancing. My workplace as graduated distance rules - 1.5 m for up to 15 minutes, min of 2 m for up to two hours, etc.Self isolation isn't just for those who have symptoms of the virus. It's for everyone, so that you don't get exposed to the virus and unwittingly pass it on to someone else. There are also people who have the virus but have no symptoms. Everyone needs to self isolate as much as possible (I know that not everyone can do this 100% of the time) to slow the spread of the virus.
This article and simulations demonstrate this.
This is somewhat tiring,and disrespectful towards ancient, original languages. For goodness sake: Please forget about the English "language", which basically is a mix of Norse, German, Dutch, Latin & Greek languages: We are talking about ancient languages, NOT English, and the origins are quite clear! Read up:The practice of quarantines dates back to Antiquity, and it is attested in the Old Testament for example ; nevertheless, "quarantine" in the medical sense dates back only to the 17th Century.
With all respect due:Its origin is in 12th Century French, and the Latin word is from the French rather than vice-versa.
It (quarantaine) originally meant "a set of 40" or "a period of 40 days" (so vingtaine 20, trentaine 30, cinquantaine 50, centaine 100, etc) ; and its legal sense in the mediaeval period referred to the period of time, 40 days, when a widow having her dowry could remain within her deceased husband's manor.
The practice of quarantines dates back to Antiquity, and it is attested in the Old Testament for example ; nevertheless, "quarantine" in the medical sense dates back only to the 17th Century.
With all respect due:
How can a LATIN word be derived from XII c French?
This is somewhat tiring,and disrespectful towards ancient, original languages. For goodness sake: Please forget about the English "language", which basically is a mix of Norse, German, Dutch, Latin & Greek languages: We are talking about ancient languages, NOT English, and the origins are quite clear!
Please, moderators; stop irrelevant comments; This thread is simply an explanatory and historic correct one. I never thought it would be about the English "language". (Jeeez).
Thanks so much - fascinating. Stay wellI am myself in volunteer quarantine. So plenty of time to read, and I found an interesting article (in Norw.) that I may share with you all:
What does the word quarantine mean, and what is its origin?
The word comes from Italian : quaranta giorni which means 40 days. The background for the word goes back to the crusades and the Knights Hospitalleres, a sub-order of the Knights Templars. Mainly on the islands of Malta and Rhodos, they took care of pilgrims and crusaders travelling to and from the Holy Land. They had several rules for isolating possibly sick people. We have a worldwide pandemic right now, even in our modern world. Imagine how much more important it was to keep potentially sick people away from others for a while back then, just to make sure of no danger?
But why 40 days?
The Knight Templars had a religious background, cruel in battles as they might have been, and as such, they looked to the Bible for advice. If you read The Gospel of Luke ch. 4, v. 1-13, you will find the story about Jesus and his 40 days in the desert, where he was constantly challenged and tempted by the Devil. But after 40 days and nights the Devil gave up, and Jesus could return from the desert as a purified man.
In Greek it is called katharsis.
At least researchers claim that this is the origin of the term quarantine. So the thought the Knights had was that if it was working for Jesus, it should be good for all mortals too. Of course, illnesses like leprosy required lifelong isolation, but for most other illnesses, a Biblical quaranta giorni should do the job
Edit: It should also be mentioned that also Moses went off for self-purification for 40 days...
In today's world, medicine is far more knowledgeable, and we are now asked to self-isolate for 14 days, of which I am halfway now. After that, I'll know I won't contaminate others when I go outside. Of course, I risk getting Corona later. Hopefully all of us will be purified and protected.
Now you know.
Buen future Caminos!
"Forty days" certainly is a recurring theme in the Bible:@David Tallan, you may want to explore why the number is 40. Until today, I didn't even recall that "the rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights". I understand that it means just "a very long time". But my googling led me to the Babylonians and their astronomical knowledge about the Pleiades as a possible origin ... ☺.
Crazy! Thanks for digging this out."Forty days" certainly is a recurring theme in the Bible:
The rain which brought about the Deluge lasted forty days (Gen. vii. 4, 12, 17); the same period passed between the appearance of the mountain-tops and the opening of the windows in the ark (Gen. viii. 6). For the embalming of Jacob forty days were required (Gen. 1. 3). Moses was without food on Mount Horeb for forty days (Ex. xxiv. 18). Moses also spent three consecutive periods of forty days on Mount Sinai (Deut. ix. 11, 25, x. 10). Elijah wandered without food for the same period (I Kings xix. 8; compare also the fasting of Jesus previous to his temptation, Matt. iv. 2). Ezekiel was ordered to lie on his right side forty days, to represent the forty years of the sin of Judah (Ezek. iv. 6). Forty days were spent by the spies in Canaan (Num. xiii. 25); Goliath challenged the army of Israel for forty days (I Sam. xvii. 16; compare Soṭah 41b). The same number of days was granted Nineveh for repentance (Jonah iii. 4). They also form the period required for purification after the birth of a male (Lev. xii. 2, 4), while after that of a female it is twice that number of days (ib. 5).
