“Anglo-Saxon poets ignored what one might consider to be the most attractive parts of the gospels […] and chose instead to write about the great events of salvation history: the incarnation, the crucifixion, the harrowing of hell, the ascension and the last judgement” (1).
“in treating these subjects they did not draw primarily on the gospel texts: their main sources were the liturgy, apocryphal writings such as the Gospel of Nicodemus, Latin homilies and the traditions of the church” (1).
“The Old Testament, then, was concerned with change; it constantly pressed forward towards the coming of Christ. The New Testament cut across this forward movement by showing the conjunction of history with eternity” (1).
“The gospels, then, were not primarily the story of a human life; instead, they brought man face to face with eternity in the shape of God incarnate” (1).