Anonymous, Exodus

Jasmine Kilburn (Independent Scholar - Europe)
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The Old English anonymous poem now known as

Exodus

is found in one of the four great Anglo-Saxon poetic codices. The 590-line poem occupies pages 143-171 of Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Junius 11. Junius 11 is sometimes known as the Cædmon manuscript, after the Anglo-Saxon poet Cædmon, who was once thought to have composed the poems; it is also referred to as the Junius manuscript, recalling the seventeenth-century Dutch antiquary, Franciscus Junius. The manuscript also contains the following Old English poems:

Genesis A

and

B

,

Daniel

and

Christ and Satan

, along with numerous well-executed drawings. Junius 11 has been dated to c. 1000, although as is usual with medieval texts, this does not date the poem itself. Dating Old English poetry is usually a difficult and often impossible task,…

815 words

Citation: Kilburn, Jasmine. "Exodus". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 February 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11655, accessed 19 March 2024.]

11655 Exodus 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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