George Herbert and R. S. Thomas reveal similar understandings of the cross as a Christian emblem. Both observe its ubiquity in nature and acknowledge their reliance on the cross as a source of comfort. They observe its presence in human suffering, both in disease and in the discipline required of musicians, for example. In that respect it becomes a consoling trope, a reminder that God has shared in the suffering of His creatures. More ominously, they explore humanity’s rejection of the crucifixion and its teaching, which traps us in a cycle of returning to the cross as an instrument of oppression and torture.
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