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Pagan and christianity essay
Pagan and christianity essay
The dream of the Rood as an old English charistion poem
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Over several centuries, the concept of religion has been incorporated into various forms of human creation, including architecture, art, music, and literature. Literature is one of the most impactful of all art forms because literature establishes a connection between people of different time periods through a recording of beliefs, values, thoughts, and experiences. These recordings allow future readers to have a broader understanding of the circumstances and principle codes of behavior surrounding the religion of the people of the past. Many works of Old English Literature demonstrate the concept of religion in British culture and society of the time; however, two of the more prominent examples are in the Anglo-Saxon poems “The Dream of the Rood” and “The Wanderer”. The poem “The Dream of the Rood” is believed to be written before the 10th century by either poets Caedmon or Cynewulf and combines both Germanic Pagan and Christian symbols, themes, and motifs. “The Dream of the Rood” begins with the narrator having a dream or vision where he is communicating with the Cross (or rood) that held Jesus as He was crucified. The narrator begins by stating he “beheld the Glory’s trunk
The poem demonstrates both Germanic Pagan and Christian influence throughout its entirety. Germanic Pagan influence is exhibited in the Crucifix’s anthropomorphism and the fact that the narrator could communicate with nature, specifically the tree that was cut to become the Jesus’ crucifix. Christian influence is signified in the fact that the story reflects on Jesus’ crucifixion and the constant references to God, Lord Almighty, Heaven, and Mankind’s Creator. “The Dream of the Rood” is a major example of the influence of religion in works of
It will be the contention of this paper that much of Tolkien's unique vision was directly shaped by recurring images in the Catholic culture which shaped JRRT, and which are not shared by non-Catholics generally. The expression of these images in Lord of the Rings will then concern us.
Brown, Raymond. A Crucified Christ in Holy Week: Essays on the Four Gospel Passion Narratives. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1986.
Sund, Judy. "The Sower and the Sheaf: Biblical Metaphor in the Art of Vincent van
Upon completion of this novel, a clearly prevalent and outstanding motif is that of religion and biblical reference. The frequent references to religion come in varied forms from that of biblical role-playing, to that of the fate of our current society. Another related argument that occurs can be the relationship of biblical role-playing and character domination. When all are combined appropriately, a very strong and prominent key motif in this novel is produced. Mary Shelley might have used religion reference as a method of showing us how something that happened during the creation of the earth can be related and brought to us via modern day fantasy creations. It is important for us to realize this connection because it will help us to understand an important deeper meaning of this work.
As I walked into the first gallery, I saw a wood sculpture that stood in the center of the room. This carving depicted “the crucified Christ, flanked by the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist with Angels holding instruments of the Passion”. It was painted oak and very appealing to the eye. It stood approximately 15 feet in the air. The origin of this sculpture is unknown, but it was found in a Belgium church. This kind of sculpture usually stood at the entrance or at the center of the alter in the church facing the congregation. This image of the suffering Christ relates to the Christian ideas of suffering and Christ’s salvation of all mankind.
This course dove into medieval history and touched on all of the most critical elements of the period giving a well-rounded look into the lives and cultures of the middle ages. As the class moved forward it became evident that religion is central to understanding the people, advances, and set backs of this period. We learned how inseparable the middle ages and religion are due to how completely it consumed the people, affected the art, and furthered academics. Since, there is a tendency to teach about history and literature separately from religion and since religion possessed a dominant position in every aspect of a medieval person’s life, while many of us had already looked into the period we missed some crucial cultural context allowing
myth and a poem written in the 17th Century - goes to show that Holy
Dockray-Miller, Mary. "The Feminized Cross of 'The Dream of the Rood.'" Philological Quarterly 76 (1997): 1-18.
The crucifixion periscope is one of the most read and studied stories of the gospels, second only to the story of the resurrection. Luke’s presentation of the darkest day in Christianity is appropriately not as poetic and literary elegant as some of his other writings, yet dramatic. He stresses some common Lukan themes of forgiveness, prayer and universalism.
The Anglo-Saxon poem known as, The Dream of the Rood is the reverse image of the crucifixion. The Dream of the Rood is unique in describing the crucifixion from the vantage point of the Cross, and within the framework of a dream. In comparison, The York Play of the Crucifixion discusses each step in the process of tying Christ to the cross. Both representations of the crucifixion compare and contrast each other.
The Dream of the Rood is a poem that illustrates the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the perspective of the cross. The illustration comes together in a dream. The rood or the cross communicates with the Dreamer, to give him hope in the future return of Christ and eternal glory. Additionally, the rood encourages the Dreamer to share his dream with others and point them to the cross. This poem is meaningful to me because it prompted me to reflect on the cross and what it represents. It is a symbol of God’s love and what He did on the cross, so we could be saved from our sins.
The image of Jesus nailed to a wooden cross by the palms of his hands and with a crown of thorns wrapped around his head is one that has transcended all time barriers. It has inclusive been replicated into figure form that is utilized in various ways but whose primary function is to serve as a constant reminder of the physical suffering endured by Jesus. In The Dream of the Rood however, the perception of Jesus Christ as not only the son of God and savior of mankind but also as a human with the capacity to feel pain, is subverted when through the perspective of a personified cross he is conveyed as a warrior in the midst of combat. The portrayal of Jesus in this way immediately evokes the image of an ideal stereotypical hero who is strong, courageous, and unrelenting in appearance. Nevertheless, it can be said that this type of hero is more inclined towards fantasy than it is based on reality because these idealized heroic figures have only ever truly existed in a fictional universe. The depiction of Jesus as a warrior thus, undermines forms of heroism that stem from explicit suffering that is not concealed but rather expressed by the individual.
In British Literature religion plays a role in a vast majority of works. Even if the role is not explosively apparent, there are a generous amount of small inspirations and distortions in the texts. Some texts are theorized to have even been altered from their original state to reflect an amount of religion in them. Other texts are formatted as a result of religious influence. Religion has an elaborate and intricate influence in a variety of ways in many works throughout the development of British Literature.
"Open Book Newsletter No. 1: The Bible and Western Literature by Peter J. Leithart January, 1991." Biblical Horizons » No. 1: The Bible and Western Literature. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2014.
If a class were given the assignment to read Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, they would discover how gifted Chaucer was in the art of social commenting. After reading the tales, the class would now have knowledge on the inner workings of a medieval society. However, if students were to read the Canterbury Tales just for pure entertainment, they would be neglecting to understand why Chaucer was imparting this knowledge through his texts. Literature, as a whole, is a main part of our cultural make up. Through literature we are able to view our customs and traditions in many different ways. Some words that can help emphasize the way in which literature shapes culture are words