Yellow for Judas

8/9/2019 Yellow for Judas

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Yellow for JudasJoannes Richter

Medieval artists applied religious colors coding for their artwork, which has been well-known to all well-educated people and the majority of illiterate citizens. In modern times

these symbols have been lost and the coding system is misunderstood by modern scholars.Obviously most of the medieval symbolism have been at the end of the Middle Age..

Art critics consider medieval artists as simple-minded, archaic persons, who were merely interestedin decorating and illustrating biblical texts. The website Medieval Art expresses the general idea by

explaining The kiss of Judas in theRouen Book of Hours by the following quotation:

Like many modern artists, medieval painters were more interested in exploring the

meaning of their subject than in painting naturalistic images.

In this illuminated manuscript, the prime purpose of the artwork is to decorate; itssecondary purpose is to illustrate the text. In the illustration, the figures are flat, and are

pictured against a generalized background. The purely decorative panel to the left isvisually more important than the representation of the passage.

The passage itself is concerned with the betrayal of Jesus by Judas as Judas kisses Jesus inthe Garden of Gethsemane.

I think this explanation is rather simplifying.

Let us examine the painting and check this statement for unproven contents. The decorations at the

left side contain

blue flowers with green leafs at the upper left image and

red flowers with green leafs at the lower left

of an image titled The Kiss of Judas (exhibited at Rouen).

Fig. 1: Kiss of Judas (Rouen

- detail)
http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/literature/medievalart.htmlhttp://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/literature/medievalart.html


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1 Yellow for Judas

The Kiss of Judas (Rouen)

The central left image does contain blue flowers with green leafs at a red background.

The decorated letters to the right side of the central image displaying the kiss of Judas contains

decorated initials as capital letters, which are alternating blue and redcolors, starting with the redtext Ad unam, to be followed by a blue capital letter.

These alternating initial letters may be found in the majority of the medieval Bibles. The frequent

use of these colors red and blue refers to the idea to apply colors as religious symbols.

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Fig. 2: The Kiss of Judas (Rouen)


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Now let us investigate the central painting.

Rouen Book of Hours. The Kiss of Judas.

Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

Judas is wearing a yellowish white garment, whereas is Jesus is wearing a purple robe. Next to

Jesus a lamenting disciple is dressed in red and blue. This disciple probably represents Peter, who

just may have cut off an ear from the laid down victim at his feet. The central group is surroundedby soldiers in yellowish, golden armaments.

In observing this painting even illiterate, medieval persons were enabled to identify the symbolism

for the colored elements. The central position of Jesus Christ in a divine purple robe has been

included between a betrayerJudas in a light yellow robe and a saint Peter dressed in red & blue.The smiling soldiers in yellowish armaments may be considered as hostile elements accompanying

the evil disciple Judas. From this painting we may derive the thesis of yellow as a symbolic color

for evil in contrast to purple, red and blue as the symbols for good.

To prove the thesis yellow for Judas we may investigate some other medieval paintings. In the

web we will easily find a great number of images displaying the Kiss of Judas.

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Fig. 3: Kiss of Judas (Rouen - detail)
http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/redirect.html?27http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/redirect.html?27


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The Kiss of Judas by Giotto

Giotto, Kiss of Judas

Scrovegni (Arena) Chapel, near Padua

Christus Rex et Redemptor Mundi

The painting created by Giotto clearly demonstrates the evil force by covering the slightly visible

ref & blue colors of Jesus' garments by an overwhelming amount of devilish yellow. At the left side

of the painting Peter may be observed cutting a man's ear. St. Peter is wearing a light-blue andorange garment. At the right side another man in a purple robe with golden clavi-like borders

observes the betrayal. He may be pointing to Jesus to confirm the betrayal, but the real symbolism

may probably be read from the color of his garments identifying him as a good man wearing a

purple robe.

Please note the sacred and radiant nimbus circle at Jesus' and Peter's heads in the same yellow color

as Judas' robe. The nimbus are radiant golden, which of course as a precious metal had to be painted

yellowish in a realistic way. Even if gold may have been considered as a betrayer's element it must

also have been a symbol for the most precious elements. The confusion in applying yellow for

precious good symbolism and for evil will often disturb our decisions in interpreting medieval

paintings.

