The BBC has some background:
Flagellation is the beating or whipping of the skin, most often on the back, and often drawing blood, as a bodily penance to show remorse for sin.There's more at the link. You can also find a more detailed analysis at the Catholic Encyclopedia (courtesy New Advent).
It was a widespread practice in some parts of the Catholic ministry up to the 1960s but is uncommon today, says Professor Michael Walsh, a Catholic historian.
Flagellation is acted out for symbolic purposes during penitential processions during Lent's Holy Week in Mediterranean countries, he says, as a reminder that Jesus Christ was whipped before the Crucifixion.
But in some countries like the Philippines, this re-enactment of the suffering of Jesus Christ - called the Passion play - can take a more extreme form and can draw blood.
For others self-flagellation is a more private expression of faith.
It is thought to have come to prominence in Western Europe in medieval times around 600 to 800 AD as an extreme version of bodily penance, says Professor Lewis Ayres, a Catholic theologian at Durham University.
Early Christians believed that the notion of bodily penance allowed control of the body and emotions in order to focus more fully on worshipping God.
The practice continued in what Mr Ayres calls "the more conservative Catholic orders" well into the 20th Century and is still probably practised by a "tiny minority" today.
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Technorati
Add to Digg
Add to Newsvine
Add to Facebook
Add to StumbleUpon
Subscribe
The real question, of course, was whether or not his safeword was in Latin or Polish.
Another devotee of the discipline: Bishop Oscar Romero.
I remember when I was dating a lovely young lady in college, we visited, with her parents, St. Peter's, the Dominican Church in downtown Memphis and the oldest in the River City. The associate priest, a good friend, showed us an example of a whip and said the priests and seminarians used to whip themselves whenever they had a lustful thought. I whispered in my girlfriend's mother's ear, "There'd be nothin' left of me!"
What about Jesus - didn't he take the 'whipping' for us? It is only through Jesus that we can come into a relationship with Christ.. not with our own works and our own 'discipline', but through Jesus..
it's one thing to have people flog or persecute you because of your faith, it's altogether a different thing to try and punish yourself for the sins that Jesus took upon himself in your place so you don't have to (as if you could!). Your post reminds me of why a man like Martin Luther took the stand he did.
Unfortunately there are still a minority of faithful (mostly religious in stricter orders) that follow this apparently erroneous practice. It is mostly due to historical pressures often gathered from exagerated hagiography coupled with a desire to increase in fervour. I wonder if it is more times than not a distraction to "the more important things" that Christ speaks of. Penance is an important aspect of our faith and should never be neglected, but should we make a distinction between passive mortification (such as fasting, abstinence, etc.) and direct imposition (such as whipping and inflicting on oneself or another bodily harm) so as to condemn the latter and afirm the former? With the theological focus having switched from "the evil flesh" to understanding the beauty and sanctity of the body, is it not now a good time to review some of these ancient tarnishes that still prevail?
Post a Comment
By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.