[Greek] χωρίζω (chōrizō), [Latin] separare, [Latin] segregare, [Latin], exitus, [French] partir: to separate, to divide, to asunder, to place room between, to isolate from one to another; Mt.19:6, Mk.10:9, Acts 1:4, Acts 18:1-2, Rom.8:35,39, 1Cor.7:10-11,15, Phil. 1:15, Heb.7:26
A page from Vincent de Beauvais’ compendium (encyclopedia) of Medieval knowledge. The attendant at the gate, with this hands out, tells the leper and crippled person to leave the castle.
Background information:
Speculum Historiales (Mirror of History) Folio 373r: Vincent de Beauvais was a Dominican friar at Cistercian Royaumount Abbey, France. At the city’s main gate, the resident refuses to let in the leper and wounded man. The resident’s refusal, shown by his body posture (with his hands in front of him), prevents them from coming in. The leper plays an instrument, a custom of the time, to announce (and warn) others that he is a leper. The social rejection of disease contrasted sharply with the welcome of the Church. The increased body size of the leper indicates the social importance of the patient in the Christian worldview.
Greek Hellenism: This term means to separate, to divide, to exclude, to remove, to detach, to depart, to remain, to distinguish, and to banish. Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus 94 states “I will tell you what I heard from the god. The god Phoebus clearly commands us to drive out this defilement which harbors in this land… By banishing the man Oedipus.” Isocrates’ Plataicus 14.49 states “But our greatest anguish of all is when one is separated from each other, not only citizens from citizens, but also wives from husbands, daughters from mothers, and every tie of kinship severed.” Plato’s Philebus 55e states “If arithmetic and the sciences of measurement and weighing were taken away from all the arts, what was let of any of them would be pretty worthless.”
Old Testament: This term means to isolate, to divide, to separate, to set apart, to depart, to withdraw, to remove, and to make a distinction. He shall remain unclean all the days during which he has infection; he is unclean. He shall live alone, his dwelling shall be outside the camp (Lev.13:46). Let him sit alone and be silent (Lam.3:28). And God separated the light from the darkness (Gen.1:4). I have set you apart from the people to be Mine (Lev.20:26). I have not departed from the command of His lips (Job 23:12). Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers (Gen.2:10).
New Testament: This term means to divorce (dissolve), to depart, to leave, to separate, and to be set apart. Paul speaks of marriage which creates one flesh between two persons. No human must separate this unity. This term also refers to moving (departing) in various situations. Paul speaks of the fears and struggles which separate us from the love of God (Christ). Paul also refers to the spiritual principalities or malevolent powers which may separate us from God’s love. Jesus is the High Priest, set apart from sinners, who can provide a more perfect sacrifice.
Scripture:
“There Paul met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because ordered all Jews to leave Rome.” Acts 18:2
The Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome in 49 AD.
“What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or the sword?” Rom.8:35
Paul was pointing out the obstacles and insecurities that the Christians could be facing in their path.
“It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens.” Heb. 7:26
Jesus is the High Priest whom the human race requires. Jesus makes a superior once and for all sacrifice.
The Black Death: In the middle 14th century, this plague swept across Europe. This plague spread rapidly from southern Europe to England, Germany, and Russia. This disease wiped out about a third of Europe’s population, forcing European officials to take extreme preventative measures. In some parts, declarations were made to take the diseased individuals out of the city and leave them in the fields, where they would either recover or die. But these steps had limited effectiveness or success. So more drastic actions were needed to be taken.
New isolation practices: Officials in the Venetian-controlled port city (now Dubrovnik, Croatia), passed a law establishing a trentino (30 day isolation period) for ships arriving from plague affected areas. No one was allowed to visit those ships under trentino. Violators would also be isolated. Other cities implemented these practices. Within a century, cities extended this isolation period from 30 to 40 days. This 40 day isolation period was called a quarantino (quarantine). This number increase may have been attributed to the significance of the number 40 in Christianity and scripture.
Conclusion:
Separate, separation, part, depart, exit, segregate, segregation
In the Greek Hellenistic era, it was interesting to discover the many uses of this term in various contexts. The sense of separating can be found in various ways. Euripides speaks of separating components in an educational discipline. Plato makes reference of separating (distinguishing) a person from others in discovering his true character. In Sophocles’ play Oedipus Tyrannus, the god claimed that Oedipus was the cause of the plague. Therefore, Oedipus must be banished.
In the Old Testament, the lepers must be isolated from all others. Only the priests can make the judgment to separate or to bring back these lepers.
In the New Testament, Paul states that marriage (the joining of two into one flesh) can not be separated by humans. Jesus is the High Priest who is set apart from all others. Jesus is the only one who can offer a more perfect sacrifice to take away the sins of others. Unlike the Old Testament priests, Jesus offers a one and only sacrifice.
Vincent of Beauvais’ Speculum Historiale provides a window into the historical world up to his time. The portrait of Vincent of Beauvais contains an actual convex mirror as a visual pun. One wonders if he saw objects closer than they appear! Or perhaps he may have had a wider view of the world.
For those of you wondering, there is no ‘link’ of this term [sorry for the sausage humor] to chorizo sausage.
Coronavirus pandemic: Like the 14th century, it was necessary to stop the transport of passenger ships. Now today, this also includes airplanes in order to mitigate the spread of this virus. We have come a long way in separating ourselves from the cruel and barbaric practices of leaving and abandoning the infected in the fields outside the cities. Rather, we are isolating the elderly and infirm inside (in their homes and hospitals) as we are protecting them from exposure. As we all continue to move forward in our path to get back to work, we must continue to separate ourselves with social distancing.
Happy Mother’s Day to all moms with us and set apart from us!