Envisioning Christ on the Cross Ireland and the early medieval West

The crucifixion is at the very center of Christian art and thought. This book brings together leading medieval scholars from a wide range of disciplines in an assessment of its depiction in Ireland and more generally across the early medieval West. With such a narrow focus, the collection's range is broad, with discussions of objects and texts from 4th-century Rome to 12th-century Catalonia, and serves to place Irish artistic, literary, and theological representations of the crucifixion within a wider European context. *** "There has been much recent scholarship on the subject and the editors of the volume under review have done a fine job in assembling contributions that range across Europe from fifth-century Rome to twelfth-century Parma. As the volume's title indicates, its primary purpose is to situate the contribution of early-medieval Ireland in establishing the iconic status of the cross and in exploring its spiritual, exegetical, liturgical, and aesthetic potential. Two aspects of this sweeping task underpin the volume: 'God Hanging from a Cross' and 'Contemplate the Wounds of the Crucified.'" -- Catholic Historical Review, Vol. 102, No. 1, Winter 2016 [Subject: History, Medieval Studies, Religious Studies, Irish Studies, Christianity, Art History]