The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church
Aelfric, Abbot of Eynsham, 955？-1020？Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019
Rating 4.2- Word count
- 1.2M words
- Chapters
- 121
Tags
English Originals Religion SermonsSpiritual PracticeMedieval ChurchTraditional AestheticsCultural ChangeAnglo-SaxonSummary
Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church by Abbot of Eynsham AelfricAuthor: Aelfric, Abbot of Eynsham, 955?-1020?,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Dec 18, 2011Editor's review
The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church collects the Old English sermon corpus of Ælfric, Abbot of Eynsham, and is an important text for understanding religious education, homiletic style, and theological thought in Anglo-Saxon England. Its value lies in showing how a medieval monastic addressed ordinary believers in explaining doctrine, saints' lives, and the church calendar, in a language that is solemn and instructional, with a structure marked by scriptural citation and moral exhortation. For modern readers this is not light reading but a historical document requiring patience: it offers both a view of Old English prose rhetoric and a sense of how the church of the time organized knowledge of the faith. Suitable as supplementary material for the history of English literature, religious history, and medieval studies, it is best read selectively rather than straight through, and to greater effect alongside an introduction and notes.Who it's for
A good fit for
- Scholars and students of Old English literature and Anglo-Saxon texts
- Readers interested in medieval Christian preaching traditions and the transmission of doctrine
- Researchers in literary and religious history needing primary sources in English religious history
- Advanced readers willing to read classical religious prose slowly with the aid of notes
Not a good fit for
- General readers seeking light, popular religious reading
- Readers without Old English or medieval background knowledge who are unwilling to look things up
- Readers expecting a continuous plot or a modern narrative pace
Reading tips
- Begin with the translator's preface or introduction to learn about Ælfric's identity, purpose, and the textual transmission.
- Read individual homilies selected by church calendar or theme rather than straight through from the first page.
- Consulting biblical quotations and hagiographical background while reading greatly reduces difficulty.
- Keep a notebook of recurring exhortatory themes and rhetorical formulas for comparing the homilies.
About the publisher
Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.
Contents
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FAQ
Is this book in Old English or modern English translation?
This is an English electronic text provided by Project Gutenberg; the exact presentation depends on the actual content of the edition. It contains Ælfric's homilies written in Old English, and modern readers will usually need a translation or notes to read them.Can I read it without a background in religious history?
Yes, but it will be difficult. The homilies involve doctrine, saints, and the liturgical calendar, and a lack of background will cause frequent obstacles. It is advisable first to acquire some basic knowledge of medieval Christianity and to read individual homilies with the introduction and notes.Is it suitable as course material for a history of English literature?
It is suitable as supplementary material. It gives readers direct contact with the rhetoric and didactic style of Old English prose, but it usually requires teacher guidance and notes and should not be used as the sole introductory text.This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.
About the author
Aelfric, Abbot of Eynsham, 955？-1020？ Author · EnglishAelfric, Abbot of Eynsham (c. 955–c. 1020), was an English Benedictine monk who later served as abbot of Eynsham Abbey. Public information about his early life and education is limited, but his historical standing rests chiefly on his Old English homilies and grammatical works. His representative work, The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church, was written in Old English and expounded doctrine and morality to clergy and lay believers in clear, well-ordered prose, making it an important model of Old English prose. Ælfrics Grammatik und Glossar served Latin teaching and reflects his care for language education. Two of his works are held in the collection. His writing combined religious instruction with language teaching and has influenced later Old English literary and educational traditions.