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Fig. 4: the Kiss of Judas by Giotto
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/icons/index.htmlhttp://www.christusrex.org/www1/icons/index.html


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The Kiss of Judas by Anthony van Dyck

Another painting demonstrating the betrayal of Christ byAnthony van Dyckalso displays a Judas inyellow kissing Jesus in blue garments. Of course Jesus wears a red robe at his left hand to complete

the symbolic order in which either purple or red and blue-combinations are allowed. In the

foreground scene St. Peter is seen wearing a blue robe and cutting another man's ear.

The Betrayal of Christ

Anthony Van Dyck 1620-1622

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Fig. 5: The betrayal of Christ by Anthony van Dyck


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The Kiss of Judas

The next painting reveals a yellow robe for Judas, who may have managed to hide himself under the

purple robe of Jesus Christ. At the left bottom Peter is seen dressed in red & blue, cutting another

man's ear. All betrayers at the painting are wearing some yellow dresses (like garments or caps).

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Fig. 6: The Kiss of Judas


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The Kiss of Judas at the Assisi Church Fresco

Jesus is wearing a red and purple-blue robe whereas Judas is wearing green and orange.

Judas Betraying Jesus

Assisi Church Fresco

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Fig. 7: The Kiss of Judas at the Assisi Church Fresco


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The Kiss of Judas, Jean Bourdichon (1500)

Jesus' robe may be identified as purple. Peter in blue and rose is seen to put away his sword after

cutting a man's ear. The ear is being healed by Jesus. Judas may wear an orange & blueish robe.

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Fig. 8: The Kiss of Judas, Jean Bourdichon (1500)


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The kiss of Judas (1336)

Of course Jesus is wearing the divine purple robe with blue garment and red nimbus, whereas Judas

is dressed in green and yellow.

miniature from Speculum Humanae Salvationis

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Fig. 9: The kiss of Judas (1336)


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The Kiss of Judas by Caravaggio (1602)

BETRAYED WITH A KISS

Matthew 26:47-56 ; Mark 14:43-52

Luke 22:47-53 ; John 18:1-27

Kiss of Judas

Caravaggio 1602

In The Kiss of Judas by Caravaggio (1602) Jesus wears a red-purple robe. Judas is wearing a dark

yellow dress.

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Fig. 10: The Kiss of Judas by Caravaggio (1602)


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The Kiss of Judas by Cornelis Engebrechtsz (1500)

Cornelis Engebrechtsz applies a clear betrayal's color yellow (and a white under robe) for Judas.

Jesus Christ and saint Peter are wearing blue robes.

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Fig. 11: The Kiss of Judas by Cornelis Engebrechtsz (1500)


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Yellow and Green in Alchemy

Yellow has been identified as the color for depictions of the traitor Judas. Green as the symbolic

color of the medieval enemy Islam has been considered by Christians as an evil color as well.

Christians considered black, green and yellow as evil symbols.The following painting1depicts an androgynous personification of evil nature: the antichrist Lucifer

(left) and a woman (Lucifer's mother?), colored in green, black, yellow and blue.

1 Book of Holy Trinity (published in the 15th century)

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Fig. 12: Androgynous Lucifer and his mother (?)


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2 Purple

Purple is a reddish blue or blueish red color with some strange and unexplainable properties. Most

people will define the spectral location somewhere between violet and magenta. Purple however is

an extra-spectral color. A great number of nobles and royals have been described wearing purplerobes.

Paars in Dutch, Perse in English

In Dutch the name paars for purple may refer to old French pers and the Latin word persum

defining a dark blue tissue. The English and French wordsPerse2have been applied to identify dark

blue tissue around 1260.

Peers in English

Other etymological roots refer to the words pairs and peers defining noble classes consisting of

equal persons, frequently wearing purple robes.Basically however pair is a singular couple of two symmetrical and equal elements such as a

couple consisting of a man and and a woman. In Frisian language the word paars has been

spelled paers.

The noble title pair (knight) is quite common in the 13th century. A pair of Flanders has beenlisted as:

JAN III, Lord of Petegem and Cysoing (1207-1240),pair of Flanders, knight...

