ON THE SHELF
Review of Robin Jensen’s
The Cross: History, Art, and Controversy
by Richard Viladesau
Fr. Richard Viladesau is Professor Emeritus at Fordham University, where his work focused on philosophical theology, in particular the question of the knowledge of God and the concept of revelation, both in Christian and non-Christian traditions. In recent years he has become known primarily for his contributions to the field of theological aesthetics: theoretical (epistemology of aesthetics) and historical (theology and the arts).
Fr. Richard Viladesau is Professor Emeritus at Fordham University, where his work focused on philosophical theology, in particular the question of the knowledge of God and the concept of revelation, both in Christian and non-Christian traditions. In recent years he has become known primarily for his contributions to the field of theological aesthetics: theoretical (epistemology of aesthetics) and historical (theology and the arts).
The Cross: History, Art, and Controversy by Robin M. Jensen (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2017), x + 270 pp.
A Professor at the University of Notre Dame specializing primarily in ancient Christianity, Robin Jensen has provided in this volume a wide-ranging study of the cross as an artifact and the contexts in which it was used. The book deals only briefly and tangentially with the passion of Christ itself. It concentrates rather on the material history of the images, monuments, and objects of devotion that commemorated it. Hence Jensen’s attention centers not on the theology of the cross (soteriology) but on the piety associated with its representations. The “controversies” mentioned in the title are those associated with the representation of the cross and crucifixion rather than those regarding its salvific effect or its theological meaning.
Jensen’s study shows the polyvalent nature of the cross as a symbol. The object operated as a “sign” that could stand for different things and convey varying messages. Jensen makes it clear that in some respects the cross became a symbol of ideas, attitudes, and meanings sometimes far removed not only from the historical event of the crucifixion but also from the message of Jesus. The cross was sometimes used as a magical talisman or as an ornament. In dealing with the cross as a banner of war during the crusades, Jensen includes a brief excursus on how the emphasis on the cross during this period led to persecutions of Jews under the pretext that they were responsible for the crucifixion.
The book is organized thematically, but there is a rough chronological succession in the chapters. “The Curse of the Cross” deals with the difficulties inherent in the New Testament idea of a crucified Messiah for Pagan, Jewish, and Gnostic thought. It reviews what comparatively little evidence there is concerning the physical process of crucifixion in the ancient world. “The Sign of the Son of Man” reviews the progression of the cross from a historical instrument of torture to a cosmic symbol, and includes a treatment of the use of the cross in early Christian ritual. “Discovery, Dispersion, and Commemoration of the Cross” recounts the legend of the finding of the “true cross” and its use as a relic. “The Late Emerging Crucifix” chronicles the replacement of the early symbol of the cross with the crucifix showing the body of Christ, first in glory and later in suffering, and the parallel shift in spirituality from the living Christ to the dying Jesus. The chapter on “Monumental Crosses and Feasts of the Cross” gathers together details about various kinds of large and small crosses, along with an account of the origin of the feasts commemorating the cross. The material in “The Cross in Poetry, Legend, and Liturgical Drama” includes hymns, the visual symbol of the “tree of life,” the famous poem “The Dream of the Rood,” and the stone high crosses of the British Isles, the apocryphal lives of Adam and Eve, and medieval drama. “Medieval Devotion to the Dying Christ” takes up in more detail the shift in piety from the divine Logos on the cross to concentration on the sufferings and dying of Jesus, and ends with a consideration of pilgrimages and the crusades. “The Cross from the Sixteenth Century to Today,” as the chapter title indicates, attempts to survey both visual art and music during the entire period from the Protestant Reformation almost to the present, even including a section on the cross in Islam. Jensen acknowledges that it is beyond the scope of this book to continue the cross’s story into the present day, but in an epilogue on “The Cross in the Modern Era,” she includes a few pages on the cross in contemporary culture.
An overview of the contents makes plain the ambition of Jensen’s project. Needless to say, it is impossible to cover all this material in depth. Jensen makes it plain that her primary interest is in material history, not in theology or aesthetics, although these intersect with her subject matter to some extent. Even within the limitations the author sets, the extent and depth of treatment varies from section to section. Not surprisingly, the book is strongest in dealing with the early period that is Jensen’s area of specialization. It is less detailed, but still competent, in the treatment of the middle ages. It is weakest in the last two chapters, dealing with the period from the Reformation to the present. These last chapters contain significant gaps and oversights, and leap from one topic to another with little connection or logic. Although they present a great deal of material, these final chapters do not approach the level of presentation of data found in the early chapters. Moreover, the breadth of topics leads to a treatment that is highly selective and disconnected. For example, Jensen gives no indication of the importance of the Passion musical genre in the Baroque period, nor does she attend to the different representations of the cross in its many different texts. She mentions Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in just a single phrase. In her earlier chapters, Jensen gives considerable attention to the liturgical uses and feasts of the cross in the Middle Ages. But in her treatment of the early modern period she neglects this liturgical aspect (the cross is prominent in Bach’s cantatas, for example, as well as in Lutheran preaching and poetry of his era). And in the space of a few pages—still within a chapter ostensibly on the Reformation period—she skips from Gerhard to Wesley to twentieth century spirituals. The new approaches to the cross in nineteenth- and twentieth-century art are neglected. Because it is above all a presentation of material historical data, this work will be of interest mostly to historical scholars rather than systematic theologians. There is little that is new. Most of the significant information in the book can be found in standard reference works. But Jensen expands on the existing literature by taking account of recent scholarship in journals. Specialists will appreciate the useful critical apparatus and an excellent bibliography that Jensen provides for her earlier chapters. Some may be disappointed that the careful scholarship does not continue into the later parts of the book.
