The Christ Child in Medieval Culture: Alpha es et O!

Co-Editor: Mary Dzon
Editor info: Associate Professor of English
Publication Date: May 2012
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Synopsis: The cult of the Christ Child flourished in late medieval Europe across lay and religious, as well as geographic and cultural boundaries. Depictions of Christ’s boyhood are found throughout popular culture, visual art, and literature. This book is the first interdisciplinary investigation of how representations of the Christ Child were conceptualized and employed in this period. The contributors to this unique volume analyze depictions of the Christ Child through a variety of frameworks, including the interplay of mortality and divinity, the medieval conceit of a suffering Christ Child, and the interrelationships between Christ and other figures, including saints and ordinary children. It synthesizes various approaches to interpreting the cultural meaning of medieval religious imagery and illuminates the significance of its most central figure.