ab aeterno (from the eternal) : Literally, “from the everlasting” or “from eternity”. Thus, “from time immemorial”, “since the beginning of time” or “from an infinitely remote time in the past”. In theology, often indicates something, such as the universe, that was created outside of time. *
Since this week’s title was in Latin, I thought I ‘d look up some other “abs” to discuss a few extra thoughts I had about this Ricardo-centric episode.
( If you would like to hear more, you can go to The LOST Revisited Now page and find “Ab Aeterno” , Episode 94) 🙂
ab absurdo (from the absurd): The statue being knocked over by The Black Rock and carried in so far inland… is this possible? Here is a link to an article by Popular Mechanics that let’s us know (of course, it being a “place where miracles happen!”, notwithstanding) 😉
ab antiquo (from the ancient) : It was finally confirmed that Richard was on the Island for a long time=since 1867. But thanks to the delightful Bonnie Covel over at about.com LOST blog, I have been alerted of date discrepancies. In the episode ” The Constant”, Widmore was bidding on the journal of from The Black Rock.
Here is the quote from the auctioneer about the details of the journal and its history:
“The Black Rock set sail from Portsmouth, England March 22, 1845 on a trading mission when she was tragically lost at sea. The only known artifact of this journey is the journal of the ship’s first mate, discovered among the artifacts of pirates seven years later. The contents of this journal have never been made public nor are known to anyone outside the family of the seller, Tovard Hanso. We open the bidding on lot 2342 at 150,000 pounds.”
But this week, the year of the crash on the Island was 1867, over two decades later than what is purported by the auctioneer.
So, is this a time travel issue (especially considering the episode it was featured in) ? A writing/continuity error? Was Widmore actually purchasing a fake ( yet another “con” on this show)? Love to hear what you think on the subject. 8)
ab urbe condita (a.u.c.) ( from the city having been founded) Speaking of Portsmouth, England, it was the hometown of Charles Dickens. The more I watch LOST, the more I feel like it would have been something that he would have written… or at least, very happy to read. 😉
ab epistulis (from the letters) : The portion of the Bible that Ricardo was reading while he was in prison, was Luke Chapter 4. In it, there is the account of Jesus’ temptation by the Devil. His rejection in his own hometown, saying things like “Isn’t he Joseph’s son?” as to belittle him and his ministry . Also in this chapter, Jesus says he is the fulfillment of prophetic scripture and then expels of a devil from a possess man (much to the chagrin of the Pharisees in the synagogue). And lastly, it tells of the healing of disciple Peter’s mother-in-law and the exorcism of another man who was demon possessed.
There are two things, from this chapter, that stand out to me that parallel the episode. The first is in regard to Jesus being tempted ,by Satan, 3 times with 3 different things( to which, Jesus rejects them all) . In Ab Aeterno, we witness the temptation of Richardo, by MIB, where he’s offered a reunion with his deceased wife. Like the devil did to Jesus, MIB waves the prize in front of Ricardo. Ricardo declines the offer.
But later, it is Richard that asked 
Jacob for 3 different things and is told what Jacob can and cannot do. Is this telling us that Jacob is good or are we just seeing a temptation in a reverse order? Either way, Ricardo agrees.
The other is how, like the citizens of Jesus’ homestead, 
Ben tries to lessen Richard’s importance to the Island by saying things like he knows nothing and that Ben has known Richard since he was a twelve. So, is Ben right? Is Richard not really anyone of consequence? From what we saw these past couple weeks, I think Mr. … Sorry… Dr. Linus might be wrong in his assessment.
ab utili (from utility) : On the Blast Door Map from the Swan Hatch( thank you, Lostpedia) it mentions, written as a side thought, “Known last resting place of Magnus Hanso/Black Rock”. Well done, Kelvin and Radzinski! And as we saw, it was. But not exactly “restful” when you get pulled through a wooden cheese grater of a door by a Smoke Monster. There was also a note about “Save yourself from Hell”. Very appropriate, considering all the referencing to both save/saving and Hell this week. But this raises the question : Is it literal or figurative? I’m thinking the later… but you never can be to sure with this show. 😉
ab irato (from an angry man) : As Dogen referred to him, will we see how that angry man, 
the MIB, will circumvent the island and break free? Will it involve our Losties? Does he need them to go “home” ? Or does he just need to keep them separated so the protector of the “cork” can never be realized?
ab incunabulis (from the cradle ie “from infancy”) : No Squirrel Baby this week… bummer!
Oh, well ! There’s always Episode 10… coming soon. 8)
*( definitions from Wikipedia).
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