Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Tables
- Dedication
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Genesis and Migration of the Legends
- Part II The Archangel in Medieval English Legend
- 3 Vernacular Versions of the Hagiographic Foundation-Myth
- 4 The Archangel as Guardian and Psychopomp
- 5 The Archangel and Judgment
- Conclusion
- Appendices
- Bibliography
- Index
5 - The Archangel and Judgment
from Part II - The Archangel in Medieval English Legend
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 September 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Tables
- Dedication
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Genesis and Migration of the Legends
- Part II The Archangel in Medieval English Legend
- 3 Vernacular Versions of the Hagiographic Foundation-Myth
- 4 The Archangel as Guardian and Psychopomp
- 5 The Archangel and Judgment
- Conclusion
- Appendices
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Then schull ye all knel adowne, and pray to Seynt Michaell þat he apere to you, when ye schull passé out of þys world, and defende you from your enmyse, and bring you to þe ioye of paradise. Amen
“De Festo Sancti Michaelis,” Mirk's FestialAs the epigraph from Mirk's Festial suggests, all of St. Michael's roles (intercessor, psychopomp, defender of the faithful) are drawn into sharp focus at two moments of human vulnerability, at death and at the Final Judgment. As Chapter One indicated, St. Michael's efficacy in the present is eclipsed by that of the risen Christ, except at the moment of each human's death. At that time, the archangel battles against devils for the custody of the soul of each person and supervises the individual post-mortem judgment of the soul. St. Michael's efficacy, however, will be restored to its full glory at the end of Time, at the Final Judgment, as suggested by Revelation 12:7-9. After he defeats Satan in the final battle, St. Michael, along with Gabriel in some texts, will sound his trumpet to summon the dead to Judgment.
A compelling feature of St. Michael's role at both the post-mortem and Final Judgments is his supervision of the weighing of the souls, or psychostasis. St. Michael's decisive role in the psychostasis is surprising as there is no scriptural warrant for his exercise of such an office.
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- Information
- Saint Michael the Archangel in Medieval English Legend , pp. 87 - 104Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2005