The Cross as a Slayer of Christ? The Dream of the Rood 66a Revisited

Abstract

The Dream of the Rood is an Old English religious poem with the form of a dream vision. A highly original story of the crucifixion is told by the cross on which Christ was executed. When the cross provides an account of the scene where the tomb for Christ is being constructed, there occurs a puzzling phrase, i.e. on banan gesyhðe “in sight of the murderer” (66). Some earlier scholars found it so improbable to regard the cross as the “murderer” of Christ that they emended banan to plural banana / banena, which indicates the Jews and Romans. Others retain the manuscript reading, assuming that banan refers to the cross as the agent or innocent instrument of death. Although the latter interpretation is supported by most of the recent editors and scholars, this essay attempts to reexamine the seemingly once-settled crux by pointing out some difficulties in identifying the cross as a slayer of Christ (whether the action is intended or not) and to propose another possible interpretation of the passage.