ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes the development and extent of the cult in England, reviewing for the first time objects marked with the sacred trigram, the earliest of which dates from the late 13th century. It examines the material evidence for the fate in the century after the Reformation of what was ostensibly a cult acceptable to Protestants. The idea of the ‘Holy Name’, that is reverence to, and acknowledgement of the inherent power in, the actual name Jesus, has its origins in the New Testament and formed part of Christian tradition from the earliest times. The cult of the Holy Name appears to have gained widespread popularity in England from the mid 14th century. The chronology and extent of the Jesus devotion is also documented by over 500 objects marked with invocations of the Holy Name. The most extensive categories of church fixtures marked with Jesus invocations are lead-glazed tiles and memorials.
