ABSTRACT
Elene dramatizes the function of the Church Militant—to lead men to eternal life—through her relationship with the Jews and Judas. In her missionary role, Elene preaches the Gospel to the Jews and Judas, who, after considerable struggle, come to accept the Christian message by acknowledging the meaning of the cross. In the terminology of the early apologetic, Elene brings the Kerygma—the public announcement to the non-Christian world of the salvific events—to the Jews, and the Didache—the moral instruction which implements the preachings—to Judas. The concept of wisdom plays an important part in Elene and can be fully understood only in terms of Cynewulf’s vision of the unity of the two testaments. Preparation for baptism in the early Church was a spiritually demanding process which aimed at much more than a nominal knowledge of the spiritual life. Cynewulf is a medieval—hence Christian—poet whose ultimate aim is to communicate Christian revelation.