The 12Pairs of France and the 12Pairs of Flanders were also calledPeers orBeers. Their number

12 may refer to the 12 apostles. They were considered as equal or in Latin pares. They accepted

leadership from the king as a primus inter pares, but they merely allowed otherpares as a courtfor law matters. The title pairs obviously started as the royal circle of 12 Pairs for Charlemagne3.

This story of 12 pairs has been widely known in the Middle Age.

Perse = Peers in English?

The words peers and perse may have been used as trading terms for the royal and noble color

as traded in the medieval Hanse4 . The medieval Hanseatic language provided an international

linguistic code for international business at the coastline between Belgium's central trading location

Brugge and Leningrad, now renamed to Saint Petersburg, Russia.

2Medieval Latin word-list from British and Irish sourcesby James Houston Baxter,Charles Johnson,Phyllis Abrahams,British

Academy3

Latin: Carolus Magnus, meaning Charles the Great; 2 April 742 28 January 8144 active between 1150 and 1650

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http://books.google.de/books?id=6DxJAAAAYAAJ&q=perse+dark+blue&dq=perse+dark+blue&ei=warAS4CTBIT6zATOuJzvCA&cd=3http://books.google.de/books?id=6DxJAAAAYAAJ&q=perse+dark+blue&dq=perse+dark+blue&ei=warAS4CTBIT6zATOuJzvCA&cd=3http://books.google.de/books?id=6DxJAAAAYAAJ&q=perse+dark+blue&dq=perse+dark+blue&ei=warAS4CTBIT6zATOuJzvCA&cd=3http://books.google.de/books?id=6DxJAAAAYAAJ&q=perse+dark+blue&dq=perse+dark+blue&ei=warAS4CTBIT6zATOuJzvCA&cd=3


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Purple for Solomon

The Queen of Saba did send Solomon 6000 young children (boys and girls), who obviously were

born at the same time (hour, month and year). They were all dressed in purple garments5. See the

text in the quotation (in German language):

Die Knigin, die sich eben vor dem Meere anbetend niedergeworfen hatte, zerri imSchrecken ihr Gewand und schickte nach ihren Ratgebern. Diese antworteten: Wir kennen

den Knig Salomo nicht und kmmern uns nicht um seine Regierung. Sie aber lie alle

Schiffe des Meeres ausrsten mit Perlen und Edelsteinen als Gaben fr Salomo und sandteihm dazu 6000 Knaben und Mdchen, die in derselben Stunde desselben Tages , Monats und

Jahrs geboren waren , alle von gleichem Wuchs und gleichem Aussehen, alle mitPurpurgewndern bekleidet.

Of course Solomon may have identified the religious symbolism for the color purple from the

divine commands in the book Exodus6. As a bipolar symbol the color purple may indicate an

androgynous symbolism in the Jewish religion, which has been reported in several Hebrew

documents such as the Genesis legends in the Zohar and in medieval Genesis-versions.

Persian purple tissues

In the chapter Aristoteles und der Wunderstein the authorWilhelm Hertz7 describes the precious

robes which were used to cover dead bodies of medieval and ancient royals. A great number of

precious tissues must have been imported from the Persian province ofKerman8. The famous

Marco Polo9 describes details for the production of these tissues at Kerman in Persia, where the

woven tissues have been created by women and theirdaughters10. Some examples explain details:

The corpse of Alexander the Great is said to have been covered by two marvelous silk towels11. In

the Complaint of the 12 Pairs" he is buried under a purple12

tissue of silk fromAlmaria (532, 32).Following the embalming procedure he is to be enveloped in an imperial silk towel, which had

been spend by queen Candace (543, .32; vgl. 382, 28) and reveals decorations by precious stones

symbolizing the stars in the skies:

clamidem imperialem aurotextilem, stellatam ornatamque ex pretiosis lapidibus13.

Firdusi however reports that Alexander's corpse has been enveloped in Chinese golden brokade

(Mohl. Livre des Rois V. 253. 255).

5source in German: "Gesammelte abhandlungen von Wilhelm Hertz"

6 Exodus 25:157"Gesammelte abhandlungen von Wilhelm Hertz", 1874, pag. 74

8 lat. Carmania. Vgl. P. Meyer, Romania XIV, 15.9Marco Polo I, 17, Yule I, 9210 s. Yule, ib. I, 96 ff.11Michelant, 524, 3-3, quoted by Wilhelm Hertz, page 7412

Michelant, 530, 1. 13, quoted by Wilhelm Hertz, page 7413der Histoiria de preliis 110 (0. Zingerle, Die Quellen etc. 249) und des Ps.-Kamsth. III, 23 (C. Mller 134 f.)

