ABSTRACT
The Cathach initial and the main panel of the Ruthwell Cross form part of a developing tradition with respect to the visual iconography connected with Psalm 90.13. The variant appellations for Christ in the border panel of the Ruthwell Cross confirm the divinity of Christ who is also “Savior” and “Judge,” the latter placing the Temptation in the desert within an eschatological framework. The Ruthwell Cross proclaims the dual nature of Christ, the panel showing the anointing of his feet pertaining especially to his human nature. The history of the Ruthwell Cross is in many ways a fascinating study of the fall of idols: it was broken down and smashed into pieces in 1642 following an act by the General Assembly at Aberdeen against “idolatrous monuments.” The Ruthwell Cross gives evidence of a developing intimacy between vernacular texts and visual manifestation, both accessible to an English audience gaining confidence in their own national identity and its expressions.
