Joshua Dotson
Professor Johnson
English 460: Christian Literature
October 9, 2023
“The Role of the Dream of the Rood in Christian Literature’’
All literature reflects the values
and beliefs of the culture in which a given text was born. Society is
influenced by the arts, and produces them at the same time. For example, one's
writer's emphasis on social justice probably reflects one’s Left leanings. On
the other hand, a book about the silent majority being unheard may reflect the
author's pro-life stance. Indeed, it is impossible for any work of literature not
to reflect the values of the one who composed it. Certainly, the faithful
Christians’ own art reflects biblical Christianity. By default, written works
that explore Biblical themes are called “Christian literature.” Often, these
values must be distinctly Christian, such as belief in the Trinity, and not a vaguer
idea, such as friendship or forgiveness. No doubt, this was especially true for
the Anglo-Saxons, who harbored an infatuation with Old Testament literature. It
was during the age of Old English literature that one of the greatest works of
Christian literature, The Dream of the Rood, was composed. This
important book of Medieval literature highlights Christian themes in a number
of ways. In the words of Old English scholar R. M. Liuzza, “The Dream of
the Rood tells the story of the Crucifixion of Christ from the point
of view of the Cross, which appears to the narrator in a dream and recounts its
experiences. Christ is presented as a heroic warrior, eagerly leaping to the
cross to do battle with Death; the Cross is a loyal retainer who is painful and
paradoxically forced to participate in his lord's execution (Liuzza, 173).” However,
proof of its canon in Christian literature derives from its historical
background, Mariology, the atonement of Christ, its understanding of salvation
and redemption, and the final victory of the Son of God.
As with any other work of literature,
understanding its place in history is essential to understanding the text---The
Dream of the Rood is no exception to this rule of literary history.
In fact, the culture behind the composition of this literary piece is crucial
to understanding its purpose. According to historians Hazel Maskell and Dr.
Abigail Wheatly, two historians of Anglo-Saxon England, “From about the year
450, Britain came under attack. Boatloads of warriors from what is now Germany
and Denmark launched a series of devastating raids on the south and east
coasts. The invaders were made up of three groups Angles, the Saxons and the
Jutes. These fearsome warriors forced the tribes of native Britons to flee to
the hills (Maskell and Wheatley, 6).” Furthermore, literary scholar Susan Wise
Bauer has written, “Soon, the south and east part of Britain was completely
occupied by the Angles and Saxons (Bauer, 14).” Likewise, Medieval historian
Anita Baker notes, “(Pope) Gregory also sought to further the teachings of the
church and to bring papal authority to Roman Catholics throughout Europe, no
mean feat in a continent ruled by many different tribes and riven by conflict.
He sent a mission of 40 monks under Saint Augustine to England in 597 to
convert the pagan Anglo-Saxon tribes to Christianity. It was a success (Baker,
69)...” Interestingly enough, Ecclesiastical historian Kevin Madigan has
rightly observed, “According to an anonymous Anglo-Saxon biography of Gregory
written in ca. 710, Gregory's interest in the English originated before he
became pope (Madigan, 62).” Of course, all of this was before the literary work
was written but it does help the modern reader to understand the origins of the
Anglo-Saxons and more about the people who this literature was written for. In
truth, The Dream of the Rood demonstrates the transformation
of the Anglo-Saxons away from paganism and their conversion to Christianity, as
well as their endeavor to create Christian literature of their own. The
prerequisite to writing any Christian literature, however, is for the author’s
knowledge of theology: a fact which the poem exhibits in many places. Although
few Saxons were pagan by the time the work was written, the poem's emphasis on
the Cross of Christ evidences the reform of the people to Biblical thoughts: “That
tree was triumphant and I tarnished by sin, begrimed with evil, I beheld
Glory's trunk garnished with grandeur, gleaming in bliss, all plated with gold;
precious gemstones had gloriously graced the Lord God's tree. Yet I could see
signs of ancient strife: beneath that gold it had begun bleeding on the right
side. I was bereft with sorrows; that splendid sight made me afraid. I beheld
the sign rapidly changing clothes with colors. Now it was covered by moisture,
drenched with steaming blood, now decked in treasure (34.13-22).”
The mother of Christ is at the heart
of The Dream of the Rood. Although the Virgin Mary is rarely
mentioned in the small Anglo-Saxon poem, her importance is nothing short of essential
to interpreting the text. The translation of the work from The Norton
Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages reads, “So the Lord
of glory, guardian of Heaven, exalted me then over all forest-trees, as
Almighty God before all humankind exalted over all the race of women. His own
mother, Mary herself (90-94).” For certain, the Mother of Christ was as
important to the Anglo-Saxons as she was to all Catholic Christians throughout
Medieval Europe. The poem, nevertheless, understood her as providentially
involved in God's plan to give birth to a Savior even before the foundations of
the world. As one article notes, “But this suggestion shows a curious
understanding of mediaeval Christianity, where the choice of Mary would be
seen, not in modern terms as 'random' or accidental,' but as part of God’s
pre-ordained plan, Mary having been chosen for her destiny before the
foundation of the world to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament*1.” Certainly,
the poem does not have to exhaust mentioning her name to prove her essentiality
within its short narrative. In paying her homage and honoring her within the
context of Christ, this Anglo-Saxon work reveals why the medievals loved the
Mother of God so much: they saw her as blessed (Luke 1:42) and valued her
because of her place in salvific history in giving birth to Christ. While The
Dream of the Rood does not take Mariology to the explicit veneration
for her that would later arise within High and Late Medieval literature, the
Anglo-Saxon poem does recall her importance within the Christian
tradition.
The ''Rood'' that The Dream of the
Rood is referring to, is the tree that Christ died upon. According to
Holy Scripture, God didn't want the world to perish, so He sent His Son for
humanity (John 3: 16, 1 John 2: 2). Of all the plots within the Old English
narrative, Christ saving the world may exist as the most significant. In saving
mankind from sin, however, Christ was also preparing the saints for the world
to come: “Now I command you, my man so dear, to tell others the events you have
seen; find words to tell it was the tree of glory Almighty God suffered upon
for mankind's so many sins and for that ancient offense of Adam. There, he
tasted death; yet the redeemer arose with his great might to help mankind. Then
he rose to Heaven. He will come again to this middle-earth to seek out mankind
on Judgement Day, the Redeemer himself, God Almighty and his angels with him,
so that he will judge, He who has power of the Judgement, all humanity as to the
merits each has brought about in this brief life (36.95-109).” Indeed, manifesting
these beautiful words, Christ has saved his people, and is purifying them for
the final judgment. Likewise, the salvation described in The Dream of the
Rood is holistically connected to Christ's sufferings and the redemption
of creation.
Without referring to the atonement of
Christ, the Christian heritage of The Dream of the Rood would be far
inferior. The poem directly addresses Christ's inflictions as He suffers for
the sins of the world, “On that mountain I have endured many cruel happenings.
I saw the God of hosts direly stretched out. Shades of darkness had clouded
over the corpse of the Lord, the shining radiance; shadows went forth dark
under clouds. All creation wept, mourning the king's fall: Christ was on the
cross (35.50-56).” Here, the poem refers to the many sufferings of Jesus
Christ. Creation turns dark as the Son of God persists through His incarnation.
Yet, through this darkness, Christ achieved the impossible, the redemption of
the world through His divine and human atonement. Later, following His Resurrection,
the poem is clear about what Christ accomplished, “I shall dwell in glory,
together with the saints share in their delights. May the Lord be my friend,
who on earth long ago on the gallows-tree suffered agony for the sins of men;
he redeemed us and gave us life, a home in Heaven. Hope was made new and blossomed
with bliss to those burning in fire (37.144-149).” Indeed, it took the
sacrifice of Christ not only to save humanity, but to redeem the world from the
stain of sin and destruction. In this regard, the old Anglo-Saxon poem reflects
the Christus Victor view of the atonement which “... is the element of
the atoning work of Christ that emphasizes the triumph of Christ over the evil
powers of the world, through which he rescues his people and establishes a new
relationship between God and the world*2.” In other words, one of the most
ancient views of the atonement asserts that Christ's death on the cross was the
beginning of God's restoration of the world unto Himself. Quite clearly, The
Dream of the Rood exemplifies this view throughout its text as the
author of this piece dreamed of the new Creation to come.
The climax of The Dream of the
Rood concerns Christ's final advent to judge the world and bring
justice to all as well as perfection to the old creation. Written at the end of
the work, in many ways, the return of Christ is perhaps one of the most epic
aspects of the work: “The son was victorious in venturing forth, mighty and
triumphant when he returned with many, a company of souls to the Kingdom of
God, the Almighty Ruler, to the joy of angels, and all those holy ones come to
Heaven before. to live in glory, when their Lord returned, the Eternal King to
His own country (37.150-155).” When one analyzes this aspect of the poem, the
reader will see all the more the beauty of this work. For example, “The son was
victorious in venturing forth...(37.150),” is an example of alliteration with
the use of “v” in both words which adds to the rhythm of the work and keeps the
reader focused on the glory of Christ's eventual coming, Secondly, however, by
invoking “...the Almighty ruler (37.150),” the literary piece demonstrates a
high reverence for God Himself. With references to Christ being “victorious,” “triumphant,”
and to God as “the Almighty ruler” and “Eternal King”, the writer of The
Dream of the Rood reminds those who study its composition of the good
news that all Christians can wait for---the return of Christ and the
restoration of the world under the Lord King of Heaven and Earth.
Works of Christian literature always point
in some way to the redemption that Christ has done and is still doing to the
world. This is certainly true for The Dream of the Rood. Though
the Anglo-Saxons had not always been Christians, this literary piece reveals
that once they embraced Christianity, there was no going back for them. The
theme of God as King stayed especially important to them as they saw Christ as
superseding the gods of old. In contrast to paganism, however, Christianity
turned men away from violence and to the hope of a loving Savior. Throughout
Europe, paganism had been often associated with child sacrifice. For Christians
of the Medieval era, though, their sacrifice was the Body and Blood of Christ
in the Eucharist. Furthermore, while paganism thrived among some of the
Anglo-Saxons until the eleventh century, the poem does indicate the gradual
importance of Christianity to the British people. Indeed, in the words of
Anglo-Saxon scholars Lloyd and Jennifer Laing, “The structure of English
Christianity received the official stamp of approval by the Council of Hertford
in 672, while at Hatfield in 679 a profession of allegiance to Roman orthodoxy
was made formally (Lloyd, Laing, 98).” All of this echoes in the poem.
Christianity was changing England forever. Finally, while The Dream of
the Rood does not signal a genuine transformation of every person in
England to Christianity, it does indicate a general shift in the mood of the
people and more importantly, the presence of the church in Medieval
lives.
In conclusion, the heritage of American
and British Christian literature has its origins long before J. R. R. Tolkien,
an Anglo-Saxon scholar, and C. S. Lewis, a Renaissance scholar. Indeed, both of
these great twentieth-century writers admired the Medieval world and wrote
frequently about it. They drew from Medieval literature for their own works of
Christian fiction, just as many contemporary Christians draw from Tolkien and
Lewis. One of the greatest ways to teach anyone about Christian theology is
through literature. Oftentimes, modern readers are acquainted with great
Christian classics, such as Confessions or The
Pilgrim's Progress. Sadly, however, far fewer believers are aware of the
great Christian literature written in Old English by the Anglo-Saxons. Indeed,
long before John Wycliffe or William Tyndale, parts of the Bible had already
been translated into English by the Anglo-Saxons though Bible translations into
English became significantly rare after the Norman conquest of England in the
eleventh century. There is much to admire about Augustine, Bunyan, Tolkien, and
Lewis, but the boundaries of Christian literature extended far beyond their
works. Indeed, every Christian ought to read The Dream of the Rood.
It is an underrated classic within the Old English canon of Christian
literature.
Works Cited:
Baker,
Anita. The Medieval World: The Illustrated History of the Middle Ages. (2018).
Sevenoaks.
Bauer,
Susan. Wise. The Story of the World History for the Classical Child Volume
2: The Middle Ages From The Fall of Rome to the Rise of the
Renaissance. (2003). Well-Trained Mind Press.
Greenblatt,
Stephen. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages (tenth
edition). (2018). W. W. Norton & Company.
Old
English Poetry: An Anthology. R. M.
Liuzza. (2014).
Madigan,
Kevin. Medieval Christianity: A New History. (2015). Yale University
Press.
Maskell,
Hazel. and Wheatley, Abigail. (2012). Usborne.
Notes:
*-administrator,+flor12art04
(4).pdf
*2-https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/christus-victor/