The dream of the rood
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Publicado: 1 de julio de 2011
Christ’s Passion: An Anglo-Saxon perspective
The Dream of the Rood is an Old English Christian poem probably written between the 8th and 10th centuries. The poem’sauthorship remains a debate since two poets are thought to have been its author – Caedmon and Cynewulf.
The poem evidences the blend of both Christianity and Anglo-Saxon values.Although it deals with the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus as the victory of good over evil, which in fact is the most powerful mark of Christian faith, the story istold from the exceptional viewpoint of the Rood (Cross). The fact that an inanimate object becomes the main speaker of the story proves one of the clearest features of Anglo-Saxonpoetry, the incorporation of fantastical elements.
The image of Jesus is quite different from the Christian one as well, in The Dream of the Rood he is seen as a Germanichero, a "heroic warrior, eagerly leaping on the Cross to do battle with death; the Cross is a loyal retainer who is painfully and paradoxically forced to participate in his Lord'sexecution." In the heroic code a man was obliged to live or die by his honor and under this vision Christ’s Passion is seen as a symbol of heroism and courage. Furthermore tokeep with this image of Christ, the fact that he may have suffered the crucifixion is not revealed but shifted to the Cross which experiences pain and anguish.
“The poemresolves not only the pagan-Christian tensions within Anglo-Saxon culture but also current doctrinal discussions concerning the nature of Christ, who was both God and man, both humanand divine” (Mitchell, 257). In this way it is clear that both faiths could co-exist supporting each other and bringing the Anglo-Saxon culture into a new world of beliefs.
The Dream of the Rood is an Old English Christian poem probably written between the 8th and 10th centuries. The poem’sauthorship remains a debate since two poets are thought to have been its author – Caedmon and Cynewulf.
The poem evidences the blend of both Christianity and Anglo-Saxon values.Although it deals with the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus as the victory of good over evil, which in fact is the most powerful mark of Christian faith, the story istold from the exceptional viewpoint of the Rood (Cross). The fact that an inanimate object becomes the main speaker of the story proves one of the clearest features of Anglo-Saxonpoetry, the incorporation of fantastical elements.
The image of Jesus is quite different from the Christian one as well, in The Dream of the Rood he is seen as a Germanichero, a "heroic warrior, eagerly leaping on the Cross to do battle with death; the Cross is a loyal retainer who is painfully and paradoxically forced to participate in his Lord'sexecution." In the heroic code a man was obliged to live or die by his honor and under this vision Christ’s Passion is seen as a symbol of heroism and courage. Furthermore tokeep with this image of Christ, the fact that he may have suffered the crucifixion is not revealed but shifted to the Cross which experiences pain and anguish.
“The poemresolves not only the pagan-Christian tensions within Anglo-Saxon culture but also current doctrinal discussions concerning the nature of Christ, who was both God and man, both humanand divine” (Mitchell, 257). In this way it is clear that both faiths could co-exist supporting each other and bringing the Anglo-Saxon culture into a new world of beliefs.
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