The portrayal of Christ in Old English verse has hardly been analysed in relation to medieval doctrine, Christology (i.e. the person and nature of Christ) in particular. This thesis attempts to...Show moreThe portrayal of Christ in Old English verse has hardly been analysed in relation to medieval doctrine, Christology (i.e. the person and nature of Christ) in particular. This thesis attempts to fill this gap in the literature on Old English Christian verse by offering an analysis of the dual nature of Christ in the Old English poems Christ I (or Advent), Christ II (or The Ascension), Christ III (or Christ in Judgment), The Dream of the Rood (or The Vision of the Cross), and The Descent into Hell. This thesis shows that the Anglo-Saxon poets responsible for these poems heavily rely on biblical and liturgical images, light imagery, and heroic imagery in their depiction of Christ’s divine nature. Christ’s humanity proves a more delicate topic as each poet approaches it in his own way and does so with caution, probably because of the fierce debates about Christ’s human nature in the Anglo-Saxon Church. Moreover, even though in different ways, these poems portray a fully united human-divine Christ, thus conforming to the orthodox principle of Christology that Christ is both fully God and perfectly human. In presenting Christ in such a fashion, the Anglo-Saxon poets refute the active Christological heresies of their time, such as Arianism and Adoptionism.Show less
