Mappa Mundi, Hereford

It was my privilege last month to call at Hereford Cathedral whereat one of the Mappae Mundi is preserved. This large map of the world is made of calf’s skin and seems a little naïve and primitive, persuading better educated moderns to roll their eyes or offer sympathy for such geographically-ignorant folk who barely travelled. Yet this was not a map from which one would navigate the high seas or embark upon a trading venture, but a theological statement or a schematic depiction of the world as seen through medieval eyes. Theories of antisemitism, wars with the French and individual bishops' personal ambitions or memorials have all been cited as reasons for production. Yet at the very heart of this world is Jerusalem, and by it, Jesus Christ, Son of God. Whereas the map might struggle to offer you clear direction if you sought its aid planning a road trip between England and Persia, its accuracy increases if one is seeking the meaning of life.

In the twenty-first century, people can pinpoint obscure nations and lands on a world map, but are clueless or oblivious about Him who is the way to paradise. In that regard, the Map of Hereford may offer better counsel than anything in a modern atlas. Truly, the way to God is misdirected, obscured, masked and counterfeited; knowing Jesus as that Way is the most important direction we shall ever receive.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6