History and Salvation in Medieval Ireland

Description

History and Salvation in Medieval Ireland explores medieval Irish conceptions of salvation history, using Latin and vernacular sources from c. 700–c. 1200 CE which adapt biblical history for audiences both secular and ecclesiastical. This book examines medieval Irish sources on the cities of Jerusalem and Babylon; reworkings of narratives from the Hebrew Scriptures; literature influenced by the Psalms; and texts indebted to Late Antique historiography. It argues that the conceptual framework of salvation history, and the related theory of the divinely-ordained movement of political power through history, had a formative influence on early Irish culture, society and identity. Primarily through analysis of previously untranslated sources, this study teases out some of the intricate connections between the local and the universal, in order to situate medieval Irish historiography within the context of that of the wider world. Using an overarching biblical chronology, beginning with the lives of the Jewish Patriarchs and ending with the Christian apostolic missions, this study shows how one culture understood the histories of others, and has important implications for issues such as kingship, religion and literary production in medieval Ireland. This book will appeal to scholars and students of medieval Ireland, as well as those interested in religious and cultural history. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents Acknowledgements Note on terminology, biblical quotations and abbreviations Introduction Education Geography and ethnic diversity Language Law History Outline of study Chapter 1: In the Egypt of this our island: Reflections on Jewish history ‘A carnal race ignorant of truth’: early Irish antisemitism The world’s navel The Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ‘Appoint, O Lord, a lawgiver over them’ Toisech popuil ‘Another Moses’: St Brendan Patrick the Israelite Christ’s idolatrous ancestors ‘The journeys and battles of the Children of Israel’ Chapter 2: Absalom, Absalom!: Rewriting the David story The boyhood deeds of David son of Jesse The sins of the father Entangled Sword of Damocles, hand of God ‘You, David, are the Church’ ‘Swifter than eagles, stronger than lions’ Chapter 3: More than honey to my mouth: The psalms ‘In what is concealed make wisdom known to me’ ‘The Lord’s teaching is his desire’ ‘Wash me, that I be whiter than snow’ ‘Seven times a day I have given praise to you’ ‘Their throat is an open sepulchre’ ‘My lips shall utter a hymn’ ‘The bed wherein I lie’ Chapter 4: The green-grassed land of the Assyrians: Constructing the history of Babylon The city and the city Urban myths ‘A griffin with a blue eye’ ‘The first king of the world’ ‘Babylon, the fair girl’ ‘Unconquered Cyrus’ Conclusion: from Darius to Salmoneus Chapter 5: Twilight of the idols ‘Your blood be upon your own heads’ ‘Consenting unto his death’ Apostle of the Irish Conclusion Bibliography Index