February 1, 2025

The Baptistery of St. John (Battistero di San Giovanni)
The Baptistery of St. John was built in the 11th century, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the patron

saint of Florence, predating the construction of the Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore, also known

as the Duomo).

Before the Duomo was completed, the Baptistery served as a church and symbol of Florence.

Later, it was renovated and repurposed as a baptistery.

Dante Alighieri, the renowned poet born in Florence, was baptized here.

This octagonal building features bronze relief decorations on its southern, northern, and eastern doors, with the northern and eastern doors being particularly famous:

The Northern Door:
In the early 15th century, after Florence recovered from a devastating plague, a competition was held for a new baptistery door, symbolizing hope for a new era.

Lorenzo Ghiberti's design was chosen over Filippo Brunelleschi’s.

The door, based on the New Testament, depicts scenes from "The Life of Christ" and various saints.

Disheartened by his loss, Brunelleschi left Florence to study architecture in Rome.

He later returned and designed the magnificent dome (cupola) of the Florence Cathedral.

The Eastern Door:
About 20 years after completing the northern door, Ghiberti created the eastern door, later praised as the "Gates of Paradise" by Michelangelo.

The door, glowing with golden brilliance from centuries of touch, features ten gilded relief panels illustrating stories from the Old Testament, masterfully incorporating perspective.

About John the Baptist:
John the Baptist, a prophet in the New Testament, baptized Jesus Christ in the Jordan River.

Baptism, a Christian ritual, symbolizes cleansing of sin and becoming a child of God by pouring water over the head.

It’s important to note that John the Baptist is distinct from John the Apostle, one of Jesus’ disciples.

The name "John" originates from the Hebrew "Yohanan," meaning "The Lord is gracious."

With the spread of Christianity across Europe, male names derived from "Johannes" (Latin for John) became widespread in various languages:

John (English)

Jean (French)

Juan (Spanish)

João (Portuguese)

Johannes (German)

Ioannes (Latin)

Giovanni (Italian)

Evan (Welsh)

Among these, the English name "John" is considered one of the most common male names worldwide.

Indeed, many famous figures, such as John F. Kennedy and John Lennon, bear this name.

January 1, 2025

The Uffizi Gallery
11. Bacchus
   A late 16th-century work by Caravaggio.

Bacchus is depicted with a flushed face from intoxication, holding a wine glass.

In Greek mythology, Bacchus is the god of wine, intoxication, fertility, and theater.

His true name is Dionysus, meaning "young Zeus," but he was also known as Bakkhos.

In Roman mythology, he is called Bacchus, and this name became the widely recognized English pronunciation.

Globally, including in Japan, the name Bacchus is more familiar than Dionysus, with many restaurants and bars named after him.

Zeus had an affair with Semele, a princess of Thebes, resulting in her pregnancy.

However, due to a scheme by Zeus’s wife Hera, Zeus inadvertently killed Semele with the heat of his lightning.

Mourning her death, Zeus retrieved the fetus from her charred body and implanted it in his thigh.

Four months later, he delivered the child and named him Dionysus (Bacchus).

As he grew, Dionysus became the god of wine, teaching grape cultivation and winemaking.

He was surrounded by fervent female followers known as "Bacchae" (followers of Bacchus).

These women, intoxicated during the day and entranced by Dionysus's mystique, would enter a frenzied state, engaging in wild dances, orgies, dismembering animals, and consuming raw flesh during chaotic feasts.

This frenzied ritual, called the "Mysteries of Dionysus" (Bacchanalia), later evolved into Greek tragedies.

Hence, Bacchus is also regarded as the god of theater.

The frenzied female followers wore ivy crowns, waved staffs entwined with ivy, and danced wildly while shouting.

They were violent, obscene, and devoid of reason.

These women were referred to as “mainas” (meaning "madwoman"), with the plural form “maenads.”

The term “mainas” is the root of the word "mania" (referring to frenzy or obsession).

Although the pronunciation of "mainas" might remind of "minus" (as in "plus and minus"), it has no connection to the notion of "minus."

The collective intoxicated rituals of the "Mysteries of Dionysus" (Bacchanalia) vividly resemble the debauched behavior of alcoholics in a drunken frenzy.

The wild “mainas” evoke an impression of foolishness (“baka” in Japanese) and negativity, full of "minus" connotations.

By the way, the word “alcohol” originates from the Arabic term “al-kuhl.”

Here, “al” is a definite article (equivalent to "the" in English), and “kuhl” refers to "kohl," a fine black powder used as a cosmetic.

Thus, “alcohol” essentially means "kohl.”

In ancient Arab traditions, both men and women applied kohl to their eyelids and eyebrows to prevent eye diseases common to the region.

As the powder needed to be finely processed for facial application, it was prepared through sublimation using heat.

Meanwhile, the practice of distilling wine to create strong liquor (such as brandy) gained popularity.

Both sublimation and distillation involve purification by heating, making them conceptually similar.

So, in the 15th–16th century, physician and chemist Paracelsus referred to alcohol distilled from wine as “alcohol vini” (kohl from wine).

Eventually, “alcohol vini” became known as brandy.

Over time, the term "alcohol" came to primarily refer to ethyl alcohol, becoming synonymous with spirits and liquor.