Is TdM Reformation Tarot?

[Rosanne]

TdM- Tarot of the Reformation: The cry against Moral Decay-A Social Commentary through images.
If you read through the discussions on the Reformation and look at the TdM- it seems to me that you can see this time of upheaval and change, reflected in this particular sequence of images. The terms I have used are ones we have put on the events and ideas of the time. The reformation movement began as an attempt to reform the Catholic Church and led to the fracturing of Christendom. It started with Martin Luther in 1517.
My tentative list came about because of of discussions and reading due to jmd's course on the Noblet; and a little Monkey. I present this as an 'interest' and not a concrete explanation of TdM. I look with anticipation to any and all views.
0. Le fou- Moral Decay
1. Bateleur- Sale of Indulgences/Simony
2. Papesse- Veneration of Mary and Cult of Relics
3.The Empress- Isabe[la] Holy Roman Empress of the time
4. The Emperor-Charles The Holy Roman Emperor
5. Le Pape and Benefices
6. The Lovers-Celibacy and the Sacrament of Marriage
7. Chariot-dichotomy of Will and Salvation(earning ones salvation)
8. Justice-Magisterial Reformation
9 Hermit-John Calvin and Christ/Scripture/Grace/Faith/God is needed only
10. Wheel-Political Power/ Radical Reformation
11.Force-Sacrament of Confirmation/laying on of hands
12.Hanged Man-Sacrament of Penance/Confession and (adult) Baptism v.Infant Baptism
13.Death-Sacrament Extreme Unction/last rites
14. Temperance-Wine into Blood of Last Supper debate
15. Devil-Purgatory/Limbo debate
16. Tower-Priestly Hierarchy dispensed with and scripture available to everyone
17. The Star-No intercession or heavenly intermediates between man and Christ.
18. Moon- The debate of the two towers of Belief -Baptism and the Lords Supper.
19.The Sun- Salvation and Free Will
20. Judgement-Particular Judgement( whether you sleep or go straight to your maker)
21 The New Jerusalem. (we have many denominations now- because of the Reformation)
~Rosanne

 

[Rosanne]

The debate on the Sacraments:According to St Thomas Aquinas (d.1274), a sacrament was 'the sign of a sacred thing in so far as it sanctifies men'. It was a visible act to obtain an invisible Grace. In Christian theology, the scope of what constitutes a sacrament varied widely. By the late middle ages, however, Aquinas' seven sacraments had been formally affirmed as an article of belief at the council of Florence (1439). These were baptism, confirmation, matrimony, extreme unction/Last rites, penance, the eucharist(the Last Supper) and holy orders. These were radically reduced by the protestant reformers, amongst whom only baptism and the Last Supper were accepted without reservation as sacraments.
Not only was it a theological debate- but the Catholic had to pay for these Sacraments. This payment was seen as part of the Moral decay and the power of Priestly Hierarchy- The Church made money from all it's rites and functions. The Church had become the 'money changers' at the Temple; and corruption was systemic.

Magisterial Reformation is the other name for the Protestant Reformation because because the movement received support from the magistrates and ruling authorities.

Radical Reformation was called for, because Magisterial Reform was too slow and the radical element had no state sponsorship.

Simony was the practice of buying and selling church positions.

Benefices are a gift of land for service rendered, but Under pre-Reformation Canon law it came to mean an income enjoyed — often linked to some land administered — by a priest in chief of an ecclesistical office, such as a parish, monastery, or a post of canon in a chapter. Each benefice had a number of "spiritualities", or spiritual duties, attached to it. For providing these spiritualities, a priest would receive "temporalities", or pay. From the medieval period onward, priests administered sacraments to their flock and usually provided other services as well. The pastorally served community was to provide for the priest as necessary, often in the form of a land-based tithe (often partially or wholly lost to a temporal lord); the elite provided patronage and made significant donations. Consequently, these two factors concentrated enormous wealth in the 'dead hand' of the Roman Catholic church, so called because it endured beyond any individual's life and also avoided some or all taxes. (Wikipedia in the main)

Indulgences: An indulgence, in Roman Catholic theology, is the (full or partial) remission of temporal punishment due to sins which have already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the church after the sinner has confessed and received absolution. Indulgences were sold by the clergy to raise money or for income.

Cult of Relicsis the public honor and veneration or cultus, of the remains of Saints, to cure and evangelize. The remains were often fought over and cost a lot of money and were often fake- but the Church was rewarded by huge income.Martin Luther talked about the amount of Mary the Virgin's milk to be found in Europe for example.
~Rosanne

 

[DianeOD]

Protestant tarot-based imagery

there's a fascinating series of images made by an associate of Durer's (if I recall correctly) in which the template-characters of the pack are redefined in just the same sort of way.

