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)
names for them all; and so as he named them are they yet called. Then said
God, "It is not fitting that this man be alone, and have no help; now let
us make him a mate for help and comfort." And God then caused Adam to
sleep, and as he slept, he took a rib from his side, and of that rib
wrought a woman, and asked Adam how she should be called. Then said Adam,
"She is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh; be her name Virago, that is
_female_; because she is taken from her husband." Then Adam afterwards
bestowed on her another name, Eva, that is _life_; because she is the
mother of all living.
All creatures, heavens and angels, sun and moon, stars and earth, all
beasts and birds, the sea and all fishes, and all creatures, God created
and wrought in six days; and on the seventh day he ended his work, and
ceased, and hallowed the seventh day, because on that day he ended his
work. And he beheld then all his works that he had wrought, and they were
all exceedingly good. All things he wrought without any matter. He said,
"Let there be light," and instantly {17} there was light. He said again,
"Let there be heaven," and instantly heaven was made, as he with his wisdom
and his will had appointed it. He said again, and bade the earth bring
forth all living cattle, and he then created of earth all the race of
cattle, and the brute race, all those which go on four feet; in like manner
of water he created fishes and birds, and gave the power of swimming to the
fishes, and flight to the birds; but he gave no soul to any beast, nor to
any fish; but their blood is their life, and as soon as they are dead they
are totally ended. When he had made the man Adam, he did not say, "Let man
be made," but he said, "Let us make man in our likeness," and he then made
man with his hands, and blew into him a soul; therefore is man better, if
he grow up in good, than all the beasts are; because they will all come to
naught, and man is in one part eternal, that is in the soul; that will
never end. The body is mortal through Adam's sin, but, nevertheless, God
will raise again the body to eternity on doomsday. Now the heretics say
that the devil created some creatures, but they lie; he can create no
creatures, for he is not a creator, but is a loathsome fiend, and with
leasing he will deceive and fordo the unwary; but he may not compel any man
to any crime, unless the man voluntarily incline to his teaching.
Whatsoever among things created seems pernicious and is injurious to men,
is all for our sins and evil deserts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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