The Old English Catholic Homilies: The First Series (Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library) - Hardcover

Aelfric

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0674297687 ISBN 13: 9780674297685

Publisher: Harvard University Press, 2024

Synopsis

A contemporary edition and translation of one of the great monuments of Old English literary and religious culture.

The homilies of the monk Ælfric, written in the last decade of the tenth century, offer some of the most important prose writing in Old English. They convey mainstream Christian thought, a distillation of the spiritual inheritance of the English Church before the Norman Conquest and during a time of monastic reform. The homilies cover a broad range of topics, from biblical exegesis to saints’ lives to general Christian history, with a strong focus on the gospel reading at Mass, explained in language that laypeople could understand. Ælfric is famous for his lucid prose, which he later developed into a rhythmical and alliterative style that has often been likened to verse.

In his first series of Catholic Homilies, Ælfric drew on the works of Church Fathers such as Augustine, Gregory, and Bede to create forty sermons for use throughout the church year. This is the first complete translation of the Catholic Homilies since 1844, presented alongside the newly edited Old English text.

About this title

About the Author

Roy M. Liuzza is Professor of English at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674297687
• ISBN 13: 9780674297685
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 912