IMC 2010: Sessions

Paper -a:
In this paper I demonstrate how the concept of Christ the harmonizing Logos (God's creative Word who holds the universe together as a harmonious whole) is consistently represented in medieval culture by means of symbolic musical imagery. I begin by showing how the Christian notion of the harmonizing Logos has its origins in ancient Greek philosophical thought. I then go on to explore how this pagan idea of cosmic harmony is appropriated for Christian use during the Middle Ages. Drawing on a wide range of examples (including scientific diagrams, mappamundi, textual commentaries, manuscript illuminations, and church architectural design), I show how musical imagery (both instrumental and harmonic) is used to illustrate complex theological concepts.

Paper -b:
The evolution of the in aurium apertione and expositio evangeliorum ceremonies provides an opportunity to examine the changing nature of baptismal rites within the Carolingian period. Two of the oldest elements in medieval baptismal liturgies, they highlighted the necessity of education in Christian doctrine for all catechumens and included the presentation of Gospel manuscripts featuring artistic representations of the Evangelists. I discuss how these ceremonies were adapted to suit the liturgical and educational reforms of the Carolingian period as well as the concurrent growth of manuscript illustration. An examination of these rites adds to our understanding of Carolingian lay interaction with Biblical manuscripts and the potential liturgical function of Gospel illustration.

Paper-c:
Source investigation has loomed large in studies of Ælfric's writings for many years now, driving an approach which seeks to identify the biblical verses and patristic commentaries from which he fashioned his texts. With this emphasis upon Ælfric's Latin source materials, then, the presence of occasional citations in Latin in his Old English homilies and saints' lives has not excited much critical surprise. At most, it has been noted that the inclusion of Latin is a feature characteristic of Ælfric's later writings, a sign of a more religious, or sophisticated, target audience.

Certain questions occur to me about these Latin citations, however, and these are not adequately resolved by the explanations which have thus far been offered. Taking the Lives of Saints as my focus, I explore two of these questions in detail. First, why does Ælfric single out particular Latin lines for inclusion in the Lives? And secondly, why does he include Latin at all in adaptations which are otherwise exclusively in the vernacular? In addressing these issues, my paper draws upon the analogy provided by Ælfric's homilies, suggesting that a rationale for the inclusion of the citations in Latin is to be found in the liturgical services associated with the Lives themselves.

Having demonstrated this link, I then move on to consider the potential implications of my findings for the Cotton-Corpus Legendary, generally accepted as the source for many of Ælfric's saints' lives. Can the Legendary be taken as direct source when the wording of the extant manuscripts differs from the Latin lines that Ælfric cites?

Finally, I address the issue of Ælfric's audience, asking whether the presence of Latin alone provides sufficient evidence to justify assumptions that the Lives are aimed at a more religious, Latinate, contingent. Consideration of this offers insights into the immediate context of the Lives of Saints collection, and raises aspects of relevance to the wider function of these texts within Ælfric's educative programme.