John the Baptist's Prayer or The Descent into Hell from the Exeter Book: Text, Translation and Critical Study(Anglo-Saxon Studies)

Edition, translation and full critical study of a hitherto marginalised text, bringing it to full attention for the first time. The Old English poem known popularly as the Descent into Hell, found on folios 119v to 121v of the Exeter Book, has to date received little critical attention, perhaps owing to various contextual problems and lacunae on theleaves that contain it. This first full-length study offers a full account of the poem, together with an edition of the text and facing translation. It aims to resolve some of the poem's vexing issues and provides a varietyof possible interpretations of the poem. The in-depth literary analysis seeks to enrich modern scholarly perceptions of the poem, suggest a more appropriate title, and contribute to continued scholarly discussion and analysis of the Exeter Book and its compilation. It provides a guide towards understanding the poem's main theme, presents the text in light of its position in ecclesiastical history, and sheds fresh light into its place and significance within the corpus of Old English poetry. M.R. Rambaran-Olm received her PhD from the University of Glasgow.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Paleography, Codicology and Language The descensus motif Literary Analysis Selected Comparative Studies and Analogous Literature Afterword Apparatus: Text and Translation Commentary Appendix 1: The Doctrine of the descensus according to Post-Apostolic and Medieval Commentators from the First Century to the end of the Eleventh Century AD Appendix 2: Scriptural References Appendix 3: Other Sources and Analogues Appendix 4: Transcription and Images of folio 120r Glossary Bibliography

About the Author :
University of Glasgow, Assisting with the 'Cullen Project' in the School of Critical Studies.

Review :
To be praised for shedding new light on a needlessly maligned minor poem. M. R. Rambaran-Olm provides a stimulating study of a single, shorter Old English poem (totaling 137 lines) from the Exeter Book that has been variously known as the Harrowing of Hell, Descent into Hell, and now John the Baptist's Prayer. . . . This translation captures the tour de force of the dramatic Old English, pulling key elements from the past of the poem forward into a modern rendering that rings with the author's imagery. This is an intelligent and interesting discussion and presentation of this poem. . . . [T]he appearance of a very useful edition of an interesting Old English poem should be celebrated. John the Baptist's Prayer . . . gives insight into the workings of time in the poem, interpretation of individual passages, and the connections to the Easter Vigil. The book, and particularly the edition, should be consulted by anyone working on the poem.