| Although there exists a vast body of work on St. Michael the Archangel, there has never been a detailed analysis of the cult of the Archangel in Anglo-Saxon England. The dissertation explores the origins of the legends of St. Michael in the literature of the biblical era, studies the development of the legends and cult of the Archangel, and examines the ways in which the legends were conditioned to accommodate the Anglo-Saxon world in which they functioned.;Such a study must begin with a historical survey of the biblical and extra-biblical texts which account for the development of the cult of St. Michael. This survey identifies the literary origins of the concerns, conflicts, and roles with which Michael is associated from scriptural and apocryphal literature through the literature of the Anglo-Saxon era. A review of the legends and hagiographic foundation-myths of cultic sites follows, since it was these texts which helped establish the cult in Anglo-Saxon England. This review charts the migration of the cult from its origins in the ancient Near East to its development in Ireland, whence it spread to Anglo-Saxon England. In discussing the cult of the Archangel in Anglo-Saxon England, the dissertation focuses on the representations of St. Michael in liturgy, literature, and iconography. An examination of liturgical and paraliturgical evidence suggests the hypothesis that devotion to the Archangel was localized primarily in the Celtic areas of Britain. An examination of the evidence of homiletic and hagiographic literature, and entries in martyrologies argues that Anglo-Saxon devotions to St. Michael in Old English literature reflect the syncretic union of the two forces which forged the Anglo-Saxon church. The discussion of Anglo-Saxon iconographic representations of St. Michael argues that in general Anglo-Saxon representations of St. Michael derive from apocryphal sources.;The Appendix is comprised of a critical edition of the previously unedited Cotton-Corpus Michael text (based on Salisbury, Cathedral Library MS 222). Although it is not the ultimate source of the earlier Old English versions of the apparitio text (Blickling Homily 16 and AElfric's homily for Michaelmas), the Cotton-Corpus text not only reflects the extent of Michael's position as a universal saint in the Anglo-Saxon church, but also testifies to his popularity as a heroic martial figure and powerful intercessor. |