Forty years is also similarly recurring. Some say that it is used as a round, concrete number in place of the more abstract "many". I've read other sources saying that in the Bible it often represents transition or renewal.
My Google-fu is not sufficient to come up with a Pleiades connection, although I was able to discover that the number was often associated with the Babylonian god Enki. It makes me wonder if the Babylonian language, like ancient Hebrew, also used letters as numbers giving a numeric value to words (which, in addition to being collections of letters, are also collections of numbers). It also makes me tempted to dive into the ancient field of gematria and figure out which Biblical Hebrew words have a value of 40. But I am not that far gone yet.
"Forty days" certainly is a recurring theme in the Bible:
The rain which brought about the Deluge lasted forty days (Gen. vii. 4, 12, 17); the same period passed between the appearance of the mountain-tops and the opening of the windows in the ark (Gen. viii. 6). For the embalming of Jacob forty days were required (Gen. 1. 3). Moses was without food on Mount Horeb for forty days (Ex. xxiv. 18). Moses also spent three consecutive periods of forty days on Mount Sinai (Deut. ix. 11, 25, x. 10). Elijah wandered without food for the same period (I Kings xix. 8; compare also the fasting of Jesus previous to his temptation, Matt. iv. 2). Ezekiel was ordered to lie on his right side forty days, to represent the forty years of the sin of Judah (Ezek. iv. 6). Forty days were spent by the spies in Canaan (Num. xiii. 25); Goliath challenged the army of Israel for forty days (I Sam. xvii. 16; compare Soṭah 41b). The same number of days was granted Nineveh for repentance (Jonah iii. 4). They also form the period required for purification after the birth of a male (Lev. xii. 2, 4), while after that of a female it is twice that number of days (ib. 5).
Forty years is also similarly recurring. Some say that it is used as a round, concrete number in place of the more abstract "many". I've read other sources saying that in the Bible it often represents transition or renewal.
My Google-fu is not sufficient to come up with a Pleiades connection, although I was able to discover that the number was often associated with the Babylonian god Enki. It makes me wonder if the Babylonian language, like ancient Hebrew, also used letters as numbers giving a numeric value to words (which, in addition to being collections of letters, are also collections of numbers). It also makes me tempted to dive into the ancient field of gematria and figure out which Biblical Hebrew words have a value of 40. But I am not that far gone yet.
And a pregnancy lasts 40 weeks."Forty days" certainly is a recurring theme in the Bible:
The rain which brought about the Deluge lasted forty days (Gen. vii. 4, 12, 17); the same period passed between the appearance of the mountain-tops and the opening of the windows in the ark (Gen. viii. 6). For the embalming of Jacob forty days were required (Gen. 1. 3). Moses was without food on Mount Horeb for forty days (Ex. xxiv. 18). Moses also spent three consecutive periods of forty days on Mount Sinai (Deut. ix. 11, 25, x. 10). Elijah wandered without food for the same period (I Kings xix. 8; compare also the fasting of Jesus previous to his temptation, Matt. iv. 2). Ezekiel was ordered to lie on his right side forty days, to represent the forty years of the sin of Judah (Ezek. iv. 6). Forty days were spent by the spies in Canaan (Num. xiii. 25); Goliath challenged the army of Israel for forty days (I Sam. xvii. 16; compare Soṭah 41b). The same number of days was granted Nineveh for repentance (Jonah iii. 4). They also form the period required for purification after the birth of a male (Lev. xii. 2, 4), while after that of a female it is twice that number of days (ib. 5).
Forty years is also similarly recurring. Some say that it is used as a round, concrete number in place of the more abstract "many". I've read other sources saying that in the Bible it often represents transition or renewal.
My Google-fu is not sufficient to come up with a Pleiades connection, although I was able to discover that the number was often associated with the Babylonian god Enki. It makes me wonder if the Babylonian language, like ancient Hebrew, also used letters as numbers giving a numeric value to words (which, in addition to being collections of letters, are also collections of numbers). It also makes me tempted to dive into the ancient field of gematria and figure out which Biblical Hebrew words have a value of 40. But I am not that far gone yet.