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http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&ved=0CAgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.archive.org%2Fstream%2Fgesammelteabhand00hertuoft%2Fgesammelteabhand00hertuoft_djvu.txt&ei=sFG_S5z_NIGNOJj3-JYE&usg=AFQjCNFzLTE55Nmi1QjnWbYgOvHIZEbEDg&sig2=eWsJ9G6KJMVoQkcNCEKL9Qhttp://www.google.de/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&ved=0CAgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.archive.org%2Fstream%2Fgesammelteabhand00hertuoft%2Fgesammelteabhand00hertuoft_djvu.txt&ei=sFG_S5z_NIGNOJj3-JYE&usg=AFQjCNFzLTE55Nmi1QjnWbYgOvHIZEbEDg&sig2=eWsJ9G6KJMVoQkcNCEKL9Qhttp://www.google.de/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&ved=0CAgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.archive.org%2Fstream%2Fgesammelteabhand00hertuoft%2Fgesammelteabhand00hertuoft_djvu.txt&ei=sFG_S5z_NIGNOJj3-JYE&usg=AFQjCNFzLTE55Nmi1QjnWbYgOvHIZEbEDg&sig2=eWsJ9G6KJMVoQkcNCEKL9Qhttp://www.google.de/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&ved=0CAgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.archive.org%2Fstream%2Fgesammelteabhand00hertuoft%2Fgesammelteabhand00hertuoft_djvu.txt&ei=sFG_S5z_NIGNOJj3-JYE&usg=AFQjCNFzLTE55Nmi1QjnWbYgOvHIZEbEDg&sig2=eWsJ9G6KJMVoQkcNCEKL9Qhttp://www.google.de/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&ved=0CAgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.archive.org%2Fstream%2Fgesammelteabhand00hertuoft%2Fgesammelteabhand00hertuoft_djvu.txt&ei=sFG_S5z_NIGNOJj3-JYE&usg=AFQjCNFzLTE55Nmi1QjnWbYgOvHIZEbEDg&sig2=eWsJ9G6KJMVoQkcNCEKL9Qhttp://www.google.de/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&ved=0CAgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.archive.org%2Fstream%2Fgesammelteabhand00hertuoft%2Fgesammelteabhand00hertuoft_djvu.txt&ei=sFG_S5z_NIGNOJj3-JYE&usg=AFQjCNFzLTE55Nmi1QjnWbYgOvHIZEbEDg&sig2=eWsJ9G6KJMVoQkcNCEKL9Q


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Miniature from the Book "The Travels of Marco Polo" ("Il milione"),originally published during Polos lifetime 1298-1999,

but frequently reprinted and translated .

The Clavi at the Roman tunics

A tunic is any of several types of clothing for the body, of various lengths reaching from the

shoulders to somewhere between the hips and the ankles. The name derives from the Latin tunica

commonly worn by both men and women in Ancient Rome, which in turn is based on earlier Greekgarments.

The Roman tunica was worn by citizens and non-citizens alike; citizens, though, might wear it

under the toga, especially at formal occasions. The length of the garment, the presence or lack of

stripes, as well as their width and ornamentation, would indicate the wearer's status in Roman

society.

Purple stripes (named clavi) were reserved for the knights and senators. As a divine emperor Nero

reserved purple clothing for the imperial family.

Etymologically the word clavi refers to two Latin words:

The clavis the key or the lock (from the verb claudo to lock)

clavus (1) the iron nail, or in special cases (2) the rudder pin, (3) the tumor, respectively.

(4) thepurple or colored stripes at the tunic.

Clavigeris the attribute for the ancient Roman deity Janus as a key-bearer. Originally the keys to be

carried by Janus may not have been the standard metal keys. Instead they must have been religiouskeys to be stored in the purple Clavi-keys at the tunic. These symbols are as old as Janus him-

respectively herself. The original gender of Janus is quite obscure. As most of the most ancient gods

he or she is reported to have been an androgynous deity and predecessor of the androgynous sky-

god Jupiter. The androgynous character would explain the male and female attributes in the

symbolic color purple.

