ROSARY HISTORY - JOURNALING
THE BEAD
HISTORY of the ROSARY
WHEN DID THE ROSARY AS WE KNOW IT TODAY, TAKE ITS SHAPE?
CLICK IMAGE BELOW AND FIND OUT!
HISTORY
OF THE ROSARY
JOURNALING
THE BEAD
WHAT DOES IT
MEAN TO 'KNOCK ON WOOD'?
It may have grown from the true cross to crucifixes
and then to rosaries themselves. It is hard to know as these practices
are often regional and not universal. Check out what Prof Anastasios
Zavales Phd ThD (Ecumenical Patriarchate, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of
the USA shared with the Rosary Workshop below:
JOURNALING/BEAD
- MUSEUM - HISTORY
LINKS
BEADSONG
- ANCIENT PRAYER/MARY (235
ad)
~ "KNOCK on
WOOD" ~
Often we use the phrase, "Knock on wood" - and proceed to do just that: Knock on a table or a door or whatever wood is handy. In some circles it is believed that the origin of the phrase and practice comes from the wood of the rosary. Rosaries in the old days were made of oak wood and were fingered in time of distress or trouble. Thus, holding on to, touching or rubbing the wooden rosary or its wooden crucifix when danger was near became a common way for Christians to deal with hardships and difficulties. The practice slipped into common use as "Knock on wood."
From "A World of Stories" by William Bausch - Shared by Father Ray H. (MI)
A GREATER - 1600 YEAR HISTORY
When Saint Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine
the Great, visiting the Holy Land and seeking the True Cross upon which
Jesus was crucified, found the Precious and Life-Giving Cross, the Cross
was venerated by all the faithful in many public processions. Many faithful
would come to touch the Holy Cross for blesssing and healing. It was customary
to touch the Wood of Life three times (as a confession of faith in the
Holy Trinity). This act of touching the True Cross became the earliest
recorded histories of "knocking on wood." This history, alas, has nothing
to do with the Rosary since the Rosary is a much later innovation. Whenever
the Holy Cross was put forth for public veneration, touching it, or as
English translations render it "knocking," became common liturgical practice.
Once the Holy Cross was transferred to Constantinople and placed in the
Great Church of the Holy Wisdom (aka Saint Sophia), Christians continued
this piety by touching or knocking on any cross or crucifix (wood was the
medium of the day) for blessings and healings. This ancient tradition has
been with us for over 1,600 years and has been a pious tradition to this
day where people tend to touch anything made of wood ... but all interpretations
of this behavior point back directly to Jerusalem in the 4th century AD
and the True Cross. No doubt, wooden prayer beads may have become a customary
item for similar veneration, but historically much later.
Prof Anastasios Zavales Phd ThD
Ecumenical Patriarchate
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of the USA
~ JOURNALING the
BEAD ~
CHRONOLOGY OF THE ROSARY - 9 BC ON
HISTORY
~ ANTIQUE ROSARIES
~
A COLLECTION OF ROSARIES DATING BACK TO THE
17th CENTURY (shown ca 1720)
MUSEUM
~ MORE HISTORY LINKS ~
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Where do they come from - are they really from the bible? |
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Is it a Catholic thing? Are Protestants allowed to pray the rosary? |
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What does it have to do with candles? Is it considered something holy? |
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How long have they been around? Are they still made? |
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Interesting facts and dates that make us wonder who is in charge. |
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History of the events, interesting facts regarding the apparition. |
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What is a PICASSO bead? What is a pressed GABLONZ bead? |
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"It is easier to become a rosary from the 17th century than to find ... |
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an in-depth article by Alexander Roman on Prayer Beads including a response from Seminarian Nicholas Vester, an Orthodox Theologian and a Byzantine Historian |
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"The first one I ever saw was in Rothenberg - I was captured by its beauty ... |
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Far to the Northwest of our country, our journey of discovery began ... |
~ BEADSONG ~
A STORY ABOUT A 6 YEAR OLD AND THE ROSARY
WITNESS
~ WE FLY to
YOUR PATRONAGE ~
Most Ancient Prayer To Our Lady - (235 AD)
We fly to your
patronage, O Holy Mother of God;
despise not
our petitions in our necessities,
but deliver
us always from all danger,
O glorious and
blessed Virgin. Amen.
Found in a book of prayers to Mary, published in 1921, 'The Key of Heaven' quoting from a fledgling church still in the throes of Roman persecution and dated 235 AD. (Another original copy of this prayer was found in 1917 written on Egyptian papyrus. This prayer again spread from Egypt where Joseph and Mary had fled with Jesus to Europe and other parts of the Christian World.) Believed to be earliest written prayer to Mary.
Shared by Fr Joseph, from his Grandmother.
... HERESY - Here-say ...
"Heresy is from the Greek word meaning 'choice'....
But we are not permitted to believe whatever we choose, nor to choose whatever
someone else has believed. We have the Apostles of God as authorities,
who did not...choose what they would believe but faithfully transmitted
the teachings of Christ. So, even if an angel from heaven should preach
otherwise, he shall be called anathema."
Saint Isidore of Seville - (c.560 - 636) - Patron
of Internet Users
... EVA - AVE ...
Thought I'd share a bit of historical information with you, though
you may already know this. You state on your site that the Virgin Mary
is sometimes called the "new Eve". "Eve" in Latin is "Eva". The first
word that the Angel Gabriel spoke to Mary at the Annunciation was "Ave",
which is Eve backwards. This is just a coincidence of course, but many
Medieval songs used this to illustrate how Mary "undid" what Eve had done.
One song has this refrain:
Nova! Nova! Ave fit ex Eva! (News! News! "Ave" has been made from "Eve"!)
Nicholas Churchill (USA)
... your website did the trick! ...
I'm a nineth grade catechism teacher in Troy, MI. Tomorrow's
class and I wanted to give a good overview of the Rosary for my confirmation
candidates. It is surprisingly difficult to find a good chronology
of the devotion's development over the centuries. All of my usual
source books seemed incomplete, but your website did the trick! Thanks
so much--I'm going to pass your website address on to the other 14 confirmation
catechists in my parish.
Karl Schmidt (MI)
... thank you so much! ...
I've had a long passion for
rosaries and have recently began my journey in collecting antique ones.
However, I haven't been able to find ANY information until I came across
your web page. Thank you so much! Joseph E. (IN)
... loved the history lesson ...
Loved the history lesson on
the Rosary. Look forward to the next chapter. Bill
C (NV)
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