Exaltation of the Cross

The origin development and spread of the feast of the <strong>Exaltation of the Cross</strong>is traced on the basis of liturgical sources and through a careful... » 

The origin development and spread of the feast of the Exaltation of the Crossis traced on the basis of liturgical sources and through a careful examinationof the liturgical textual material the meaning of the feast is analysed withrespect to its content. Among the important points receiving attention in thisanalysis are the place function and significance of the Cross relic and thetheology of the Cross or the process whereby the understanding of the Crosswas shaped as that was invested in the feast. The research is based on sourcesof Western liturgy from the early Middle Ages and therefore has bearing on theperiod in the West in which a multiform liturgy celebrated according tovarious indigenous local and regional traditions gradually made way for oneuniform Latin liturgy patterned on Roman models. The feat of the Exaltation ofthe Cross spread through the West from Rome within this context ofstandardisation and Romanization. This raises questions about the uniformityand the Roman content of the feast. This study especially examines to whatdegree indigenous interpretations of the Cross which were part of the legacyof the Hispanic and Gallican traditions in particular continued to bepreserved through the liturgical books of the early Middle Ages. «