Of all things...

[rain_gryphon]

It's always kind of weird when something has been in front of you for ages, and you never really *saw* it. Thus is it for me with the word 'vicar'. I'd always accepted it as a kind of obscure Anglican religious office, a sort of caretaker - not a terribly powerful position. Then, earlier tonight, I was reading of Innocent IV's claim to be "Christ's vicar on earth", a phrase I've read numerous times before, and it struck me plainly (and for the first time) that 'vicar' comes from the same root as 'vicarious'. The word instantly acquires a whole new layer of meaning, one that has always been there, but that I'd overlooked for a half century. "Christ's caretaker on earth" becomes "Christ's vicarious presence on earth", something of a leap in power and majesty. Innocent IV's rather humble (to my limited understanding) declaration of himself as the guy who watches out for Jesus' stuff suddenly becomes a bold declaration of unlimited authority. The effect on medieval politics is much more comprehensible.


I wonder how many other things there are that most people know about, but I've just failed to see?

Comments

[loganberrybunny.livejournal.com]

Though in the Church of England, a vicar isn't an obscure title at all: it's what the ordinary parish priest is often called.

[xolo.livejournal.com]

True enough.