Copy Book Archive

The Six Leaps of Faith The eighth-century English bishop and poet Cynewulf explores a prophecy from the Song of Solomon.
AD 800
Anglo-Saxon Britain 410-1066
Music: Sir Charles Villiers Stanford

© Timst, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0. Source

About this picture …

‘Behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.’ Red Tarn and Swirral Edge from the summit of Helvellyn in Cumbria’s Lake District. The body of water in the distance is Ullswater.

The Six Leaps of Faith
In these lines from ‘Christ’ by Cynewulf (possibly the 8th century bishop Cynewulf of Lindisfarne), the poet reflects upon some beautiful words from the Song of Solomon, which he understands as a prophecy of Jesus Christ.
Freely translated from the Old English

‘The voice of my beloved! behold,
he cometh leaping upon the mountains,
skipping upon the hills.’

Song of Solomon 2:8

WHEN first he leapt, he lighted on a woman, an untouched maid; and human form he took there (though without sin) that he might be Comforter to all that dwell on earth.* The next leap was a baby’s birth when, wound about with swaddling bands, the Glory of all glories lay in a manger, wearing the form of a little child. The third leap was the King of Heaven’s headlong race to the Cross; and there the Father’s Spirit of comfort lighted.*

The fourth took him into the Tomb, leaving the Tree behind for that earthen fastness. It was the fifth leap when he humbled the multitude in hell’s torment, and bound their king, the devils’ Accuser, with fiery fetters within;* he lies there yet, a mind full of malice, held fast in prison’s chains, shackled by his sins. The sixth leap was the dance of the Holy One when he lighted upon heaven, his everlasting home; in that holy hour the angel host was blithe with happy laughter.

See John 14:16-17. ‘Comforter’ or Paraclete is a courtroom role akin to a defence attorney, an idea which St John uses extensively to create a picture of a courtroom drama in which the devil thinks he is prosecuting Christ and his Apostles (witnesses), but in fact is himself in the dock and about to be sentenced.

See again John 14:16-17. We associate ‘Comforter’ or Paraclete with the Holy Spirit but Christ refers to him as ‘another Comforter’, to be granted to the Apostles after he himself, the first Comforter, has been taken away.

See Revelation 12:10. ‘Accuser’ equates to counsel for the prosecution. The Old English here is ‘foresprecan’, a spokesman or advocate.

Précis

Taking a text from the Song of Solomon as his inspiration, Anglo-Saxon poet Cynewulf saw mankind’s salvation in terms of six ‘leaps’ by Jesus Christ, from his birth from a virgin and cradling in a manger through to his crucifixion and burial, the harrowing of hell, and finally his ascension into heaven. (52 / 60 words)

Source

Freely translated from the Old English of ‘Christ’, by Cynewulf. For a literal translation, see Anglo-Saxon Poetry.

Suggested Music

Irish Rhapsody No. 6 for Violin and Orchestra

Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)

Performed by Lydia Mordkovitch with the Ulster Orchestra, conducted by Vernon Handley.

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How To Use This Passage

You can use this passage to help improve your command of English.

IRead it aloud, twice or more. IISummarise it in one sentence of up to 30 words. IIISummarise it in one paragraph of 40-80 words. IVMake notes on the passage, and reconstruct the original from them later on. VJot down any unfamiliar words, and make your own sentences with them later. VIMake a note of any words that surprise or impress you, and ask yourself what meaning they add to the words you would have expected to see. VIITurn any old-fashioned English into modern English. VIIITurn prose into verse, and verse into prose. IXAsk yourself what the author is trying to get you to feel or think. XHow would an artist or a photographer capture the scene? XIHow would a movie director shoot it, or a composer write incidental music for it?

For these and more ideas, see How to Use The Copy Book.

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