Two Cheers for the Middle Ages | Hacker News Reader

Two Cheers for the Middle Ages

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56 pointsdiodorus9 comments

> We think we know him [Fagin]; we don’t hate him nearly as much as his creator did.

Dickens hated Fagin? I admit my knowledge of the situation doesn't extend beyond reading the book itself and a subsequent skim of Wikipedia, but I'd never have guessed it.

He gives him and Sikes, the other top bad guy, the two most affecting, sympathetic, and human scenes in the whole book, plus plenty of others that probably wouldn't be there, or would be very different, if he hated either of them.

As a former Masters Degree Historical Theology student this is really a long time coming.

If you look at Jewish, Muslim and my favorite Lithuanian history during these times you would be shocked at how awesome it was.

When I think of those three in the middle ages I think of Lithuanians being captured and castrated by Jews then sold into slavery to Muslims. So awesome.

Interesting, what are some the standout awesomeness from these cultures in your opinion? What about Lithuanian history from this time makes it your favorite?

I'm vaguely familiar with mathematical development in the Islamic Golden Age.

Lithuania really was an amazing society. Lithuania for a time was the largest state in Europe.

1) Co-operation with Poland where the two countries partnered successfully for a long time and than out neccesity. Prior to that they partnered with Ruthenian (Ukraine and Belarus) were the majority of the feudal rural workers were free.

2) Freedom of Religion - Jewish, Pegan, and Christian lived in Harmony well at least better than any other nation I know of during this period.

3) Cool stories of Teutonic Knights and the Golden Horde which were both victories and defeats.

4) "Noble democracy" int he 17th Century was well before USA Republic/Democracy of the 18th Century.

I'm pretty sure that where it says "and jeering Jewish onlookers as in the Quentin Matsys Ecce Homo now in Madrid or the nasty hags at the Circumcision in a French manuscript of circa 1400. "

It means crucifixion, but a spell checker has intervened.

I think circumcision is correct.

Do a quick image search on those keywords and you get things like this:

http://hbpub.vo.llnwd.net/o16/video/olmk/holt/lipton/6-11.jp...

I was asking myself why not the traditional three cheers, then I noticed the review was about three books, the third not being cheerful. Well, two out of three isn't bad, if I may coin a phrase.

It may be a reference to the essay "What I Believe" by E.M. Forster.

From WikiQuote:

"Two Cheers for Democracy: one because it admits variety and two because it permits criticism. Two cheers are quite enough: there is no occasion to give three."

The phrase provided the title Two Cheers for Democracy to the book that later collected it and other Forster essays.

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