Song of Roland

By the time the epic The Song of Roland appeared in France in the 12th century, the figure of Roland as a legendary 8th-century hero and member of the court of Charlemagne had been well established. Equally, Charlemagne had been positioned in history as a champion of the Roman Church in Europe. Charlemagne's biographer Einhard, a member of the court, developed the king's biography in a way that would legitimate, rationalize--perhaps excuse--the behavior of Charlemagne as a conquering hero. It is Einhard's stated intent to immortalize a king by declaring moral weight and political legitimacy for Charlemagne's actions throughout Europe. Einhard refers to "all the wars that Charlemagne waged" (59). For example, Einhard reports that "everything stolen by the Longobard Kings was restored to Hadrian, the ruler of the Church of Rome" (61). Charlemagne had saved the Church, the most important and stable of medieval institutions; it follows that Charlemagne's mission as king and the Church's mission in the world are identified. As one of the courtiers in The Song of Roland puts it: "King of the Franks, be yours the grace of God; / That God whom all should serve" (SR 6). In his later years, having

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ment books articulate Christianity's transfiguration of religious experience as well. According to Catholic tradition, the author of Luke is also considered the author of Acts of the Apostles, chiefly because of evidence that these books have as their main audience Greek-speaking Gentiles of Asia Minor and Greece: "Many scholars discern in the Lucan gospel and Acts an apologetic strain presumably directed against unfounded criticisms of Christian teaching" (Pierce 1018). More generally, Luke and Acts lend not only a specifically Christian identity to the emerging sect but also a claim for Christianity's universalistic application. At Luke 10.30, for example, the parable of the good Samaritan teaches the doctrine of ethical behavior as a mark not merely of the community of faith but of the human community in whole. In Acts 6.9-15, the Jewish priests resist the Christian claim for universalism, even though the people "were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which [Stephen, one of the deacons] by which he spake." Now in Acts 7, things go badly for Stephen, and he is stoned. But the momentum for teaching and preaching Jesus Christ continues because of the dedication of the teachers, "rejoicing that they were counted
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Approximate Word count = 2818
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)

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