End of Time in the Middle Ages

Abstract

The first publication of an English translation of The Vineyard of Our Saviour, a 15th-century French/Latin sermon on the end of time comes at an auspicious time. The anonymous author of The Vineyard speaks of events at the end of the world, which ravage our world today-- raging forest fires, earthquakes, floods, draughts, and wars. The Vineyard also describes the appearance of the Antichrist, the Last Judgment, the tortures of hell and the joys of paradise. The drama of the text is heightened by over 70 illuminations that make this medieval manuscript one of the most treasured in the Bodleian Library. These images may be viewed while reading the translation thanks to the generosity of the Bodleian. The anonymous artists of these illuminations present unforgettable images of maniacal devils inflicting horrendous tortures on the damned, as well as scenes of saints and angels singing and playing musical instruments in the heavenly courts of Christ and the Blessed Virgin. The illuminations also link The Vineyard to the Carthusians and to the music and musical instruments in the courts and chapels of the dukes of Burgundy. Place of honor is given to two Carthusian monks kneeling at the feet of Christ in paradise. The monks are in all likelihood modeled from those in the Carthusian monasteries that flourished during the writing of this manuscript: the Chartreuse de Champmol, located on the outskirts of Dijon and built by the first Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Bold; and the Grande Chartreuse situated in the mountains above the city of Grenoble. The musical instruments in the courts of heaven are those of the royal courts and chapels of the Dukes of Burgundy. The illuminations reveal many details that define the God-centered milieu that inspired religious devotion and the finest sacred music of the 15th-century.