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Fig. 13: Marco Polo visiting the Kublai Khan


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The purple robe of Svantevit

Saxo Grammaticus14 describes the fortress Arcona at the cliffs of the island of Rgen, where a

wooden temple with a purple roof did contain a four-headed divine sculpture wearing a purple robe.

The temple may only have existed 100 years and has been destroyed at the 15 th of June 1168 after a

siege by Danish Christians. The color purple may refer to the androgynous character of the deity.

The royal Celtic grave at Hochdorf

The purple robe for the king at Hochdorf has been identified to be woven from very thin threads of

red and blue color. The grave is dated at 530 BC. The colors red, blue and purple may refer to the

androgynous character of the local Celtic deity.

Purple prose

Purple prose is a term of literary criticism used to describe passages, or sometimes entire literary

works, written in prose so overly extravagant, ornate, or flowery as to break the flow and draw

attention to itself. Purple prose is sensually evocative beyond the requirements of its context. It also

refers to writing that employs certain rhetorical effects such as exaggerated sentiment or pathos in

an attempt to manipulate a reader's response.

When it is limited to certain passages, they may be termed purple patches orpurple passages; theseare often noted as standing out from the rest of the work.

The term purple patch is also used in a more general, and more unequivocally positive, sense to

14 quoted from: Ingrid Schmidt Gtter, Mythen und Bruche von der Insel Rgen, Hinstorff Verlag Rostock 2002

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Fig. 14: The grave for a Celtic sovereign found at Hochdorf


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refer to a period of outstanding achievement. This usage is particularly common in sporting

contexts; for example, a footballer who had scored in six successive games might be said to be

"enjoying a purple patch".

The term "purple prose" is derived from a reference by the Roman poet Horace (Quintus Horatius

Flaccus, 658 BCE) who wrote in hisArs Poetica (lines 14-21):

Inceptis grauibus plerumque et magna professis purpureus, late qui splendeat, unus et alteradsuitur pannus, cum lucus et ara Dianae et properantis aquae per amoenos ambitus agros

aut flumen Rhenum aut pluuius describitur arcus; sed nunc non erat his locus. Et fortassecupressum scis simulare; quid hoc, si fractis enatat exspes nauibus, aere dato qui pingitur?

"Your opening shows great promise, and yet flashy purple patches; as when describinga sacred grove, or the altar of Diana, or a stream meandering through fields, or the river

Rhine, or a rainbow; but this was not the place for them. If you can realistically render acypress tree, would you include one when commissioned to paint a sailor in the midst of a

shipwreck?"

The Ars Poetica was first translated into English by Queen Elizabeth I(15331603), although her

translation remained unfinished at the time of her death. A complete translation by Ben Jonson(15721637) was first published in 1640, with another by Wentworth Dillon, 4th Earl ofRoscommon, (16331685) following in 1680. These were all highly influential, with Horace

regarded as the ultimate authority on good writing. Through them, the terms "purple patches","purple passages", and "purple prose" became a standard part of the English critical lexicon.

Purpureus meant lustrous ordazzling in Horace's Latin. In the Wikipedia entry Purple prose it issaid:

Purple dye was rare in the Ancient World, with only the wealthiest able to afford it (this is

why purple robes and trim came to be associated with the Emperor and, later, European

royalty). During the Roman Republic, social climbers would sew purple cloth onto cheaperclothing to give an appearance of wealth. This was regarded as pretentious and gaudy.

This however does not respect the religious symbolism for purple, which refers to the basic

symbolism in both fundamental religious elements red & blue.

Purple is not a royal symbol for the high production cost in boiling a huge amount of purple snails.

Purple is a precious royal symbolfor its religious symbolism. The garments for the Celtic king

found at Hochdorf15 do contain very fine16, semi-purple colored tissues woven from extremely thinred and blue threads. The raw materials and dyes for these individual red and blue threads must

have been as expensive or even more expensive as purple from snails. These tissues were as

expensive as the purple tissues created in the Mediterranean area.

These purple cult objects, created at distances of thousands of kilometers and at intervals of

centuries and millenniums, have invariably been considered as religious symbols. Therefore we

should consider religious symbolism in the words peers, pairs and paars as well.

