TY - JOUR
T1 - Holding ‘surprise wide open’
T2 - Meeting the paralysed man lowered through the roof in the poetry of Seamus Heaney
AU - Jack, Alison
PY - 2020/6
Y1 - 2020/6
N2 - Seamus Heaney refers to the Gospel story of the healing of the paralysed man lowered through the roof directly in ‘The Skylight’, ‘Miracle’ and ‘The Latecomers’. It is argued that each of these poems reflects aspects of the Lukan, Markan and Matthean version of the story respectively. Furthermore, these poems transform the story into a metaphor for theological reflection: in ‘The Latecomers’, on the nature of Christ; in ‘Miracle’, on humanity; in ‘The Skylight’, on poetic inspiration. The open roof, what is left behind after the miracle has happened, offers a profound perspective on the meaning of life and what lies beyond.
AB - Seamus Heaney refers to the Gospel story of the healing of the paralysed man lowered through the roof directly in ‘The Skylight’, ‘Miracle’ and ‘The Latecomers’. It is argued that each of these poems reflects aspects of the Lukan, Markan and Matthean version of the story respectively. Furthermore, these poems transform the story into a metaphor for theological reflection: in ‘The Latecomers’, on the nature of Christ; in ‘Miracle’, on humanity; in ‘The Skylight’, on poetic inspiration. The open roof, what is left behind after the miracle has happened, offers a profound perspective on the meaning of life and what lies beyond.
KW - Seamus Heaney
KW - Jesus
KW - Gospels
KW - healing miracles
UR - https://journals.sagepub.com/home/cal
M3 - Article
VL - 69
JO - Christianity and Literature
JF - Christianity and Literature
SN - 0148-3331
IS - 2
ER -