I'll see if I can track them down again - may have some on my hard-drive. Will come back and post some if possible.

But Rosanne, your listing and attributes seem most appropriate in my view.

On Durer's interest in the language of emblems, see the appendix to Boas' translation of hte Hierogylphica of Horapollo.

 

[DianeOD]

Second thoughts

On second thoughts I'm not sure its wise of me to refer to these images, since it is not their form, but their mutual reference, which links them to our tarot's Atouts. And that reference is based on an astronomical sequence whose connection to the atouts - to put it mildly - has not been generally accepted to date.

However, here's one of Shaufelein's pictures.

It marks the date of Stephen's feast in mid-winter, when this 'fool for god' - the first Christian martyr has the date of his elevation to heaven remembered.

The stoning motif in relation to the 'fool' is seen in the Charles VI cards; The nebula between Orion's thighs in the Charles VI cards becomes a loin-cloth, but here an apron - which happens to be more nearly like the original form of the figure in Egypt.

A case could also be made for this figure as representing the 'crown' (Stephani/Stephen) of Scorpius, subject to the showers of Perseid meteors, or even to an identification with Cepheus - which occurs in Cellarius map published in 1660. This is certainly closer in time to Shaufelein's images, though I think Cellarius' map has been too largely afected by a determination to draw a line between north and south as between people after, and before Christ respectively.

But no need to become too involved, because Shaufelein's intention is simply to use the well-known stock elements to make a point about the simpler nature of original Christianity. reworking the point of the stock imagery is just a means to that end.

Its usefulness for his purpose - in my view - is that the images had been used to aid verbal skills and memory, so that a certain complex of moralia already attached to the figures and the various meaningful devices included in them....

though of course, their use as aids to education, memory and verbal composition is another thing which "has not been generally accepted to date".

Diane

 

[mac22]

TdM- Tarot of the Reformation: The cry against Moral Decay-A Social Commentary through images.
If you read through the discussions on the Reformation and look at the TdM- it seems to me that you can see this time of upheaval and change, reflected in this particular sequence of images. The terms I have used are ones we have put on the events and ideas of the time. The reformation movement began as an attempt to reform the Catholic Church and led to the fracturing of Christendom. It started with Martin Luther in 1517.
My tentative list came about because of of discussions and reading due to jmd's course on the Noblet; and a little Monkey. I present this as an 'interest' and not a concrete explanation of TdM. I look with anticipation to any and all views.
0. Le fou- Moral Decay
1. Bateleur- Sale of Indulgences/Simony
2. Papesse- Veneration of Mary and Cult of Relics
3.The Empress- Isabe[la] Holy Roman Empress of the time
4. The Emperor-Charles The Holy Roman Emperor
5. Le Pape and Benefices
6. The Lovers-Celibacy and the Sacrament of Marriage
7. Chariot-dichotomy of Will and Salvation(earning ones salvation)
8. Justice-Magisterial Reformation
9 Hermit-John Calvin and Christ/Scripture/Grace/Faith/God is needed only
10. Wheel-Political Power/ Radical Reformation
11.Force-Sacrament of Confirmation/laying on of hands
12.Hanged Man-Sacrament of Penance/Confession and (adult) Baptism v.Infant Baptism
13.Death-Sacrament Extreme Unction/last rites
14. Temperance-Wine into Blood of Last Supper debate
15. Devil-Purgatory/Limbo debate
16. Tower-Priestly Hierarchy dispensed with and scripture available to everyone
17. The Star-No intercession or heavenly intermediates between man and Christ.
18. Moon- The debate of the two towers of Belief -Baptism and the Lords Supper.
19.The Sun- Salvation and Free Will
20. Judgement-Particular Judgement( whether you sleep or go straight to your maker)
21 The New Jerusalem. (we have many denominations now- because of the Reformation)
~Rosanne

I'd say a good analysis. This is why I asked my earlier question about Luther and the tarot/playing cards. We know from history that Luther enjoyed beer & cards..

Might he also viewed the Atouts as a "commentary though images" as you suggest? Interesting question.

