The Eyes of the Body and the Veil of Faith

Liturgical allegory, as a genre of medieval writing, is often thought to indicate dramatic or theatrical tendencies in medieval worship practices. This article compares the liturgical allegories of Amalarius of Metz (ninth century) and Honorius Augustodunensis (twelfth century). The comparison shows that medieval ideas about theatre operated very differently in the writings of Amalarius and, three centuries later, Honorius. These differences suggest both different modes of representation in medieval ceremonies and the transformation of ancient theatre from a negative to a positive model for Christian worship.