15

Hochdorf at the Enz is located near Stuttgart.16 at a high density of 80 threads pro cm

17
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_prosehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_prose


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3 The colors red and blue

Charlemagne (Carolus Magnus, meaning Charles the Great; 742 814) has been described and

depicted wearing a light purple robe in Spieghel HistoriaelbyJacob van Maerlant. The red & bluecolors of his pairs and other nobles in the painting are clearly visible in the miniatures. Of course

there is no yellow trace of betrayal or evil to be found in these images. The initials at the rightborderline of the painting are standard medieval alternating initials in red & blue.

Obviously by avoiding robes in green and yellow the medieval artist explains the safety and

peaceful environment of a great and beloved ruler, protected and admired by his Pairs and other

noble subjects. The purple refers to the divine support for the royals. Purple is the divine symbol

which still has to be deciphered.

Jacob van Maerlant. Spieghel Historiael. West-Flanders, 1325-1335.

Shelfnumber KA XX. Fol. 208r. Charlemagne at his court.

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Fig. 15: Charlemagne at his court (detail)


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Jacob van Maerlant. Spieghel Historiael. West-Flanders, 1325-1335.

Shelfnumber KA XX. Fol. 208r. Charlemagne at his court.

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Fig. 16: Page from the medieval Spieghel Historiael


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Another miniature painting reveals the Flemish-Dutch authorJacob van Maerlant sitting at his

desk, at which an open book may be identified. The author is wearing a light purple robe over a red

dress. The initial applies exclusively red & blue signifying the author as a truthful religious guide

for the divine path to heaven.

In medieval documents the colors green (the Islamic symbolic color) and yellow (Judas' color) hadto be avoided for sacred paintings.

In the Middle Age yellow has been used to mark all kinds of evils like Judas and the prostitutes.

Christian painters preferred red, blue and purple to decorate the sacred religious texts. These colors

cannot be considered as simple decorations. They were symbols carrying religious messages. Of

course the noble classes who ordered the expensive books carefully checked the coloring codes to

avoid any mistakes in religious symbolism.

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Fig. 17: Jacob van Maerlant


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The miniature of Jacob van Maerlant is found at the front page of the Spiegel historiael. The layout

for the page is restricted to red, blue and purple.

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Fig. 18: frontpage for the Spiegel historiael


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4 The Paars = the Pairs

The official etymological explanation for the Dutch word paars is rather obscure. Etymological

experts suggest a derivation fromPersae 'Persians',Persia 'Persia' andperzik (Peach).

The main etymological database http://www.etymologie.nl/ reveals the following entries formedieval words around 1300 AD:

paars Substantive (as a 'colour')

Mnl. perse 'purple (sheet)' [1294; VMNW], perse saye 'purple woolen sheets' [1296;

VMNW],

peers bruxsch lakene ' purple sheets from Brugge' [1343-44; MNW], groen of blaeu of root

of paers [ca. 1475; MNW].

Two documents from 1672 and 1742 reveal references to the words Paars respectively Pers,

which may be analysed in details. Both documents describe an assembly hall for the peers of

Leiden, called Paars or Pers. Basically these words have been derived from Latin Pares, theequals.

Korte besgryving van het Lugdunum Batavorum nu Leydenby Simon van Leeuwen 1672

Het selve Stadhuys is soo onder als boven in verscheide plaatsen verdeelt, elk tot sijn

byfonder gebruyk, als fijn boven de Grote Vroedschaps-kamer, Burgermeesters kamer,

Schepens kamer, Secretarie, Griffie ende Wees-kamer, voor ende tussen dewelke een groote

Wandel-plaats, dat men de Paars nomt, ten eynde van dewelke twee vertrekkenvoor sijn,

daar de Burgen alle nagten de wagt houden. Boven deselve Paars is de Artelerie ende

Wapen-kamer,

Hedendaegsche historie... - Seite 523 by Thomas Salmon, Jan Wagenaar, Matthias Van Goch 1742

Langs den eerst beschreeven' Buiten-opgang van twintig trappen naar bovengaande, komt

men op eene ruime Zaal, gemeenlyk dePaars ofPers genaamd, die zeventig treden lang is.

