| Description |
With many artistic representations of the Marian legend of Theophilus, both visual and literary, suggesting a certain universal accessibility of salvation within the Catholic Church, it is easy to understand that the typical fulcrum of the legend-the force around which both the narrative and its religious implications are centered-is the intervention of the Virgin Mary in the salvation of the former clerk who, by making a pact with the devil, has renounced his faith to return himself to power. Indeed, nearly every image sequence representing the legend in manuscript illuminations of the Middle Ages, and even those versions of the legend comprised of a single image, leave little room to argue that Theophilus may have achieved salvation without the intervention of the Virgin on his behalf. It is my contention, however, that while the role of the Virgin may prove instrumental in our clerk's salvation, it is ultimately Theophilus' use of the physical objects within the legend which serves as the real catalyst for his deliverance from his fallen state and his pact with the devil. That is to say, it is the material reality of Theophilus' path toward redemption which defines the legend and which universalizes his practices of faith, self-denial, and repentance as adequate means of earning salvation. By taking as the subject of this discussion two key representations of the legend of Theophilus, I will attempt to analyze the degree to which material reality not only impacts but even facilitates the fallen clerk's salvation while simultaneously expanding the accessibility of the narrative to a largely illiterate medieval audience. I later conclude the essay by relating the effects of that reality to the contemporary experience of texts and images in an increasingly digitalized world. |
