The story of Caedmon is the earliest remaining Old English poem written sometime between 658 ad 680 (Bede 24). The story, which was written by Bede, is a PARABLE that tells the story of how Caedmon receives the gift of song. Caedmon “had lived in the secular estate” until after he received the gift of song from the Lord (25). He was obviously a common man before he was blessed with song. His background affects what praises he has to sing.
When Caedmon falls asleep he is blessed with song. When told to sing of creation, Caedmon sings:
“Now we must praise
heaven-kingdom’s guardian.
the Measurer’s might
and his mind-plans,
the work of the Glory-Father,
when he of wonders of every one,
eternal Lord,
the beginning established.
He first created
for men’s sons
heaven as a roof,
holy creator;
then middle-earth
mankind’s Guardian,
eternal Lord,
afterwards made-
for men earth,
Master almighty” (25-26).
Listen to Caedmon's Hymn in its original language (Scroll about 1/4 of the way down the page)
The first time reading Caedmon’s words they seem rather elementary. Although many Christians (and probably a fair amount of non Christians) would be able to recite the first two lines from Genesis,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”
without even thinking about what they are saying, but by looking at what Caedmon is saying closer some interesting things are revealed.
Caedmon is not just telling of the creation story. Most of what Caedmon is sings about is God’s great power and kindness in what he had created. The hymn tells of how God “first created for men’s sons heaven as a roof” and “afterwards made for men earth” (26). This passage tells of Gods great power because he was able to create both heaven and earth. It also tells us that God is kind. He was thinking of man when he was creating heaven and earth. If God were not kind he would have only created heaven and earth with his needs in mind. As Megan Connell said,
“Bede chooses to portray the goodness of God.”
The creation story is fairly simplistic, but it is complex to explore who and what God is. This is especially because God is a little different to everyone. Caedmon, as a common man, sees God as a guardian, mighty, eternal, creator, almighty, and lord.
In today’s Christian culture some of these beliefs vary. With secular culture being most prominent in the world many Christians are beginning to question the story of creation. There are many variations to the story of creation that have come about. For example, many people question if the earth could actually be made in six days. It is becoming normal in our western culture to either doubt the existence of God or to undermine his power and authority. Bede shows Christianity at it’s most basic form; humbling yourself before the creator.
A Book of Showings
“A Book of Showings” by Julian of Norwich expresses Christianity through the views of an Anchoress. An anchoress is a woman (anchorite is a man) who is locked in a cell most often in the church, which she has vowed to never leave. In the church she had “showings” or “visions” that came from God. Julian was advanced for her time because she was a woman who knew many works in Latin. Her knowledge helped her to examine the visions she had.
Julian had 16 showings all together which were split into chapters. Chapter 5, Chapter 27, and chapter 86 will be the most useful to compare changes in Christianity over time. Chapter 5 is entitled with a SIMILE, “All Creation as a Hazelnut.” Julian uses the Hazelnut as a SYMBOL of the universe. In this part of her vision Julian sees God holding the hazlenut in his hand. From this vision Julian realizes what God is to the world.
“In the little thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it, the section that God loveth it, the third that God keepeth it. But what beleld I therein? Berily, the maker, the keeper, the lover” (Norwich 375).
Julian’s interpretation is much different from Caedmon’s. Julian not only calls God the creator but also calls him the keeper and the lover. These two people had different stances on what God’s role was in the creation story. Caedmon thought of God as powerful and kind, but mostly just as a creator. Julian saw God as so much more than a creator.
In chapter 27 sin is explored. Julian tells of pain, which is referencing Christ’s crucifixion. Jesus endured physical pain to lift the sin off of the world. Julian says,
“And for the tender love that our good Lord hath to all that shall be saved, he comforteth readily and sweetly, meaning thus: it is true that sin is cause of all this pain, but all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well” (377).
Julian interoperates her vision of sin that God loves his creation so dearly that he would die for it. Earlier in the passage she makes it clear that she believes sin is fitting and also that only some will be saved.
Julian sheds light on Christ’s purpose in Chapter 86. “... love is our Lord’s meaning” (382). This was one of the last things that Julian wrote about her visions. It is meaningful that in the two other chapters Julian tells of God’s love and in the final chapter she says that love is God’s pure meaning.
It is interesting that throughout her writings Julian continually mentions the LEXICAL SET of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (otherwise known as the trilogy.) This is unusual because the trilogy is never mentioned in the Bible. It is something that people have created and it is still around today.
On one hand I think Julian of Norwich would have gotten alone fine in today’s society. There are shirts, signs, books, and churches dedicated to love. Love is the movement in many modern churches. On the other hand Julian says that she believes that sin is fitting and only some will be saved. Many people find it easy to believe in heaven, but few people still believe in the existence of hell. I think it would be interesting to see how a woman that gave up her life in the secular world to anchor herself in Christ hundreds of years ago would fit into today’s society.
