Book Review: Jesus through Medieval Eyes by Grace Hamman
Art & Theology » Poetry
by Victoria Emily Jones
1w ago
As an English major in college, I was required to take a course on medieval literature. I had not been looking forward to it—Romantic and Victorian lit were more my thing. I worried that working through Old English and Middle English texts would be a slog. But boy were my expectations upended! I was enthralled by all the imaginative theology I encountered in verse, drama, and sermons, from the Dream of the Rood on down. I went to a public university, but the saturation in Christian thinking is unavoidable for students of the history of English literature. After overcoming some hang-ups I had a ..read more
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A version of Hildegard of Bingen’s “Ave generosa” by Gabriele Uhlein
Art & Theology » Poetry
by Victoria Emily Jones
2w ago
Olesya Hudyma (Ukrainian, 1980–), Ukrainian Madonna, 2021. Oil on canvas. Mary,God delights in you so much, God was so taken with you, he sank his love’s fire deep within you.So much love he gave you, that with it you nurture his son.So full of ecstasy is your bodythat it resounds with heaven’s symphony.Your womb exults.It exults like the grass, grass the dew has nestled on, grass the dew has infused with verdant strength.That is how it is with you,Mother of all joy. From Meditations with Hildegard of Bingen, introduction and versions by Gabriele ..read more
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“To Calvary he bore his cross,” aka “My Fearful Dream”: An Early Tudor Passion Carol from the Fayrfax Manuscript
Art & Theology » Poetry
by Victoria Emily Jones
3w ago
The English Crucifixion lyric “My Fearful Dream” (also known by the beginning of its first line, “To Calvary he bore his cross”) was written anonymously in the fifteenth century. It is preserved, with music by Gilbert Banastir (sometimes spelled Banaster or Banester) (ca. 1445–1487), on folios 77v–82r of the famous Tudor songbook BL Add. MS. 5465, intended for use at the court of King Henry VII. Compiled around the year 1500, this manuscript is commonly referred to as the Fayrfax Manuscript after Robert Fayrfax, the Tudor composer who was organist of St. Albans and a Gentleman of the Chapel Ro ..read more
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“Upon the Bleeding Crucifix” by Richard Crashaw (poem)
Art & Theology » Poetry
by Victoria Emily Jones
3w ago
Vision of Saint Bernard (Blood Crucifix), Lower Rhine, 14th century. Ink and colored washes on paper, 25.5 × 18 cm. Museum Schnütgen, Cologne. Jesu, no more! It is full tide;From thy hands and from thy feet,From thy head, and from thy side,All the purple rivers meet.What need thy fair head bear a partIn showers, as if thine eyes had none?What need they help to drown thy heart,That strives in torrents of its own?Water’d by the showers they bring,The thorns that thy blest brow encloses(A cruel and a costly spring)Conceive proud hopes of proving roses.Thy restless feet now cannot goFor us and ou ..read more
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“I Thirst” by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (poem)
Art & Theology » Poetry
by Victoria Emily Jones
1M ago
Digital concept for outdoor fountain by Chad Knight, 2017 [purchase] FIRST VOICE.I thirst, but earth cannot allayThe fever coursing through my veins.The healing stream is far away—It flows through Salem’s lovely plains. The murmurs of its crystal flowBreak ever o’er this world of strife;My heart is weary, let me go,To bathe it in the stream of life; For many worn and weary heartsHave bathed in this pure healing stream,And felt their griefs and cares depart,E’en like some sad forgotten dream. SECOND VOICE. “The Word is nigh thee, even in thy heart.” Say not, within thy weary heart,Who shall as ..read more
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“Improv on 1 Corinthians 13 for Ash Wednesday on Valentine’s Day” by the Rev. Maren Tirabassi
Art & Theology » Poetry
by Victoria Emily Jones
1M ago
If I speak in tongues of justice or spirituality,but do not have ashes,I am a self-congratulating vigil,a Sunday service inspired by itself. If I have social media outreach,a labyrinth in the church garden,Bible study in the brewpub,and if I have a capital campaignto remove pews, put in church chairs,and even add a coffee shop,but do not have ashes, I am nothing. If I give to church-wide offerings,and go on mission trips so that I may boast,but do not have ashes, I gain nothing. Ashes are awkward; ashes are dirty;ashes, like love,are not envious, boastful, arrogant, or rude.Ashes do not insi ..read more
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Roundup: Jazz Vespers with Ruth Naomi Floyd, Psalm 90 set to Celtic tune, and more
Art & Theology » Poetry
by Victoria Emily Jones
1M ago
ARTWORK: Cheryl Dyer, Rattlesnake Master, 2021. Collage / mixed media, 34 × 18 in. In this piece, lettering artist and calligrapher Cheryl Dyer of Omaha takes Psalm 90 (traditionally read on Ash Wednesday) as her subject, embellishing excerpts with watercolor and other media. Rattlesnake master is a perennial herb of the parsley family native to the tallgrass prairies of central and eastern North America. +++ ARTICLE: “The Vindication and Blessing of Lent” by the Rev. Dr. Michael Farley, Modern Reformation: I also sometimes receive pushback from others in my Reformed Christian circles for my o ..read more
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“Song of the Agitators”: 1852 poem set to music
Art & Theology » Poetry
by Victoria Emily Jones
1M ago
In summer 2020, artists Dustin Klein and Alex Criqui projected images of Black lament and empowerment onto the Robert E. Lee Monument at Marcus-David Peters Circle in Richmond, Virginia, part of their Reclaiming the Monument project. Read more at bottom of post. Song of the Agitators “Cease to agitate!” we will, When the slave whip’s sound is still; When no more on guiltless limb Fetters print their circlet grim; When no hound athirst for blood Scours the thorny Georgian wood; When no mother’s pleading prayer, On the sultry Southern air, Quivereth out in accents wild, “Master, give me back m ..read more
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Bidding Christmas Goodbye: Two Carols (One Sung, One Recited) for Candlemas Eve
Art & Theology » Poetry
by Victoria Emily Jones
2M ago
Whereas in our present age it’s common for families to take down their Christmas decorations on Twelfth Night (January 5)—and many American Christians do so even sooner—in medieval Europe they typically stayed up through Candlemas on February 2, or were removed the evening before. Yes, Christmas was celebrated for forty days in the Middle Ages! Why that span? Because forty days after his birth, the infant Christ was presented in the temple according to Jewish custom and inspired the famous song of Simeon about finally getting to see God’s salvation and glory. The feast of Candlemas commemorate ..read more
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Roundup: Upcoming conferences, “Rupture as Invitation,” and more
Art & Theology » Poetry
by Victoria Emily Jones
2M ago
UPCOMING CONFERENCES: >> Calvin Symposium on Worship, February 6–9, 2024, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI: I’ve promoted this event in years past—see, e.g., here and here—and am excited to be attending again this year! I’ll be coleading a breakout session with Joel Littlepage and Ashley Williams about our work at the Daily Prayer Project, curating textual, visual, and musical resources from across time and place to encourage a life of prayer that reflects the church’s beautiful diversity. There are plenty of other sessions being offered as well; a few that stand out to me are “Blues ..read more
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