Online Medieval Sources Bibliography

An Annotated Bibliography of Printed and Online Primary Sources for the Middle Ages

Source Details

Clemoes, Peter, ed.; Godden, Malcolm, ed., Aelfric’s Catholic Homilies (Oxford: Oxford UP (EETS First Series Text no. 17),1997).

358

  • Aelfric

990 - 1020

  • English - Anglo-Saxon / Old English

  • Original language included

  • England

Eynsham; Oxfordshire; Abingdon

  • Sermons

  • Clergy - Monks, Nuns, Friars
  • Monasticism
  • Philosophy / Theology
  • Piety
  • Saints

  • Index
  • Introduction

Aelfric of Eynsham (c. 955-c.1010) was a prolific writer of homilies and hagiographies and was abbot of Abigdon abbey. The Anglo-Saxon text of his homilies is contained in this volume, which presents them in three volumes: the first and second contain the texts of Aelfric’s homilies, and the third includes commentary on the text.

The editors’ lengthy (173 pp) introduction provides a thorough discussion of the manuscripts in which the text of the homilies survives, considering each manuscript in detail. The editor also notes the six phases in which Aelfric worked on his homilies, three of revision, and three of supplementation and reorganization, presenting the manuscript evidence for each phase. He also includes stemma to explain his conclusions about the relationships between manuscripts.

MCB