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“Of all the knottes that I se / I prese the knot in Trinite”: Trinitarian Iconography in the Middle English Lyric, An aungell fro heuen gan lyth’

Jones, N; (2015) “Of all the knottes that I se / I prese the knot in Trinite”: Trinitarian Iconography in the Middle English Lyric, An aungell fro heuen gan lyth’. Viator , 46 (2) pp. 193-217. 10.1484/J.VIATOR.5.105367. Green open access

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Abstract

The fifteenth-century carol An aungell fro heuen gan lyth is remarkable for the way in which it explores the Economy of Salvation and the triune power of the Godhead through the iconographic motif of the Trinitarian knot. This motif, derived from the “threefold cord” which “is not easily broken” (Eccles. 4.12), was developed by Petrus Alfonsi, Joachim of Fiore, and Dante in a Trinitarian context. An aungell fro heuen gan lyth is not only informed by this complex strand of Trinitarian iconology, but is also notable for its sophisticated handling of the motif. The Trinitarian knot is central to the carol’s burden, but also recurs throughout the five stanzas, where it serves as a meditative device which celebrates the five great mysteries of faith enshrined in the Apostles’ Creed. These mysteries, described in turn through the narrative progression of the carol, are encapsulated in successive variations on the Trinitarian knot.

Type: Article
Title: “Of all the knottes that I se / I prese the knot in Trinite”: Trinitarian Iconography in the Middle English Lyric, An aungell fro heuen gan lyth’
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1484/J.VIATOR.5.105367
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1484/J.VIATOR.5.105367
Language: English
Additional information: The article is published under CC BY-SA licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Dept of English Lang and Literature
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1475212
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