his scribbler his notebook.
Shelley’s fragment the reference is to Shelley's unfinished poem "To the Moon."
sinned mortally To commit a mortal sin, one must be fully aware that a sin is being committed; knowingly and willingly acting against the laws of God.
grace the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God; the condition of being in God's favor.
surd an irrational number; the root of an integer.
Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary a religious association formed by the Jesuit order and based on Loyola's devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Stephen is the administrative leader (prefect) of this organization, which performs charitable works and meets on Saturday mornings for prayers in honor of the Virgin Mary.
Quasi cedrus exalta sum . . . odoris. I was exalted just as the cedars of Lebanon and the cypress trees of Mount Zion. I was exalted just as the palms in Cadiz (Spain) and as the roses in Jericho. I was exalted just as the beautiful olives on the plains and the plane trees that grow alongside the streams. Just as I gave forth the strong fragrance of cinnamon and the balsam tree, I also gave forth the sweet fragrance of the choicest myrrh.
sums and cuts The teacher has assigned the next problems to be done.
Ennis, who had gone to the yard Ennis had gone to the school urinal.
We can scut the whole hour. We have the next hour free.
catechism a series of questions and answers containing the summing up and the key principles of Catholicism.
the particular judgment This judgment occurs immediately following death; the Day of Final Judgment, the Last Judgment, occurs when Christ returns to earth and pronounces the final destiny for those who are still alive.
Emma The reference is to Emma Clery, the young girl to whom Stephen has written poems, much as Dante did to Beatrice.
hanged upon a gibbet a strange, seemingly vernacular description of the Crucifixion; perhaps Father Arnall is using the phrase to impress upon the boys the fact that Christ was executed "like a common criminal."
in a blue funk to be in a state of terror; in American slang, one could say that Father Arnall was trying to scare the boys out of their wits.
Saint Thomas Saint Thomas Aquinas; thirteenth-century monk, theologian, and philosopher. His works summarize all that is known about God by evidence of reasoning and faith and serve as the cornerstone of the Roman Catholic faith. Stephen develops his own aesthetic theory from the ideas of Aquinas and Aristotle.
venial sin a minor sin, committed without full understanding of its seriousness or without full consent of the will.
he repeated the act of contrition Stephen is repeating the traditional prayer of repentent sinners, vowing nevermore to sin.
his angel guardian Every baptized Roman Catholic has a personal guardian angel.
the ciborium the container for the consecrated wafers.
Corpus Domini nostri the Body of our Lord; the words spoken before serving the Host, or wafer, during communion.
In vitam eternam. Amen. Into eternal life. So be it.
