Literary notes about Intercession (AI summary)
The term “intercession” in literature has often been used to denote the act of mediating or interposing on behalf of another, whether in spiritual, personal, or political contexts. In religious texts and spiritual autobiographies, it frequently characterizes the invocation of divine figures or saints to secure aid or mercy, as seen when believers question the efficacy of holy intercession or seek it in fervent prayer ([1], [2], [3], [4]). In contrast, classic and allegorical narratives employ intercession as a vehicle for human mediation, where influential figures step in to alter fates or rescue individuals from dire consequences ([5], [6], [7], [8]). Further, its usage extends into metaphorical realms, suggesting broader themes of advocacy and intervention in both the heavenly and the mundane, thereby enriching the narrative landscape with multiple layers of meaning ([9], [10], [11]).
- "But have the saints," said they, "no intercession, and is it vain to worship them, and pray to them?"
— from Fox's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe - One evening I paid a visit to Lahiri Mahasaya and pleaded for his divine intercession.
— from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda - But when Christiana had got admittance for herself and her boys, then she began to make intercession for Mercy.
— from The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan Every Child Can Read by John Bunyan - Those present exhorted him to acknowledge the intercession of the saints, and to repair to them for help in this hour of trial.
— from Fox's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe - For the Law that commandeth Peace, as the End, commandeth Intercession, as the Means; and to Intercession the Means is safe Conduct.
— from Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes - He was found guilty, but narrowly escaped the death penalty by the intercession of the countess of Hertford.
— from All About Coffee by William H. Ukers - He briefly related his attempt to win Lucetta's intercession.
— from The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy - The intercession of Karamzine and Joukovski procured a commutation of his sentence.
— from Eugene Oneguine [Onegin] by Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin - The eloquence of friendship prevails more than the intercession of the ambassadors or the gifts of the general.
— from The Iliad by Homer - That the deceitful demons, while promising to conduct men to God by their intercession, mean to turn them from the path of truth.
— from The City of God, Volume I by Bishop of Hippo Saint Augustine - Intercession.
— from The Dawn of Day by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche