Christ II (poem)

Christ II [Exeter Book, fol.14a-20b] , also called "The Ascension", is one of Cynewulf’s four signed poems that exist in the Old English vernacular. It is a five-section piece that spans lines 440-886 of the Christ triad in the "Exeter Book", and is homiletic in its subject matter in contrast to the martyrlogical nature of Juliana, Elene, and Fates of the Apostles. "Christ II" draws upon a number of ecclesiastical sources, but it is primarily framed upon Gregory the Great’s "Homily XXIX" on Ascension Day.

Like Gregory’s Homily, Christ II begins with the same question: Why did the angles who attended the Nativity not wear white, while those who attended the Ascension did so? Cynewulf addresses the question to an “illustrious man,” whom he urges to meditate on the question. The man’s identity (if any) is not given, but it is likely he was not a churchman, because then the question would not be such a challenge. [See Kennedy 1963, p.82] Following this question, Cynewulf turns into a description of Ascension. After imparting his last wishes on the apostles, Jesus is met by a throng of angels who welcome their Lord’s ascension into heaven by song. Two particular angels in the crowd comment to the observers that they are watching Christ’s Ascension, and that they should prepare themselves for Christ’s Second Coming, which will be on Judgment Day.

The description of the Ascension passes on to the next section, where the introductory question is again referenced. It becomes apparent that the two angels play some part in their attendance of the Ascension, and maybe key to answering the question. The section concludes with the two central angels detailing the Harrowing of Hell. The third section shifts to a “rehearsal” (in the sense of being conventional) of God’s many benefits to mankind; some of these benefits include: food, favourable weather, and the light of the sun, stars, and moon. The narrator urges mankind to be grateful “for the salvation which He has granted us in His Ascension” by casting out man’s curse. [See Kennedy 1963, p.83]

Proceeding further into the section, a contemplation of the Ascension engenders the allegory of a bird in flight. This allegory is of course taken right out of Gregory’s Homily. The ascent of the bird is seen to represent the Ascension while the bird’s landing is the Second Coming. Section four presents the metaphor of the “phases” of Christ’s existence as “six leaps.” This is idea is based on Gregory’s five leaps which are Nativity, the Crucifixion, the Deposition and Burial, and the Ascension. Cynewulf adds a sixth leap, the Harrowing of Hell, right before the Ascension. The section closes with the narrator urging his audience to follow the model of Christ’s life so that they can metaphorically “leap” into heaven. The final section contains the runic signature of Cynewulf embedded in the poet’s description of Doomsday. Note, the narrator’s ominous depiction of Judgement Day is important in that it links Christ II to Christ III (Judgement Day). The Ascension ends with a metaphor of the traditional sea-voyage that signifies life on earth. Life is represented as ship bearing the force of a tumultuous sea. Christ figures in by guiding us to our “harbour of salvation.” [See Salvador 2004, and Kennedy 1963, p.83]

While Cynewulf never reveals the answer to his query posed the beginning of the poem—though he does hint to it in lines 550-54 and 755—a mere look at his main source gives the solution. As was mentioned, the question of the lack of white clothing worn by angles who attended the Nativity but not the Ascension is also posed by Gregory in his Homily XXIV. In his sermon however, he answers the question immediately to the effect that the former event was a “humbling of Divinity” and the latter an “exaltation of man.” Such a question as this would be hardly more than trivial for a clergyman, as Gregory’s corpus would be common in liturgical studies. So the “illustrious man” must be either a secular individual or no one at all. In the case of the second, the “illustrious man” statement becomes no more than apostrophe, and Cynewulf is simply addressing his audience. [See Greenfield 1965, p.129-30]

Notes

References

*Bradley, S.A.J, ed. and tr. 1982. "Anglo-Saxon Poetry". London: Everyman's Library
*Greenfield, Stanley B. 1965. "A Critical History of Old English Literature". New York: New York University Press
*Kennedy, Charles W. 1963. "Early English Christian Poetry". New York: Oxford University Press
*Salvador, Mercedes 2004. "Christ II". "The Literary Encyclopedia". The Literary Dictionary Company. 30 October 2006.