A few updates

I've been spending most of my time studying and preparing for assignments in class. I have an ardent desire to get things right. I gave a semi-decent short talk on the movie Becket in its historical context. Considering I had the flu I suppose it went alright. Now I'm slugging through a few hundred years of Gnosticism, Christian apologetics and the Bible. To all that I have added 10-12 hours days at work. Better men than I have been crushed under less.

I did have a wonderful little surprise while sitting in the Starbucks last week, despite nearly dumping a large non-fat latte all over myself. While reading for class Henry Chadwick's The Early Church (a rather short book for good old Chadwick as he's rather prolific and I wonder if he sleeps), I discovered a little hint of jolly goodness. He references Pope Gregory the Great giving filings from St Peter's chains to the "barbarians" You can imagine my surprise at just randomly coming upon these words out of the blue. I proclaimed something aloud that must have been rather ridiculous since all the Microsofties and Zeitgeisters looked at me funny. While following up (turns out Gregory gave some filings to Recared) I happened upon a letter to Constantina Augustus, indicating that Gregory sent links to her in Constantinople. Another reference indicates they were kept in the "great church" (probably Hagia Sophia). So... what happened to them? Did they get taken in the Fourth Crusade? Apparently not as they were spotted in the 15th century, not in the west, by an Armenian pilgrim. Thus I have to conclude, no, they weren't taken back to the west. So, chains from Hagia Sophia, where have you gone? Are you waiting for me in Vienna? :-)