Texts of the passion: Latin devotional literature and medieval society

In this book Thomas H. Bestul constructs the literary history of the Latin Passion narratives, placing them within their social, cultural, and historical contexts. He examines the ways in which the Passion is narrated and renarrated in devotional treatises, paying particular attention to the modifications and enlargements of the narrative of the Passion as it is presented in the canonical gospels. Of particular interest to Bestul are the representations of Jews, women, and the body of the crucified Christ. Bestul argues that the greatly enlarged role of the Jews in the Passion narratives of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries is connected to the rising anti-Judaism of the period. He explores how the representations of women, particularly the Virgin Mary, express cultural values about the place of women in late medieval society and reveal an increased interest in female subjectivity.

Front matter --; Contents --; Acknowledgments --; Chapter 1. Introduction: Methodology and Theoretical Orientations --; Chapter 2. Medieval Narratives of the Passion of Christ --; Chapter 3. The Representation of the Jews in Medieval Passion Narratives --; Chapter 4. Gender and the Representation of Women in Medieval Passion Narratives --; Chapter 5. The Passion of Christ and the Institution of Torture --; Appendix 1: Meditation by Bernard on the Lamentation of the Blessed Virgin --; Appendix 2: Preliminary Catalogue of Medieval Latin Passion Narratives --; Notes --; Bibliography --; Index