The Role of Religion in Medieval Literature
The Middle Ages, ranging from the years 476 to roughly 1450, were a time of turmoil and political strife throughout Europe. This era is often erroneously referred to as the Dark Ages, as harsh living conditions and pestilence were abundant. Despite this, the literature was beginning to take root, especially with epic poems in Old English such as Beowulf and Cædmon’s Hymn. While more popular art and literature would not hit their stride until the Renaissance in the 15th century, it is vital that the literature of this time is not overlooked.
Due to the low level of literacy in the lower classes, the Church employed mystery plays and later morality plays to promote their teachings. These plays, often performed to the public in town centers during festivals, rather than in larger theaters, dramatized stories from the Bible in a way that spread the teachings. Adding to this, the presence of Christianity or Catholicism in many well-regarded medieval texts, such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, gives the impression that Christianity played a huge part in the material for medieval texts as a whole.
Yet this isn't necessarily the case. Doctor Ricardo Matthews, professor of Medieval Studies at UC Irvine, argues that “It is not always a given that a medieval text will be religious-based.” Doctor Matthews uses Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, a text that served as the focus of his English Major senior-level seminar class, as a perfect example of this. This 14th-century text uses the frame story of a pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral in England. A closer reading of these texts shows that this only serves as a backdrop for the stories. Indeed, the pilgrimage is not the focus of this text, but rather simply the frame story for the various tales told by the individual pilgrims. Many of the tales here are more concerned with social issues such as class, gender (as with the Wife of Bath), and infidelity (many of the stories being Fabliaux, or crude tales of cuckoldry).
In his lectures, Doctor Matthews emphasizes the importance of material, or influential sources, in medieval texts. It is apparent, however, that the author Chaucer chooses material from a variety of places, from folklore, to Greek legends, to even The Decameron, a 1620 collection of short stories by the Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio. Despite being a pilgrimage to a religious location, the fact that many of the tales do not pertain to religion shows the scope and variety of material.
Despite religion not always being a focal point in medieval texts, it is important to examine the role that scripture study plays in this time. The study of these medieval texts owes a lot to methods of biblical hermeneutics. In his lectures, Doctor Matthews further emphasizes the four senses of Scripture, referred to as literal, allegorical, tropological (or moral), and anagogical (or spiritual) interpretations. This is important to note, as several historical events are described in the bible, such as the Exodus, yet the historical details become a matter of debate amongst historians. Other historical figures, such as King Solomon and Jesus Christ, are almost universally accepted by historians, yet their accuracy is also a matter of contention. This parallels texts such as Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia regum Britanniae (The History of the Kings of Britain), a pseudo-historical piece that carries much historical value, but is overall seen as more concerned with legends.
As such, throughout his lectures, Doctor Matthews also emphasizes the concept of exegesis. This term refers to the critical analysis or interpretation of a text, particularly that of the Bible scriptures. While this was originally a term for the objective meaning of a scripture, it soon became a method for interpreting many medieval texts that became known as the Matter of Britain.
This is in stark contrast to the common usage of eisegesis, which refers to the erroneous and highly subjective process of introducing (and sometimes forcing) one’s own beliefs into the interpretation of a text. Essentially, this refers to a sort of confirmation bias that may lead to misinterpretations of a given text, which leads to the insistent belief that, again, Medieval texts must be religious in nature.
That is not to say that religious readings are wrong in themselves. Doctor Matthew illustrates this point by using modern texts as an example: “While a religious lens reading is certainly valid, it is not always a given. Think about today. It is indeed a very political time, and a lot of literature reflects that, yet not all writings today are political per se.” As such, it is important to make a distinction between a text of an author being influenced by their time and place, and a text actually encompassing those beliefs.
Alas, while this analytical method paved the way for medieval readings, it soon lost traction in favor of the historical-grammatical method during the Enlightenment in the 17th century; despite this, the influence of biblical study on early Western literature should not be understated.
Aldo Alcala '25
English Major / Creative Writing Minor
Religious Studies' Intern, Spring 2025
Image: Dr. Ricardo Matthews