Julian had 16 showings all together which were split into chapters. Chapter 5, Chapter 27, and chapter 86 will be the most useful to compare changes in Christianity over time. Chapter 5 is entitled with a SIMILE, “All Creation as a Hazelnut.” Julian uses the Hazelnut as a SYMBOL of the universe. In this part of her vision Julian sees God holding the hazlenut in his hand. From this vision Julian realizes what God is to the world.
“In the little thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it, the section that God loveth it, the third that God keepeth it. But what beleld I therein? Berily, the maker, the keeper, the lover” (Norwich 375).
Julian’s interpretation is much different from Caedmon’s. Julian not only calls God the creator but also calls him the keeper and the lover. These two people had different stances on what God’s role was in the creation story. Caedmon thought of God as powerful and kind, but mostly just as a creator. Julian saw God as so much more than a creator.
In chapter 27 sin is explored. Julian tells of pain, which is referencing Christ’s crucifixion. Jesus endured physical pain to lift the sin off of the world. Julian says,
“And for the tender love that our good Lord hath to all that shall be saved, he comforteth readily and sweetly, meaning thus: it is true that sin is cause of all this pain, but all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well” (377).
Julian interoperates her vision of sin that God loves his creation so dearly that he would die for it. Earlier in the passage she makes it clear that she believes sin is fitting and also that only some will be saved.
Julian sheds light on Christ’s purpose in Chapter 86. “... love is our Lord’s meaning” (382). This was one of the last things that Julian wrote about her visions. It is meaningful that in the two other chapters Julian tells of God’s love and in the final chapter she says that love is God’s pure meaning.
It is interesting that throughout her writings Julian continually mentions the LEXICAL SET of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (otherwise known as the trilogy.) This is unusual because the trilogy is never mentioned in the Bible. It is something that people have created and it is still around today.
On one hand I think Julian of Norwich would have gotten alone fine in today’s society. There are shirts, signs, books, and churches dedicated to love. Love is the movement in many modern churches. On the other hand Julian says that she believes that sin is fitting and only some will be saved. Many people find it easy to believe in heaven, but few people still believe in the existence of hell. I think it would be interesting to see how a woman that gave up her life in the secular world to anchor herself in Christ hundreds of years ago would fit into today’s society.
The Obedience of a Christian Man
William Tyndale took a stand to reform the Catholic Church. Tyndale followed in to footsteps of Martin Luther to reject Catholic practices. As classmate Holly Gingrich said, “I've seen an slightly changing view of religion. People are becoming more educated and literate in England.” Education had a lot to do with the reformation that was going on. As the common population was becoming more literate and more educated people were able to make their own interpretations of scripture. This is what Tyndale and other reformers did. Before Tyndale was executed he was able to translate the Old Testament and write “The Obedience of a Christian Man” which is a DISCOURSE, in which Tyndale meditates on salvation through faith rather than through the deeds a person had done on the earth. (Tyndale 621).
Tyndale’s take on sin from “The Obedience of a Christian Man” is that through “Christ’s blood our sins vanish away as smoke in the wind” (621). He seems to have the same idea about sin as Julian did but he does not express the love that God must have had for man kind in order to endure such a painful and humiliating death.
Tyndale also wrote about the Bible and how to interoperate it. He says that the bible must be interoperated literally. Even the stories that are told are supposed to be taken in the literal sense because they simulate worldly things. He states that if you “apply [scripture] to our purposes [you will receive] liberty of the spirit” (622). Tyndale argues that ALLEGORIES, or stories, can evoke more thought than plain script.
Protestant forms of Christianity owe much to Tyndale and the other reformers. They retranslated scripture to veer away from Catholic practices and teachings.
Tyndale’s take on sin from “The Obedience of a Christian Man” is that through “Christ’s blood our sins vanish away as smoke in the wind” (621). He seems to have the same idea about sin as Julian did but he does not express the love that God must have had for man kind in order to endure such a painful and humiliating death.
Tyndale also wrote about the Bible and how to interoperate it. He says that the bible must be interoperated literally. Even the stories that are told are supposed to be taken in the literal sense because they simulate worldly things. He states that if you “apply [scripture] to our purposes [you will receive] liberty of the spirit” (622). Tyndale argues that ALLEGORIES, or stories, can evoke more thought than plain script.
Protestant forms of Christianity owe much to Tyndale and the other reformers. They retranslated scripture to veer away from Catholic practices and teachings.
The Institution of Christian Religion
In 1561, about 35 years after Tyndale wrote “The Obedience of a Christian Man” another protestant named John Calvin was on the map. John Calvin, who wrote “The Institution of Christian Religion,” was the “principal theologian of the Protestant Reformation” (Calvin 625).
The selected passage (Book 3, Chapter 21) deals with the principle of predestination. The ideology states “God has determined before the foundation of the world whom he will save and whom he will damn, regardless of the merits or defects of these individuals” (625). Calvin puts it into these words:
“… the Scripture clearly showeth, we say that God by eternal and unchangeable counsel hath once appointed whom in time to come he would take to salvation, and on the other side whom he would condemn to destruction” (627).
