When authors refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.
Paul Brians's excellent translation of A Canticle's Latinate phrases helped us to find some of these more obscure shout-outs. Thank you, Professor Brians.
Literary and Philosophical References
- William Shakespeare, Hamlet (5.16)
- Albertus Magnus or Albert the Great (6.16)
- St. Thomas Aquinas (6.16, 7.35)
- The Psalms (14.80)
- Dante Alighieri, Inferno Canto XXXIV (14.92)
- St. Augustine (18.9, 20.112)
- William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar (20.102)
- The Book of Genesis (22.55, 22.57)
- Pope Pius XI, Mit brennender sorge (26.13)
- Descartes (27.83)
- Dante Alighieri, Inferno Canto III (28.91)
Bible Verse References
- Matthew 4:1-4 (1.40)
- Matthew 3:13-17 (1.78)
- John 13:34 (5.17)
- Micah 6:3 (5.18)
- Psalms 133:1 (7.31)
- Psalms 51:1-3 (7.88)
- 1 Corinthians 13:11 (8.23)
- Genesis 32:22-33 (10.55)
- Genesis 28:16-17 (11.2)
- John 21:16 (11.9)
- Matthew 26:42 (13.23, 14.95)
- Isaiah 9:7 (16.3)
- Isaiah 9:6 (16.7)
- Revelation 17:3-5 (16.13)
- Isaiah 11:6 (17.51)
- Genesis 1:1-5 (18.23-36)
- Genesis 1:27 (22.64)
- Luke 23:34 (22.68)
- Luke 2:29-30 (22.132)
- Genesis 3:5 (22.150)
- Matthew 6:30 (24.96)
- Mark 14:30 (24.98)
- Joshua 10:12-14 (24.184)
- John 19:15 (26.13)
- Psalms 35:23 (26.55)
- Matthew 4:10 (26.56)
- Psalms 91:6 (26.65)
- Psalms 22:27 (26.67)
- 1 Corinthians 10:17 (26.72)
- Psalms 22:31 (26.74)
- Mark 12:17 (27.35)
- Genesis 3:13 (27.69)
- Luke 18:16 (28.93)
- Matthew 25:41 (28.93)
- Matthew 21:12 (28.93)
- Matthew 8:8 (29.96)
- Luke 1:46-56 (29.100, 29.101)
Religious (Mostly Catholic) References
- Ash Wednesday (1.26, 5.2)
- The Holy Trinity (1.28, 7.92, 16.98)
- Ex opera operator (1.29)
- The Lord's Prayer (1.39)
- Pagan Cabals (1.71)
- The Devil's Advocate (2.40, 7.14)
- Angelus (2.42)
- Matins and Lauds (4.2)
- Good Friday (5.17)
- Holy Saturday (5.19)
- Missals (7.35)
- Breviaries (7.35)
- Feast of Fools (9.38)
- Calendar of Saints (9.38, 11.16)
- Litany of the Saints (11.14)
- Veni, Creator Spiritus (11.16)
- Te Deum (11.21)
- Mystici Corporis Christi (11.33)
- The Glorious Mysteries (11.81)
- The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (13.11)
- Veronica's Veil (14.3)
- Feast of St. Bernard (17.29)
- St. Maisie (25.109)
- The Chair of Peter (26.86)
- College of Cardinals (26.87)
- Mass in Time of War (28.40)
- Mass against the Heathen (28.40)
- St. Christopher (28.82)
- Act of Contrition (29.29)
- Absolution (29.30)
- Eucharist (29.38)
- Vesting Prayers (29.45)
- Dies Irae (29.57)
Biblical Character and Place References
- Job (1.81, 18.1)
- Noah (6.7)
- Moses (6.21)
- King David (7.88)
- Sheba and Solomon (12.109, 13.10)
- Ezekiel (13.2)
- Abraham (14.95)
- The Prodigal Son (16.10)
- Methuselah (16.37)
- Adam (16.96, 22.63, 22.72, 26.13, 28.104, 29.59)
- Manasses (16.152)
- Nebuchadnezzar (16.152)
- Pharaoh (16.152, 18.9)
- Caesar (16.152, 24.16, 26.13, 28.177)
- Samuel the Prophet (16.152)
- Sodom and Gomorrah (18.9, 26.56)
- Legion (18.13)
- Jesus' Crown of Thorns (20.50)
- Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (22.90)
- Eve (24.19, 24.24, 29.25)
- Eden (24.24, 26.57, 26.59, 28.104, 29.66)
- Lazarus (25.162)
- Cain (26.9)
- Jacob (26.9)
- King Herod (26.13)
- Judas Iscariot (18.9, 26.13)
- The Burning Bush (26.58)
- The Exodus of Egypt (26.89)
- Golgotha (28.93)
Mythology References
- Beelzebub (1.29)
- Angelology (2.11)
- Succubus (3.39)
- Satan (10.9)
- Dryad (14.79)
- Archangel (18.9, 26.88)
- Lucifer (18.9, 24.20, 28.49, 30.3)
- Merlin (24.24)
- St. George (24.62)
- Gaia (24.184)
- Phoenix (25.27)
- Cockatrice (25.111)
- The River Styx (29.56)
Historical References
- The White House (6.4)
- Magi (6.7)
- Hitler (6.21)
- Cyrus the Great (16.152)
- Pikadon (18.9)
- Manifest Destiny (24.2)
- Nazi Marching Song (24.15)
- Babylon (24.16, 25.27)
- Pompeii (24.16)
- Hiroshima (24.17)
- Assyria (25.27)
- Egypt (25.27)
- Greece (25.27)
- Carthage (25.27)
- Rome (25.27)
- The Empires of Charlemagne (25.27)
- The Turks (25.27)
Science References
- Cobalt, Strontium, Cesium (2.2)
- Laplace (12.62)
- Maxwell (12.62)
- Einstein (12.62)
- Normal Distribution Curve (19.10)
- Atrophy (24.18)
- Entropy (24.18)
- Microfilm (25.65)
- Fission (26.51)
- Martyr Complex (27.102)
- Radiation Sickness and Flash Burns (28.13)