| Christ II | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Ascension or Christ B |
| Author(s) | Cynewulf |
| Language | Old English |
| Series | Old English Christ triad, along with Christ I and Christ III, constituting lines 440–866 |
| Manuscript(s) | Exeter Book, fos. 14a-20b |
| Genre | Religious poem |
| Subject | The Ascension of Jesus |
Christ II, also called The Ascension, is one of Cynewulf's four signed poems that exist in the Old English vernacular. It is a five-section piece that spans lines 440–866 of the Christ triad in the Exeter Book (folios 14a-20b), and is homiletic in its subject matter in contrast to the martyrological nature of Juliana, Elene, and Fates of the Apostles. Christ II draws upon a number of ecclesiastical sources, but it is primarily framed upon Gregory the Great’s Homily XXIX on Ascension Day.
The poem is assigned to a triad of Old English religious poems in the Exeter Book, known collectively as Christ. Christ comprises a total of 1664 lines and deals with Christ's Advent, Ascension and Last Judgment. It was originally thought to be one piece completed by a single author, but the poem is now broken up into three parts.