The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church: Containing the Sermones Catholici, or Homilies of Ælfric, in the Original Anglo-Saxon, with an English Version. Volume I.Aelfric, Abbot of Eynsham
Religion
The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church: Containing the Sermones Catholici, or Homilies of Ælfric, in the Original Anglo-Saxon, with an English Version. Volume I.
Aelfric, Abbot of Eynsham
Sermons, English (Old)
Þa se Hælend gesæt up on ðære dune, ða ahóf hé up his eagan, and geséh þæt
ðær wæs micel mennisc toweard. Ealle þa ðe him to cumað, þæt is ða ðe bugað
to rihtum geleafan, þa gesihð se Hælend, and þam hé gemiltsað, and hyra mod
onliht mid his gife, þæt hí magon him to cuman butan gedwylde, and ðam hé
forgifð ðone gastlican fodan, þæt hí ne ateorian be wege. Þaða he axode
Philippum, hwanon hí mihton hláf ðam folce gebicgan, ða geswutelode hé
Philippes nytennysse. Wel wiste Crist hwæt hé dón wolde, and he wiste þæt
Philippus þæt nyste. Ða cwæð Andreas, þæt an cnapa þær bære fif berene
hlafas and twegen fixas. Þa cwæð se Hælend, "Doð þæt þæt folc sitte," and
swa forðon swa we eow ær rehton. Se Hælend geseh þæt hungrige folc, and hé
hí mildheortlice fedde, ægðer ge þurh his gódnysse ge þurh his mihte. Hwæt
mihte seo gódnys ana, buton ðær wære miht mid þære gódnysse? His discipuli
woldon eac þæt folc fedan, ac hí næfdon mid hwam. Se Hælend hæfde þone
gódan willan to ðam fostre, and þa mihte to ðære fremminge.
Fela wundra worhte God, and dæghwamlice wyrcð; ac ða wundra sind swiðe
awácode on manna gesihðe, forðon ðe hí sind swiðe gewunelice. Mare wundor
is þæt God Ælmihtig ælce dæg fét ealne middangeard, and gewissað þa gódan,
þonne þæt wundor wære, þæt he þa gefylde fif ðusend manna mid fif hlafum:
ac ðæs wundredon men, na forði þæt hit mare wundor wære, ac forði þæt hit
wæs ungewunelic. Hwa sylð nu wæstm urum æcerum, and gemenigfylt þæt gerip
of feawum cornum, buton se ðe ða gemænigfylde ða fif hlafas? Seo miht wæs
ða on Cristes handum, and þa fif hlafas wæron swylce hit sæd wære, na on
eorðan besawen, ac gemenigfyld fram ðam ðe eorðan geworhte.
{186} Þis wundor is swiðe micel, and deop on getacnungum. Oft gehwa gesihð
fægre stafas awritene, þonne herað he ðone writere and þa stafas, and nat
hwæt hi mænað. Se ðe cann ðæra stafa gescead, he herað heora fægernysse,
and ræd þa stafas, and understent hwæt hí gemænað. On oðre wisan we
sceawiað metinge, and on oðre wisan stafas. Ne gæð na mare to metinge buton
þæt þu hit geseo and herige: nis na genóh þæt þu stafas sceawige, buton ðu
hí eac ræde, and þæt andgit understande. Swa is eac on ðam wundre þe God
worhte mid þam fif hlafum: ne bið na genóh þæt we þæs tacnes wundrian, oþþe
þurh þæt God herian, buton we eac þæt gastlice andgit understandon.
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