Mac22

 

[Rosanne]

Ah yes.. 'Richard of York gave battle in vain'
I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow (and get it right)
I have always thought Tarot was a mnemonic aid or 'aide memoire'. After all it is how we read for people anyway. I find it hard to believe that some find it so hard to accept.
Thank you for the Saint Stephen woodcut Diane, his apron has come down through the ages to represent the 'pinny pain' of menstruation mid cycle that sometimes often indicates kidney stones or ovarian cysts. Greater minds than mine have have used 'stock elements' of images for verbal composition. Sir David Lange's speech on Nuclear Power in the debating chamber of Oxford University was sequenced by Stars/planets in various exultations. 'Step back a little - I can already smell the uranium on your breathe" was Mars in Leo, I am reliably told.
Woe to me if I should say that Tarot was street News of the times
Mac- I did not know that Luther played cards. I wonder what he played? and what with? You should read Mary Carruthers on Memory- it has made a huge difference to my learning- although I have naturally used images as prompts for years. I can also leap-frog about with Kwaw's links. Just The Papesse alone can take you on a journey through the Pilgrimage trails of Europe. I am sure there is a Buddhist equivalent- maybe you can share that? ~Rosanne

 

[mac22]

Woe to me if I should say that Tarot was street News of the times
Mac- I did not know that Luther played cards. I wonder what he played? and what with? You should read Mary Carruthers on Memory- it has made a huge difference to my learning- although I have naturally used images as prompts for years. I can also leap-frog about with Kwaw's links. Just The Papesse alone can take you on a journey through the Pilgrimage trails of Europe. I am sure there is a Buddhist equivalent- maybe you can share that? ~Rosanne

Luther said, "Seek for community, play cards, drink good wine and eat ... "

Which means Luther played cards, which means he was no doubt familiar with the Marseilles decks.

I'm reading Mary Carruthers --but I started with Dame Yates' _The Art of Memory_ 25 years ago when I started working with the Memory Theater.

Mac22

 

[jmd]

"Which means Luther played cards, which means he was no doubt familiar with the Marseilles decks."

Not sure about that one... it would be great to find evidence that he actually meant tarot, in which case the Marseille. But there were many other card games around at the time, and so is possibly more likely to have referred to other card games. For a list of card games, see, for example, Rabelais.

In reference to the reformation, I personally still am of the opinion - though cannot add much supporting evidence, and hence rarely mention it - that tarot-like decks developed into the Marseille (ie, into what became known at the time as 'tarot') by crypto-Jewish 'Huguenots' (I once started a thread titled 'Huguenots, Jews, French expulsion and the Marseille sequence' - that I would now write a little differently).

To me, the reformation had much influence on not only the obvious socio-political and religious reforms of the times, but also on the movements, purgings, massacres, and semi-hidden developments that became tarot on the one side, and Freemasonry in a different group.

This is an area that I personally would like to spend more time more carefully examining and cross-referencing.... or better still, read others who have done the hard-yakka!

 

[mac22]

"Which means Luther played cards, which means he was no doubt familiar with the Marseilles decks."

Not sure about that one... it would be great to find evidence that he actually meant tarot, in which case the Marseille. But there were many other card games around at the time, and so is possibly more likely to have referred to other card games. For a list of card games, see, for example, Rabelais.

In reference to the reformation, I personally still am of the opinion - though cannot add much supporting evidence, and hence rarely mention it - that tarot-like decks developed into the Marseille (ie, into what became known at the time as 'tarot') by crypto-Jewish 'Huguenots' (I once started a thread titled 'Huguenots, Jews, French expulsion and the Marseille sequence' - that I would now write a little differently).

To me, the reformation had much influence on not only the obvious socio-political and religious reforms of the times, but also on the movements, purgings, massacres, and semi-hidden developments that became tarot on the one side, and Freemasonry in a different group.

This is an area that I personally would like to spend more time more carefully examining and cross-referencing.... or better still, read others who have done the hard-yakka!

Ok I will slightly redact my statement: "Which means Luther played cards, which means he was PROBABLY familiar with the Marseilles decks."


Luther was a modern man of his day familiar with the printing press, block printing and other technical innovations. He married and took his leisure time seriously & with gusto. That he might have seen Tarot as "a social commentary through images" is not a big stretch by any means. He left the church for its excesses.

Mac22

 

[jmd]

Quite agreed, Mac22... if the Marseille was already established at that time.

Certainly, if the Cary Sheet is dated correctly at around 1500, and the Sforza Castle card remnants are also correctly dated to circa 1500, it is possible that even if he did not play tarot in his own region, he may have come across the decks when he visited Rome (thereby passing though the Milanese and Florentine areas).

What certainly appears to the be case is that post-reformation, and despite the general iconoclasts, tarot became more firmly established in the areas also changed by the Reformation, and themselves modified (it seems highly likely, given the places and periods) the deck to the Besançon - replacing the Papesse and the Pope to Juno and Jupiter.

I still suspect, however, that Luther is more likely to have played Piquet or similar popular card game in the region... but would welcome circumstantial evidence to the contrary!