These words paars and pers may be related to English peers and pairs. Now pair itself is

a complex word, symbolizing a plural in a singular word. The usage in Dutch is even more

complicated than in English.

When used without a modifier, pairs is the only possible plural: Pairs of skaters glided over the ice.

When modified by a number, pairs is the more common form, especially referring to persons: Six

pairs of masked dancers led the procession. The unmarked plural pair is used mainly in reference toinanimate objects or non-humans: He has three pair (or pairs) of loafers. Two pair (or pairs) of barn

owls have nested on our property.

Pairsignifying two individuals can take either a singular or plural verb, but it is usually followed

by a plural verb and referred to by a plural pronoun: The guilty pair have not been seen since their

escape.

In the sense a set or combination of more than two objects forming a collective whole, pairoccurs chiefly in fixed phrases: a pair of beads; a pair of stairs. This use is now somewhat old-

fashioned.

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http://www.etymologie.nl/http://www.google.com/books?id=NIdbAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA38&dq=Paars&lr=lang_nl&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&as_brr=1&ei=byBLS8q-CJWqzgSA8OHOAw&hl=de&cd=170http://www.google.com/books?id=NIdbAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA38&dq=Paars&lr=lang_nl&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&as_brr=1&ei=byBLS8q-CJWqzgSA8OHOAw&hl=de&cd=170http://www.google.com/books?id=A8gWAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA523&dq=Paars&lr=lang_nl&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&as_brr=1&ei=MihLS4_AHJLoygSr0OyFDg&hl=de&cd=233http://www.etymologie.nl/http://www.google.com/books?id=NIdbAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA1-PA38&dq=Paars&lr=lang_nl&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&as_brr=1&ei=byBLS8q-CJWqzgSA8OHOAw&hl=de&cd=170http://www.google.com/books?id=A8gWAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA523&dq=Paars&lr=lang_nl&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&as_brr=1&ei=MihLS4_AHJLoygSr0OyFDg&hl=de&cd=233


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5 Conclusion

Purple has been respected and documented as a divine symbol by Moses ( 25x in the book

Exodus) and Solomon ( 3 x in Chronicles), respectively the queen of Saba, at the Romans (

emperor Nero), at the Slavian peoples ( Svantevit) at the Celts ( Hochdorf). According to

Marco Polo17 purple may have been produced in Persia, probably resulting in the Dutch word

paars.We are advised to consider purple, red and blue as international religious symbols. At the center of

the rainbow's spectra green is the symbolic color for Islam. In the medieval crusades Christianity

and Islam have been opponents at war, resulting in the medieval opponent color symbols green and

purple (or red & blue).

In ancient and medieval eras yellow is a betrayer's symbol for the evil and prostitutes. In

Christianity yellow and green are contrasting to purple, red and blue. In contrast to green the

religious symbol purple is a bipolarsymbol referring to a mixture of red & blue.

Further investigations18 allow us to consider a relation between paars and the English and French

words pairs and peers. These references may have been caused by the Hanseatic trading

language, which played an international role quite similar to modern English. The Pairs probablystarted as the group of 12 knights at the court of Charlemagne.

Basically pairs and peers are bipolar, medieval symbol just like purple and paars,

revealing religious and / or androgynous symbolism.

Reconsidering the religious symbolism of red & blue in ancient documents we may also have to

rephrase the idea to implement these colors as symbols in the flags, such as the Union Jack, the Star

Spangled banner, as well as the national Dutch and French tricolors. Purple as an element in flags is

rather seldom, which may have been forbidden for religious reasons, but red & blue are quit

frequently found in flags all over the world. The number of evidences leading to religious

symbolism is rising. Any day now the idea may become a standard scientific fact, as soon as it is to

be accepted as a religious foundation from historical documents...

17

1254 132418see the Scribd- documentThe Sky-God Dyaeus.

23

Fig. 19: National Dutch tricolors
http://www.scribd.com/doc/15463331/The-SkyGod-Dyaeushttp://www.scribd.com/doc/15463331/The-SkyGod-Dyaeushttp://www.scribd.com/doc/15463331/The-SkyGod-Dyaeushttp://www.scribd.com/doc/15463331/The-SkyGod-Dyaeus

Documents

Yellow for Judas