Christ Crucifixion

The Bible has been translated into 451 languages, sold over 6 billion times, and depicted in over 40 movies. The Bible and the crucifixion of the Messiah are prominent aspects in cultures all around the world today. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has been translated, dramatized, televised, adapted, and cartooned. In “The Dream of the Rood,” translated by R.M. Liuzza, the Biblical cross comes to life to tell its own version of Christ’s death and resurrection. The author recreated the Biblical account to appeal to the Anglo-Saxon warrior group to effectively convert them. However, the story from the cross’s perspective matches the crucial material of the Biblical account of the crucifixion without defaming Christ.

A hero is one who is not only strong, but one who uses his strength to uphold others. A hero is humble, philanthropic, magnanimous and selfless, a humanitarian at best. In the unprecedented epic Beowulf, the tale’s namesake exemplifies every characteristic befitting an Anglo-Saxon hero. He is honest, loyal, and courageous. He portrays these characteristics in the battle against Grendel, the affray with Grendel’s mother, and the fight against the dragon that inevitably ended his life.

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,

A true hero does not fear death or, but instead risks all that he is for what he believes to be right, moral, and just. Beowulf is an epic and tells the story of a legendary hero, conquering all obstacles as if he was immortal. Up until the end of Beowulf’s life he was constantly looking to be the hero. However, his humanity is exposed by his death. Heroes all share the characteristic of their willingness to die in their effort to accomplish their heroic act, thus making the act in itself heroic. Throughout the epic, Beowulf in many ways exhibited all the qualities and characteristics needed to be a true hero.

Warriors are considered among the bravest of men. In the Anglo-Saxon community, the warriors were of the most respected class, and made up the foundation for their way of living. Anglo-Saxon warriors would not stop fighting until either they were victorious or they were dead. Written during this Anglo-Saxon period, the epic Beowulf contains many pagan ideals, in addition to several references to Christian philosophy. Beowulf is a tale of dual ordeals; an external fight against treacherous enemies, and an internal struggle with human tendencies of pride, greed, cowardice, and betrayal. The story intertwines them with both pagan and Christian beliefs.

The cross, once plain wood, is now “exalted over all forest-tress” (91) and risen to the status of a lord. The Dreamer is seeing for himself the validity of Christ’s claims of rewarding his faithful servants. So the Cross, it seems, is now further gift-giving and reciprocating by telling the Dreamer that he has been given a gift by Christ, who died for his sins. The Dreamer interprets the telling of this story by the Cross as a gift, and so in return for this gift that the Cross has given him, the Dreamer tells the story of his dream to others in order to tell the tale and let others know of this great gift that was given to all of humanity by Christ. Its resplendence in its appearance to the dreamer is testament to the validity of its sacrifice in going against traditional Germanic servitude, which is important to addressing the comingling of cultures in The Dream of the Rood. This is certainly not heroism and faithful retainership as the Anglo-Saxons were used to it, but the Dreamer’s vision of the Cross in all its glory gives credence to Christ as a lord and gift giver.

Incorporating traditional Anglo Saxon beliefs of heroism with the image of Christ on the cross allows the poet of The Dream of the Rood to effectively communicate the benefits of Christianity to pagan warriors. By comparing characteristics, duties, and treatment of heroes in Beowulf and the Battle of Maldon to the depiction of Christ in The Dream of the Rood, it becomes evident that the image of Christ is altered to mirror that of heroic warriors. Through this melding of heroic beliefs and Christianity, the poet of Rood is able to show how Christ can become the ultimate ring giver or Lord.

Dream of the Rood is a poem written in Old English that follows a theme, “ yes there’s suffering bad things do happen, but there’s God and one day he might save you.” The poem tells the story of the tree that becomes the cross Jesus is hung on. The need to kill exists even in the presence of god except now it is called a sacrifice. “For the Rood, however, glory has replaced torment and at the end the dreamer’s description of Christ’s triumphant entry into heaven with the souls He has liberated from hell reflects the dreamer’s response to the hope that has been brought to him.” The tree finds honor in being the one chosen to participate in the death of Christ because it is God’s will.

