Uncover the craft behind Wulfstan’s homilies and what they reveal about medieval England.
This careful study examines the style and possible sources of the homilies attributed to Archbishop Wulfstan, weighing manuscript evidence and comparing them with other key texts from the period.
This edition surveys the scholarly debates, explains how scholars distinguish genuine Wulfstan work from later compilations, and traces how his sermons reflect the religious and political climate of his time. It also situates the homilies within a broader context by comparing them to the Laws of Ethelred and Cnut and the Institutes of Polity and Ecclesiastical Institutes.
- How editors judge authorship and authenticity across multiple manuscripts
- Connections between Wulfstan’s language, rhythm, and distinctive expressions
- What the homilies reveal about politics, religion, and daily life in Anglo-Saxon England
- Guided references to related law, policy, and ecclesiastical texts of the era
Ideal for readers of medieval English religion, law, and rhetoric, and for those interested in how critical scholarship handles contested authorship.