The first three Junius poems are in their biblical order and, while Christ and Satan could be understood as partially fitting Bede's description of Cædmon's work on future judgment, pains of hell and joys of the heavenly kingdom,Gollancz 1927, p. xlvi the match is not exact enough to preclude independent composition. As Fritz and Day have shown, Bede's list itself may owe less to direct knowledge of Cædmon's actual output than to traditional ideas about the subjects fit for Christian poetryFritz 1969, p. 336 or the order of the catechism.Day 1975, pp. 54–55 Similar influences may, of course, also have affected the makeup of the Junius volume.See Day 1975, p. 55, for a discussion of Christ and Satan.
The first three Junius poems are in their biblical order and, while Christ and Satan could be understood as partially fitting Bede's description of Cædmon's work on future judgment, pains of hell and joys of the heavenly kingdom,Gollancz 1927, p. xlvi the match is not exact enough to preclude independent composition. As Fritz and Day have shown, Bede's list itself may owe less to direct knowledge of Cædmon's actual output than to traditional ideas about the subjects fit for Christian poetryFritz 1969, p. 336 or the order of the catechism.Day 1975, pp. 54–55 Similar influences may, of course, also have affected the makeup of the Junius volume.See Day 1975, p. 55, for a discussion of Christ and Satan.