Christ III

Christ III is an anonymous Old English religious poem which forms the last part of Christ, a poetic triad found at the beginning of the Exeter Book. Christ III is found on fols. 20b–32a and constitutes lines 867–1664 of Christ in Krapp and Dobbie's Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records edition. The poem is concerned with the Second Coming of Christ (parousia) and the Last Judgment.

Christ III
Also known as	Christ C
Author(s)	Anonymous
Language	Old English
Series	Old English Christ triad, along with Christ I and Christ II, constituting lines 867–1664
Manuscript(s)	Exeter Book, fos. 20b–32a
Genre	Religious poem
Subject	Last Judgment

Sample

This passage, about fire engulfing the world at Judgement Day, gives a modern English translation of Christ III, lines 993–1013 (in the line-numbering of the Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records):

Seoþeð swearta leg     synne on fordonum,
ond goldfrætwe     gleda forswelgað,
eall ærgestreon     eþelcyninga.
Ðær bið cirm ond cearu,     ond cwicra gewin,
gehreow ond hlud wop     bi heofonwoman,
earmlic ælda gedreag.     Þonan ænig ne mæg,
firendædum fah,     frið gewinnan,
legbryne losian     londes ower,
ac þæt fyr nimeð     þurh foldan gehwæt,
græfeð grimlice,     georne aseceð
innan ond utan     eorðan sceatas,
oþþæt eall hafað     ældes leoma
woruldwidles wom     wælme forbærned.
Ðonne mihtig god     on þone mæran beorg
mid þy mæstan     mægenþrymme cymeð,
heofonengla cyning,     halig scineð,
wuldorlic ofer weredum,     waldende god,
ond hine ymbutan     æþelduguð betast,
halge herefeðan,     hlutre blicað,
eadig engla gedryht.     Ingeþoncum
forhte beofiað     fore fæder egsan.

The black flame will seethe     sins among the corrupted,
And hot coals will devour     gold ornaments,
All ancient wealth     of worldly kings.
There will be uproar and grief,     strife of the living,
Lamenting and wailing     at the sound of heav’n:
Men’s wretched din.     Thenceforth anyone
Stained by their sins     cannot win peace,
Nor escape the firestorm     across the land,
And that fire takes     all throughout earth’s folds,
Cruelly carves out,     eagerly seeks out,
Inside and outside     earth’s projections,
Until the tongue of flame     has swallowed all
Sounds of world-blight     in its torrent.
Then mighty God     upon that famed mountain
By means of that most     great power will come,
Heav’n-angels’ king     will shine holy,
Glorious beyond men,     powerful God,
And about Him     the noblest host,
A holy troop,     will shine brightly,
A true angel-host.     In their inner thoughts
They quake fearfully     before the dread Father.

Other Old English eschatological poems

• Blickling Homily nos. 7 and 10
• Judgement Day I
• Judgement Day II

Editions and translations

• Krapp, George Philip, and Dobbie, E. V. K. (eds.) (1936) The Exeter Book. (The Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records; 3.) New York: Columbia U. P.
• Bradley, S. A. J. (tr.) (1982) Anglo-Saxon Poetry: an anthology of Old English poems in prose translation. London: Dent

External links

• Apocalyptic Ideas in Old English Literature
• The Old English poems, Christ I-III
• A Modern English translation (PDF), by Charles W. Kennedy. From "In Parentheses".