According to Wikipedia, "Agnus Dei is a Latin term meaning Lamb of God, and was originally used to refer to Jesus Christ in his role of the perfect sacrificial offering…" But there's no reason to believe the Creator intended an invidious comparison to any other critter. Some vegetarians, in fact, might find today's typo even more apt to their purposes, since the Black Angus (a Scottish breed of cattle) is the most commonly sacrificed animal for meat in the United States. Loudon Wainwright III once told the New York Times that he was irritated by people who spelled his name wrong and I expect his son Rufus would likewise raise a fuss at the misspelling of his song "Agnus Dei." There are 20 records containing the typo Angus Dei in OhioLINK and six for the equally humorous Agnes Dei. (Illustration from the 1930 children's book Angus and the Ducks by Marjorie Flack.)Carol Reid
No comments:
Post a Comment