oa “Of all the knottes that I se / I prese the knot in Trinite”: Trinitarian Iconography in the Middle English Lyric, An aungell fro heuen gan lyth

The fifteenth-century carol An aungell fro heuen gan lyth is remarkable for the way in which it explores the Economy of Salvation and the triune power of the Godhead through the iconographic motif of the Trinitarian knot. This motif, derived from the “threefold cord” which “is not easily broken” (Eccles. 4.12), was developed by Petrus Alfonsi, Joachim of Fiore, and Dante in a Trinitarian context. An aungell fro heuen gan lyth is not only informed by this complex strand of Trinitarian iconology, but is also notable for its sophisticated handling of the motif. The Trinitarian knot is central to the carol’s burden, but also recurs throughout the five stanzas, where it serves as a meditative device which celebrates the five great mysteries of faith enshrined in the Apostles’ Creed. These mysteries, described in turn through the narrative progression of the carol, are encapsulated in successive variations on the Trinitarian knot.