The Grief of God: Images of the Suffering Jesus in Late Medieval England

Review
"This study is balanced and sensitive as well as theologically sound and historically convincing."--Choice
"Ross's interdisciplinary approach and firm attention to her theme of the Passion as expression of divine love and mercy provide both a deep texture and continually reinforced focus that serves her purpose well..."--Church History
"This is a deeply serious, lucid study not merely of late medieval piety and culture, but of the more general problem regarding the affirming impact of sacred violence and pain in Christianity."--Theological Studies
Product Description
Between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries images of a wounded and bloody Christ proliferated in England, appearing in sermons, drama, church decorations, and spiritual treatises. Some scholars see these graphic portrayals of suffering as signs of a new emphasis on Jesus's humanity, while others see renewed emphasis on a terrifying God of vengeance. Ross, however, argues that these explanations have misunderstood the nature of medieval attitudes toward the suffering Christ. Analysing a wide range of textual and pictorial evidence, she finds that in their encounters with the wounded Jesus - the Saviour whose blood nurtures, feeds, and heals human persons - medieval believers found the God of mercy and love.