Gold, jewels and a cross that is able to speak: these elements are nowhere to be found in the Biblical story about the crucifixion of Christ, but they do appear in the Old English poem The Dream of...Show moreGold, jewels and a cross that is able to speak: these elements are nowhere to be found in the Biblical story about the crucifixion of Christ, but they do appear in the Old English poem The Dream of the Rood. This poem is a retelling of the Biblical story of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection and there are three characters in this poem: the Dreamer, the Cross and Christ. These characters are linked, because they all experience one or multiple physical or mental transformations. The poet intended for these transformations to be an inspiration for the reader of the poem. Especially the transformation of the Dreamer is supposed to be inspirational, because the Dreamer is the most relatable character for the reader through the focus on their human nature. The question that is discussed in this thesis is: what does the transformation of the Dreamer look like and why can it be inspirational for the reader? The suggested answer to this question is that the poet of The Dream of the Rood used the character of the Dreamer to illustrate the life-changing effect that knowledge of the Bible and following the example of Christ can have on a human being. The reader of the poem is encouraged to follow in the footsteps of the Dreamer, the first step being reading The Dream of the Rood.Show less
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
