Butcher, Carmen Acevedo, trans., God of Mercy: Aelfric's Sermons and Theology (Mercer University Press. Macon, Georgia., 2006).

Text name(s): Sermons of Aelfric

Number of pages of primary source text: 118

Medieval Author(s): Aelfric

Dates: 955 - 1020

Archival Reference: BL, MS Cotton Vitellius C.v. Western Manuscripts Room.

Original Language(s): English - Anglo-Saxon / Old English; Latin;

Translation: English translation.

Translation Comments: Translated from: John C. Pope, ed. Homilies of Aelfric: A Supplementary Collection. Two Volumes. London: Oxford University Press, 1967, 1968.

Geopolitical Region(s): England;

County/Region:

Apparatus: Bibliography Introduction

Comments:

Alefric, 955-1020?, was the head of an English Benedictine monastery and well-known throughout the Middle Ages for his sermons or homilies. Butcher has translated 17 of Aelfric’s sermons and prefaces each sermon with its historical context, medieval themes, numerology, typology, and stylistic matters.

Introduction Summary:

Butcher’s introduction (1-26) provides a biography of Aelfric; his writings; the audience for his homilies or sermons; his other works, both religious and secular; the influence of the Rules of St. Benedict, which were guidelines for daily-living for those living in religious communities, on his life; and his attitude toward various aspects of Catholic theology, such as good and evil, good deeds, and forgiveness.

Cataloger: EAK