I just finished Perceval, the Story of the Grail, after a few days and watched Pageau's Universal History video on it.

Generally, I agree with the assessment and interpretation given by Richard Rohlin. But, I would like to expand a bit on his views.

General assessment of the text is that it's unfinished. There have been four known continuations of the story written. Rohlin, however, suggests that the story is actually completed. This at least when referring to the protagonist's arc seems plausible to me. Especially if one takes his liturgical reading of Perceval's journey.

Anyone who reads the poem will see that Perceval starts off as a sort of peasant boy living in the woods with his mother. He appears dimwitted to the point that he mistakes a Knight for being God due to the ornaments on his armour.

However, as the story progresses, Perceval moves from being a simple peasant boy to a knight appointed by King Arthur. He gets his own armour, weapon, and steed and is instructed by Gornemant on combat techniques and etiquette. He gains his own castle and city and eventually encounters the Holy Grail in the castle of the Fisher King.

In short, Perceval's liturgical journey is one where he ascends in power before reaching the highest power, that is God.

Rohlin emphasises the liturgical, Baptismal and Edenic symbolisms that occur. Here, I would like to elaborate on the soteriological frame of Perceval's journey.

During Perceval's encounter with the Grail, he witnessed it and the lance that pierced Jesus being processed past him. He wanted to ask questions about what these items are and for whom they serve, but he remembered the advice Gornemant gave him earlier in the story. Don't ask questions as it will make you look stupid.

But by not asking, he wasn't able to heal the Fisher King and caused ruin to his fief.

The grief over this was so great that it made Perceval forget about God and for him to wander around for five years. Only on Good Friday when he was admonished that he realizes his mistake, went to a Hermit for Penance, celebrates Easter, and finally receives the Eucharist.

The Holy Grail itself has a clear Eucharistic element, as one of the objects that was processed was a plate of sorts big enough to hold fish, but inside, we are told is a wafer that can sustain the Fisher King miraculously.

The processional context is also noted to be similar to the rite of the Great Entrance during the Byzantine Liturgy. These plus the clear Last Supper and crucifixion allusions of the Grail and bloody lance add to the Eucharistic frame of Perceval's first encounter with the Grail.

Unfortunately, because of his ignorance, something which is actually shown frequently by how he doesn't perfectly follow his mother's and Gornemant's advices, he could not reach the truth and bring healing to the land. He ends up descending ontologically back to his original state in the forest.

However, when Perceval encounters the Hermit(who is related to the Fisher King) on Good Friday, we are told that because of his mother's prayers, Perceval was able to survive.

Soteriologically, one may infer here the necessity of God's Grace in order to ascend to the highest power that is, God Himself.

Secondly, to come to God, one needs as shown by the Penance that Perceval had to undergo before he could finally receive the Eucharist, humility.

It's only through Penance that Perceval could finally understand the true meaning of his mother's and Gornemant's advice to him and by understanding, he's able to finally partake of the reality within the Holy Grail and wafer, that is the Eucharist.

Lastly, the Good Friday and Easter setting of Penance and Perceval's ultimate reception of the Eucharist shows an overarching frame of the necessity of Christ's sacrifice in order for one to ascend to God.

In short, one could say that Perceval's tale is ultimately a tale of the necessity of Christ's Sacrifice, Divine mercy and Grace in order to achieve the highest Good, which is union with God as substantiated in the Eucharist.

He became the "sin" that I caused, in terms of the passibility, corruptibility, and mortality, and he submitted voluntarily to the condemnation owed me in my nature, even though he himself was blameless in his freedom of choice, in order to condemn both my deliberate "sin" and the "sin" that befell my nature. Accordingly he has driven sin, passion, corruption, and death from human nature, and the economy of Christ's philanthropy on my behalf has become for me, one fallen through disobedience, a new mystery. For the sake of my salvation, Christ, through his own death, voluntarily made my condemnation his own, thereby granting me restoration to immortality. - Maximus the Confessor, Ad Thalassium 42

#patristics #soteriology #atonement

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