The grief of God : images of the suffering Jesus in late medieval England

Between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries images of a wounded and bloody Christ proliferated in England, appearing in sermons, drama, church decorations, and spiritual treatises.

Some scholars see these graphic portrayals of suffering as signs of a new emphasis on Jesus's humanity, while others see renewed emphasis on a terrifying God of vengeance.

Ross, however, argues that these explanations have misunderstood the nature of medieval attitudes toward the suffering Christ.

Analysing a wide range of textual and pictorial evidence, she finds that in their encounters with the wounded Jesus - the Saviour whose blood nurtures, feeds, and heals human persons - medieval believers found the God of mercy and love.