There are some aspects of the book that are of possible interest to a wider audience than the scholars and students who will be those primarily attracted to this treatment. Artists and even a wider public may find a great deal of fascinating information here. Jensen’s style is excellent. Her erudition is apparent, but she communicates in a way that is accessible to educated non-specialists. There are well-chosen illustrations, excellently reproduced.
A Professor at the University of Notre Dame specializing primarily in ancient Christianity, Robin Jensen has provided in this volume a wide-ranging study of the cross as an artifact and the contexts in which it was used. The book deals only briefly and tangentially with the passion of Christ itself. It concentrates rather on the material history of the images, monuments, and objects of devotion that commemorated it. Hence Jensen’s attention centers not on the theology of the cross (soteriology) but on the piety associated with its representations. The “controversies” mentioned in the title are those associated with the representation of the cross and crucifixion rather than those regarding its salvific effect or its theological meaning.
Jensen’s study shows the polyvalent nature of the cross as a symbol. The object operated as a “sign” that could stand for different things and convey varying messages. Jensen makes it clear that in some respects the cross became a symbol of ideas, attitudes, and meanings sometimes far removed not only from the historical event of the crucifixion but also from the message of Jesus. The cross was sometimes used as a magical talisman or as an ornament. In dealing with the cross as a banner of war during the crusades, Jensen includes a brief excursus on how the emphasis on the cross during this period led to persecutions of Jews under the pretext that they were responsible for the crucifixion.
The book is organized thematically, but there is a rough chronological succession in the chapters. “The Curse of the Cross” deals with the difficulties inherent in the New Testament idea of a crucified Messiah for Pagan, Jewish, and Gnostic thought. It reviews what comparatively little evidence there is concerning the physical process of crucifixion in the ancient world. “The Sign of the Son of Man” reviews the progression of the cross from a historical instrument of torture to a cosmic symbol, and includes a treatment of the use of the cross in early Christian ritual. “Discovery, Dispersion, and Commemoration of the Cross” recounts the legend of the finding of the “true cross” and its use as a relic. “The Late Emerging Crucifix” chronicles the replacement of the early symbol of the cross with the crucifix showing the body of Christ, first in glory and later in suffering, and the parallel shift in spirituality from the living Christ to the dying Jesus. The chapter on “Monumental Crosses and Feasts of the Cross” gathers together details about various kinds of large and small crosses, along with an account of the origin of the feasts commemorating the cross. The material in “The Cross in Poetry, Legend, and Liturgical Drama” includes hymns, the visual symbol of the “tree of life,” the famous poem “The Dream of the Rood,” and the stone high crosses of the British Isles, the apocryphal lives of Adam and Eve, and medieval drama. “Medieval Devotion to the Dying Christ” takes up in more detail the shift in piety from the divine Logos on the cross to concentration on the sufferings and dying of Jesus, and ends with a consideration of pilgrimages and the crusades. “The Cross from the Sixteenth Century to Today,” as the chapter title indicates, attempts to survey both visual art and music during the entire period from the Protestant Reformation almost to the present, even including a section on the cross in Islam. Jensen acknowledges that it is beyond the scope of this book to continue the cross’s story into the present day, but in an epilogue on “The Cross in the Modern Era,” she includes a few pages on the cross in contemporary culture.
An overview of the contents makes plain the ambition of Jensen’s project. Needless to say, it is impossible to cover all this material in depth. Jensen makes it plain that her primary interest is in material history, not in theology or aesthetics, although these intersect with her subject matter to some extent. Even within the limitations the author sets, the extent and depth of treatment varies from section to section. Not surprisingly, the book is strongest in dealing with the early period that is Jensen’s area of specialization. It is less detailed, but still competent, in the treatment of the middle ages. It is weakest in the last two chapters, dealing with the period from the Reformation to the present. These last chapters contain significant gaps and oversights, and leap from one topic to another with little connection or logic. Although they present a great deal of material, these final chapters do not approach the level of presentation of data found in the early chapters. Moreover, the breadth of topics leads to a treatment that is highly selective and disconnected. For example, Jensen gives no indication of the importance of the Passion musical genre in the Baroque period, nor does she attend to the different representations of the cross in its many different texts. She mentions Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in just a single phrase. In her earlier chapters, Jensen gives considerable attention to the liturgical uses and feasts of the cross in the Middle Ages. But in her treatment of the early modern period she neglects this liturgical aspect (the cross is prominent in Bach’s cantatas, for example, as well as in Lutheran preaching and poetry of his era). And in the space of a few pages—still within a chapter ostensibly on the Reformation period—she skips from Gerhard to Wesley to twentieth century spirituals. The new approaches to the cross in nineteenth- and twentieth-century art are neglected. Because it is above all a presentation of material historical data, this work will be of interest mostly to historical scholars rather than systematic theologians. There is little that is new. Most of the significant information in the book can be found in standard reference works. But Jensen expands on the existing literature by taking account of recent scholarship in journals. Specialists will appreciate the useful critical apparatus and an excellent bibliography that Jensen provides for her earlier chapters. Some may be disappointed that the careful scholarship does not continue into the later parts of the book.
There are some aspects of the book that are of possible interest to a wider audience than the scholars and students who will be those primarily attracted to this treatment. Artists and even a wider public may find a great deal of fascinating information here. Jensen’s style is excellent. Her erudition is apparent, but she communicates in a way that is accessible to educated non-specialists. There are well-chosen illustrations, excellently reproduced.