medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Atonement (5) The idea of the Crucifixion as the culmination of a glorious and victorious battle by God against the Devil is found in the Old English poem "The Dream of the Rood". Fragments of an early version of this, in the Northumbrian dialect, are carved in runic characters on the Ruthwell Cross, dated about 750 AD. A later and fuller version in the West Saxon dialect is found in the Vercelli Book, dating from about 1000 AD. The poem emphasises the Divinity of Christ, his triumph rather than his suffering. I quote it in Hamer's translation, which does not attempt to reproduce the distinctive Old English metre and alliteration: And then I saw the Lord of all mankind Hasten with eager zeal that He might mount Upon me. I durst not against God's word Bend down or break, when I saw tremeble all The srface of the earth. Although I might Have struck down all the foes, yet stood I fast. Then the young hero (who was God Almighty) God ready, resolute and strong in heart. He climbed onto the lofty gallows-tree, Bold in the sight of many watching men, When he intended to redeem mankind. I trembled as the warrior embraced me. But still I dared not bend down to the earth, Fall to the ground. Upright I had to stand. A rood I was raised up, and I held high The noble King, the Lord of heaven above. In may be that some of you will wish to point out that this passage doesn't actually mention Atonement, or Ransom. Point taken in advance. But it does envisage the crucifixion in very different terms from what became common in the later middle ages. These terms have their own distinctive iconography. Representations of the crucifixion from the period show the triumph of God over the Devil. It is the Divinity of Christ, rather than his humanity, which is depicted. The figure is shown clothed, not naked. He wears royal robes, or often those of a priest, indicating his rôle as the Great High Priest as set forth in the Letter to the Hebrews (a way of looking at what Christ effected which we have not yet explored). He wears a royal crown, not a crown of thorns. He is shown alive, his eyes wide open, staring somewhat fiercely, indicating his triumph over death. His body is not bowed, but is upright and rigid. His arms are straight and horizontal, not dragged down by the weight of the body; he is not subject to the law of gravity. He is alone: there are no mourners beneath the cross. This is a straight fight between God and the Devil, and mankind is out of the picture. Bill. ===== ____________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Messenger - Communicate instantly..."Ping" your friends today! Download Messenger Now http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/download/index.html ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html