The Pathos of the Cross

Abstract

Abstract This volume is the third in a series dealing with the Passion and cross of Christ in theology and the arts. Like the previous studies, it considers the theologies of the cross in two major “mediations”: the theoretical/conceptual and the aesthetic/imaginative. The focus of this volume is the Baroque period: from about 1600 to 1750. The material is divided into three parts. The first two consider the survival and renewal of the classical theology of the cross and redemption in Roman Catholicism and Protestant orthodoxy. Each chapter considers in turn the mediation of the theology of the cross in theory, in the graphic arts, and in music. The last section deals with the emerging new paradigm of theology, in which the classical schema of redemption—and hence the meaning of Christ’s cross—is radically challenged. A first appendix presents a “virtual museum”: a listing of major Baroque artworks dealing with the cross and Passion, included the present location of the works and addresses for viewing them online. The second appendix is a discography of passion music of the Baroque period, including the major works discussed in the text, as well as many more that will aid the reader in appreciating the historical context discussed in the volume.