Has anyone figured out why 40?
Present time keeping has 30 day months so why not thirty days and nights?
I have always wondered why 40 is the marker.
The origin and meaning is explained in my original post. Forget English. Forget French. It was started during the crusades some 1.000 years ago. My original post is quoting researchers, not Google findings.It's most likely quite arbitrary. The practice of quarantines was first put in place in a modern sense by the French in the 17th Century, when they imposed a period of forty days isolation of ships, crew, and cargo where it was known there was illness aboard or that the ship had travelled and/or was carrying goods from a port where an epidemic existed (black plague in particular). The word quarantaine meant and means "period of forty days", though in Middle French it was also used to designate Lent.
From that point, the word started also to mean "a period of medical isolation", irrespective of length in days.
I can try and dig a little deeper into the French Medical History as to why the number 40 was chosen rather than 30, 33, 45, 50, whatever, but my hunch is that it was basically arbitrary, although it could very possibly have been influenced by the notion of Lenten fasting.
It's most likely quite arbitrary. The practice of quarantines was first put in place in a modern sense by the French in the 17th Century, when they imposed a period of forty days isolation of ships, crew, and cargo where it was known there was illness aboard or that the ship had travelled and/or was carrying goods from a port where an epidemic existed (black plague in particular). The word quarantaine meant and means "period of forty days", though in Middle French it was also used to designate Lent.
From that point, the word started also to mean "a period of medical isolation", irrespective of length in days.
I can try and dig a little deeper into the French Medical History as to why the number 40 was chosen rather than 30, 33, 45, 50, whatever, but my hunch is that it was basically arbitrary, although it could very possibly have been influenced by the notion of Lenten fasting.
Which researchers?The origin and meaning is explained in my original post. Forget English. Forget French. It was started during the crusades some 1.000 years ago. My original post is quoting researchers, not Google findings.
The origin and meaning is explained in my original post. Forget English. Forget French. It was started during the crusades some 1.000 years ago. My original post is quoting researchers, not Google findings.
Please correct them.This is very unhelpful ; and I am not using "Google findings". But FWIW there are errors in your OP.
Please correct them.
not completely sure how to take this but in conjunction with all the Biblical References:Excellent.
Has anyone figured out why 40?
Present time keeping has 30 day months so why not thirty days and nights?
I have always wondered why 40 is the marker.
Yes, one (at least) source say that quarantine was used in the 14th century in Venice, calling it quaranta giorni.I just did. From the Medical History.
Thank you! Sounds reasonable:not completely sure how to take this but in conjunction with all the Biblical References:
At the time among the Jews, the number forty wasn’t generally used to signify a specific number, per se, but rather more used as a general term for a large figure. When it was used in terms of time, it simply meant a “long time”. Thus, the phrase “40 days and 40 nights” was just another way to say a “really long time”.
The number forty also had great symbolic meaning to the Jews and today among Christians and Muslims as well. The number forty to the Jews is a number that, when used in terms of time, represents a period of probation, trial, and chastisement (not to be confused with judgment which is represented by the number 9).
As the product of 5 and 8, it also signifies grace (5) ending in revival or a new beginning (8). Thus, when 40 is referencing a period of probation, it also often coincides with the meaning derived from the factors 5 and 8. When it relates to enlarged dominion or extended rule, then it is related to the factors of 4 and 10, with 4 representing the creation of something and 10 representing perfection and completeness.
and if you REALLYwant to get into some 'related musings' try THIS
Yes, one (at least) source say that quarantine was used in the 14th century in Venice, calling it quaranta giorni.
History of Quarantine (Port Health) | Quarantine | CDC
Port health stations previously were known as quarantine stations. The practice of quarantine, which began hundreds of years ago, has evolved over time. Although we honor the history of quarantine and continue to carry out CDC’s public health authorities—including using federal quarantine or...www.cdc.gov
It is disputed: recent work, to which I have had some access, but is not yet published (and may never be; it is a private research for selfish reasons), tells about the Knights Hospitalleres and their medical treatments in albergues(!). They used Italian as their language, and there are now (according to my source) strong indications that they started the use of quaranta giorni, for the reasons you'll find in my OP.
Some more info on them may be found here:
The Medicine Of The Templars
At Paris, 18 March of 1314, on the island of the Seine in front of the Garden real, Jacques de Molay, the last Great Master of the Templars, and Geoffroy de Charny, preceptor of Normandy, were burned as heretics. Thus finishes the history of the Knights of the Temple after two centuries.www.science20.com
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?