In Anglo-Saxon literary works, the writing usually addressed to a Christian audience but yet all commonly affirm the values of the warrior cultures in power in different matters. In the two pieces “The Dream of the Rood” and Beowulf there are two powerful kings being represented that are set in overlapping values that benefit their true courageous deeds. Both are considered good, but do they mean the same thing in Christianity and paganism contexts? Specifically, the two pieces both fuse together Christian and pagan ideals to show their two powerful kings represented in two completely different manners. In the literary work Beowulf the character Beowulf is known as the king along with many others. While in the literary work “The Dream of the Rood” Jesus Christ is known as the king since he is directly referred to as a “king” several times throughout the work.

The Germanic code of the warrior is considered by many to be pagan in character and it is thus difficult for Christians to see it alongside of Christian concepts. However, these two have influenced each-other significantly over the years and made it possible for the masses in the Anglo-Saxon society to express a growing interest in a sensible version of the typical hero one that fights in their name and in the name of justice as a whole. Even with the fact that Beowulf put across pagan values, it is only safe to claim that he

The ethical paradigm traditionally associated with the treasurehouse model of mentality in Old English poetry—the sapiential economy of the accumulation and then distribution of mental valuables— converges in The Dream of the Rood with the poet’s religious ideal of the Christian faith as universally acknowledged and collectively practiced in the form of devotion to the Cross”(Mize Britt, pg 177). The rood's description, had a deep connection and references to both the Christian and Pagan culture, also indicating the obedient relationship he had or shared with Jesus Christ as that of a Lord and thane.

Writers for many centuries have depicted the greatest event of history, Christ's sacrifice in many ways. Fantasy writers, especially, have symbolized it as either the sacrifice of a lion on the Stone Table, a mighty warrior battling a red dragon, or less obviously, the destruction of a ring, and numerous other ways. However once writers chose to directly write about Christ's sacrifice without using symbols. Nonetheless even these writers differed greatly in their portrayal of Christ's sacrifice. Among these, William Langland, who wrote Piers Plowman, and the poet who penned “Dream of the Rood” both discuss Christ's sacrifice vividly and poetically. While Piers Plowman and “Dream of the Rood” share many similarities in their portrayal of Christ

‘The Dream of the Rood’ has been marveled as one of the finest religious poems from the Anglo-Saxon time period. The poem itself shows the contrast between the Pagan religion and Christianity and the overlap of religious symbols between them. It follows the crucifixion of Jesus and the dreamer’s journey to finding faith. The rood is seen as the backbone of the crucifixion and is depicted as being praised more than Christ. Using the literary devices of kenning and alliteration the author highlights the heroic nature of the rood, the dreamer’s gradual progression to optimism and the struggle of the people of the time to remove Pagan traditions in literature.

Anthony Liccione once said, “Unto the Cross came death, and unto death came the Cross.” This quote relates to the poem, “The Dream of The Rood” because it talks about the story of how Jesus’ crucifixion. In the poem states, “It seemed to me that I saw a more wonderful tree lifted in the air, wound round with light, the brightest of beams.” This symbolizes that he has stumbled across the Tree of Life mentioned in the Bible. Adam and Eve ate an apple off this tree even though God had forbidden it.

The consequence of their loyalty leads the warriors of the Maldon to death. Likewise, the Rood also follows Christ in his suffering and to his death. It states, ¡°standing in a sweat of blood/ I was all wounded with shafts¡±(The Rood, 57). Indeed, that ¡°sweat of blood¡± belongs to the Rood and its ¡°wounded¡± body identifies with that of the Christ¡¯s. In fact, while having the knowledge of the inevitable tragedy, the heroes of the Anglo-Saxon literature neglects to heed to their fear of death. What defines a hero in this period pertains to facing the ¡°wierd.¡± Rather than a resignation in giving up their lives, they participate actively in order to live out their given role, to fulfill what they have promised to do. Indeed, the heroes of the Maldon are ¡°fated [to] fall¡±(Maldon, 4). In the face of their inevitable doom, these heroes state ¡°in right good time dost thou recall us to our allegiance¡±(Maldon,232). This ¡°allegiance¡± to serve the lord cannot be forfeited even when the lord no longer lives. Regardless of the tragic consequences, these heroes choose to suffer. The Rood indicates, ¡°wry wierds a many I underwent¡± in revealing its active role in its fate (The Rood, 56). The Rood states that ¡°[it] underwent],¡± have chosen to suffer with Christ.