Rhabanus Maurus' De sancta cruce

The University Libraries Special Collections hosts the Early Book Lectures Series VII, an annual exploration by UA scholars of the treasure trove of medieval texts held by the UA Libraries. This lecture is based on the work of Rabanus Maurus Magnentius (c. 780 - 4 February 856), a Frankish Benedictine monk, the archbishop of Mainz in Germany and a theologian. Classics Professor Cynthia White will look at his Liber de laudibus sanctae crucis which contains a set of highly sophisticated poems that present the cross (and, in the last poem, Rabanus himself kneeling before it) in word and image, even in numbers. A fine art facsimile of the work is to be displayed at the lecture.