Calvin brings up that many people are going to want to know more about predestination than he can tell them. Calvin is actually discussing the subject in this section though he tells his readers not to discuss it. This is known as OCCUPATIO. He brings up two things having to do with wanting more knowledge about predestination. First, He says that to “inquire upon predestination [is to] pierce into the secret closets of the wisdom of God” (626). And that “he hath disclosed in his Word: and he hath determined, so far as he foresaw to pertain to us and to be profitable for us” (627). Calvin urges people not to go looking for answers concerning predestination because God has given all the answers people need to know in the Bible. Calvin often ALLUDES to the Bible in his writing. This is probably to prove to his readers that even he gets his answers from God's word.
“For the Scripture is the school of the Holy Ghost, in which as nothing is left out which is both necessary and profitable to be known” (627). This is what Calvin says that pertains to what Christians believe today. Much emphasis was being put on the bible at this time because more people were literate than before and today almost everyone is literate. Calvin’s point about reading the bible is something that many modern churches recommend. This time in English history probably was the first time that commoners were encouraged to think freely about the bible and read it on their own.
The selected passage (Book 3, Chapter 21) deals with the principle of predestination. The ideology states “God has determined before the foundation of the world whom he will save and whom he will damn, regardless of the merits or defects of these individuals” (625). Calvin puts it into these words:
“… the Scripture clearly showeth, we say that God by eternal and unchangeable counsel hath once appointed whom in time to come he would take to salvation, and on the other side whom he would condemn to destruction” (627).
Calvin brings up that many people are going to want to know more about predestination than he can tell them. Calvin is actually discussing the subject in this section though he tells his readers not to discuss it. This is known as OCCUPATIO. He brings up two things having to do with wanting more knowledge about predestination. First, He says that to “inquire upon predestination [is to] pierce into the secret closets of the wisdom of God” (626). And that “he hath disclosed in his Word: and he hath determined, so far as he foresaw to pertain to us and to be profitable for us” (627). Calvin urges people not to go looking for answers concerning predestination because God has given all the answers people need to know in the Bible. Calvin often ALLUDES to the Bible in his writing. This is probably to prove to his readers that even he gets his answers from God's word.
“For the Scripture is the school of the Holy Ghost, in which as nothing is left out which is both necessary and profitable to be known” (627). This is what Calvin says that pertains to what Christians believe today. Much emphasis was being put on the bible at this time because more people were literate than before and today almost everyone is literate. Calvin’s point about reading the bible is something that many modern churches recommend. This time in English history probably was the first time that commoners were encouraged to think freely about the bible and read it on their own.
The Alter
In The Alter, Herbert makes many good points about a person’s relationship with God. I find that Herbert takes a stance on creation that differs from that of Julian or Caedmon. He chooses to take on a more personal aspect of the creation story.
“Made of a heart, and cemented with tears:
Whose parts are as thy hand did frame;
No workman’s tool hath touched the same” (Herbert 1607).
This passage seems to be telling about what God has done within humans rather than the world in general. Herbert makes it obvious that he believes that God created each and every human my hand when he says, “.. thy hand did frame” (1607). There is also a sense of not only the physical but the spiritual creation. When Herbert says, “cemented with tears,” (1607). He is referring to the emotional and spiritual side of people. It is very thought provoking that he chooses to bring up both physical and spiritual creation.
Herbert also tells about submission. For a person to fully submit to the Lord they must take on a sacrifice. The following lines tell about the sacrifice he will make.
“These stones to praise thee may not cease.
Oh let thy blessed sacrifice be mine,
And sanctify this altar to be thine” (1607).
Herbert is saying that it is a sacrifice to live fully for God. I believe that he is saying that the sacrifice he will make is to continually praise God. It is hard to glorify God in everything you do and it is a sacrifice even if you are only trying your best.
This poem pertains to struggles people still go through today. So many people can’t find the words to say when everything seems to go wrong. I think this poem is a pledge to give your life to God and to praise Him in all you do.
“Made of a heart, and cemented with tears:
Whose parts are as thy hand did frame;
No workman’s tool hath touched the same” (Herbert 1607).
This passage seems to be telling about what God has done within humans rather than the world in general. Herbert makes it obvious that he believes that God created each and every human my hand when he says, “.. thy hand did frame” (1607). There is also a sense of not only the physical but the spiritual creation. When Herbert says, “cemented with tears,” (1607). He is referring to the emotional and spiritual side of people. It is very thought provoking that he chooses to bring up both physical and spiritual creation.
Herbert also tells about submission. For a person to fully submit to the Lord they must take on a sacrifice. The following lines tell about the sacrifice he will make.
“These stones to praise thee may not cease.
Oh let thy blessed sacrifice be mine,
And sanctify this altar to be thine” (1607).
Herbert is saying that it is a sacrifice to live fully for God. I believe that he is saying that the sacrifice he will make is to continually praise God. It is hard to glorify God in everything you do and it is a sacrifice even if you are only trying your best.
This poem pertains to struggles people still go through today. So many people can’t find the words to say when everything seems to go wrong. I think this poem is a pledge to give your life to God and to praise Him in all you do.
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