You Did Not Understand

[Khandro]

Vacuous Julian had the following to say
about our religious beliefs: "I read, I understood,
I condemned". He thought we'd be devastated
by that "condemned", the buffoon.

We Christians however, have no truck with such cleverness.
We answered him straight away: "You read but did not understand;
had you understood, you wouldn't have condemned."


Constantine P. Cavafy (1863-1933) trans. from Greek by Avi Sharon (& Khandro)

The quote referred to in the poem is taken from a letter that Julian wrote to Basil of Caesarea (AD 330-79)

[Peter Pedant]

asked
someone asked for chrissakes

[Theland]

Gosh

[nailit]

//You Did Not Understand//

Sanctimonious, arrogant, snob.
(just replying to the header)
Didnt read the question... if there was one!

[pixie374]

There doesn't seem to be a question. I think the point was that Christians don't listen, and are presumptuous, arrogant, single-minded and a bit thick.
I very much doubt it is accurate.

[jno]

pixie, Julian was the last of the pagan Roman emperors. Bishop Bazza was ticking him off.

[pixie374]

Ah, thank you...

[nailit]

//Julian was the last of the pagan Roman emperors//
What makes you belive that?
Absolute hogwash to anyone with even a smattering of Roman history.

[Spungle]

Julian (Constantine's nephew) was the last Emperor to reject Christianity, wasn't he? After his death, the empire again fell under Christian control (permanently). I expect this is what jno is referring to,Nailit. Pagan practises continued after Julian, but the religion of the Roman Empire remained Christian.

[Peter Pedant]

oh is it THAT Joolz?
Julian the Apostate. Heresy - go from orthodoxy to heresy. Charles I was suspected of being an Arminian heretic
Apostasy - pagan become a Christiann and then go back to being pagan.
special it is
just in passing the arabic for apostate is kufr ( possibly ) that is the references to kufr/kufar is to those muslims who have wandered - theologically that is

the three verb Bazza uses - anegnon, egnon kai kategnon
and are aorists (!) - basis egnon
the present is gignosko, compounded anagignosko, katagignosko.

and this is the basis of the three word 'pun' and why it lives on in lit.

Greek lovers will notice gignosko - reduplication in the present stem but what the hell

[Spungle]

Yep, Khandro's quoting Julian the Apostate- the clue is in the dates of Basil's life in Khandro's original post. Anyone with a smattering of Roman history could have told you that :)