The Ruthwell Cross :: Artifacts History Religion Essays

The Ruthwell blowThe Ruthwell Cross is a recently seventh or early eighth century sculpted prophesy cross. It can currently be found in the town of Ruthwell, come up Dumfries in southern Scotland. Standing about 17 feet tall, the cross is embellish with Latin and Anglo-Saxon runic inscriptions and carvings. The cross, almost thirteen centuries old, has as frequently history as one would expect for an artifact of this age. The Ruthwell Cross was part dismantled most likely during 1642 at the order of the Church of Scotland superior general Assembly. The General Assembly was looking to rid Scotland of items of Roman worship. Believed to be attached with Roman worship, the cross was dismantled and spread out on the grounds of a small church in Ruthwell. Its pieces, which were large in size, were use as paving in some parts of the church grounds. In the early 1800s the pieces were located and the cross was reconstructed at the order of grand Doctor Henry Duncan. Although most of the cross was found and pieced together, Duncan had to construct a new crossbeam for the cross. The significance of the cross lies in its inscriptions and carvings. round of the carvings on the cross are said to symbolize passages from the New Testament. Portions of the Anglo-Saxon runic inscriptions have been determined to be passages from one of the most recognized honest-to-goodness English religious poems, The Dream of the Rood. There is some controversy ring this poem, as its author and date of creation remain unknown to this day. Some historians believe it was written by the famous poet Caedmon however, there is no certainty that it is his work. In conclusion, the Ruthwell Cross has a detailed and important history behind. Its runic inscriptions and carvings give us insight into what the culture was like in those times. The Ruthwell Cross is an important piece of history and is recognized as such in the Ancient Monuments Protection Act of 1882, under which it is protect ed. GRAPH