Idol Bones by D M Greenwood

Author:D M Greenwood [Greenwood, D M]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Ostara Publishing
Published: 2010-09-13T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

Strange Gods

‘A chapter,’ said Theodora glancing at Inspector Spruce across the polished mahogany surface of the sitting-room table, ‘is the three or four clergy, called residentiary canons, plus a dean, who are responsible for running a cathedral.’

Spruce looked attentive. ‘Who are they answerable to?’ ‘No one. And they’re not trained and once in office they’re practically irremovable and it’s not always too obvious how they got their posts. It works through the patronage system.’

‘So how do they spend their time?’

‘In recent years,’ Theodora was launched on a familiar path, ‘their role has become unclear. Many cathedrals were originally monastic foundations. Monks were responsible for continuous worship in the cathedral, for scholarly activity, for looking after pilgrims and offering the church’s hospitality to the needy. After the reformation, secular institutions took over many of their tasks. In the modern world cathedrals are faced with having to maintain very expensive buildings in a society where formal religious observance is no longer the norm. Chapters nowadays have to discover or invent what cathedrals are for. Some, like Salisbury, have gone for tourism, others have become museums, concert halls or conference and exhibition centres. Others again hold endless special services for different interest groups on the understanding that that links them with modern life. They’ve lost confidence in their ability to fulfil their original function.’

‘Which is?’

‘Bringing people into God’s presence by the regular, prayerful celebration of a glorious liturgy, praying in public.’

‘Why?’ Spruce asked.

‘Why what?’

‘Why have they lost confidence in worship?’

Theodora sighed. ‘Many reasons. It’s partly to do with how we see causality in a scientifically orientated world. In such a world, prayer, which doesn’t conform to scientific rules, looks odd. And to pray in public convincingly, you have to work at private prayer and that is the most enormous effort. It requires great self-discipline and it’s utterly without worldly reward. No wonder the clergy prefer going in for polities or commerce.’

‘Which way has Bow St Aelfric chapter chosen to go to justify its existence?’

‘I rather think they are, as is often the case, divided. The new dean quite properly in my view had in mind to go for liturgy with some trimmings. The canons, Riddable and Archdeacon Gold may not have agreed with him. The bishop suffragan has up to now held the ring. It’s called a difference in churchmanship. The dean, suffragan and perhaps Canon Millhaven are in the Catholic tradition, the other two from the evangelical wing.’

Spruce clearly didn’t want to go into this one. ‘Are there any motives for murder in a set-up like that?’

‘What are the motives for murder?’

‘Fear, anger, greed, hatred.’

‘An Old Testament list.’

‘Contemporary vices.’

‘So the inquiry has to be via motive?’

‘In the end, of course. But initially it’s opportunity we have to look at.’ Spruce was incisive. He shook out the computer list on to the table. ‘We checked the arrival time home of everyone who attended the dean’s party.

‘But it need not have been anyone who attended the party,’ Theodora objected.

‘True. But if it was an outsider, there’s the difficulty about gates.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.