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)
Angeli sind gecwedene Godes bodan; archangeli, healice bodan; uirtutes,
mihta, ðurh ða wyrcð God fela wundra. Potestates sind ánwealdu, ðe habbað
anweald ofer ða awyrgedan gastas, þæt hi ne magon geleaffulra manna heortan
swa micclum costnian swa hi willað. Principatus sind ealdorscipas, ðe ðæra
godra engla gymað, and hi be heora dihte ða godcundlican gerynu gefyllað.
Dominationes sind hlafordscypas gecwedene, forðan ðe him gehyrsumiað oðra
engla werod mid micelre underðeodnysse. Throni sind þrymsetl, þa beoð
gefyllede mid swa micelre gife ðære Ælmihtigan {344} Godcundnysse, þæt se
Eallwealdenda God on him wunað, and ðurh hi his domas tosceat. Cherubin is
gecweden gefyllednys ingehydes, oððe gewittes: hi sind afyllede mid gewitte
swa miccle swiðor, swa hi gehendran beoð heora Scyppende, ðurh wurðscipe
heora geearnunga. Seraphim sind gecwedene byrnende, oððe, onælende: hi sind
swa miccle swiðor byrnende on Godes lufe, swa micclum swa hi sind to him
geðeodde; forðan ðe nane oðre englas ne sind betweonan him and ðam
Ælmihtigan Gode. Hi sind byrnende na on fyres wisan, ac mid micelre lufe
þæs Wealdendan Cyninges. Godes rice bið gelogod mid engla weredum and
geðungenum mannum, and we gelyfað þæt of mancynne swa micel getel astige
þæt uplice rice, swa micel swa on heofonum beláf haligra gasta æfter ðam
hryre ðæra awyrgedra gasta.
Nigon engla werod þær wæron to lafe, and þæt teoðe forferde. Nu bið eft seo
micelnys geðungenra manna swa micel swa ðæra staðelfæstra engla wæs; and we
beoð geendebyrde to heora weredum, æfter urum geearnungum. Menige
geleaffulle men sind þe habbað lytel andgit to understandenne ða deopnysse
Godes lare, and willað þeah-hwæðere oðrum mannum mid arfæstnysse cyðan ymbe
Godes mærða, be heora andgites mæðe: þas beoð geendebyrde to englum, þæt
is, to Godes bydelum. Þa gecorenan ðe magon asmeagan Godes digelnysse, and
oðrum bodian mid gastlicre lare, hi beoð getealde to heah-englum, þæt is to
healicum bodum. Þa halgan, ðe on life wundra wyrceað, beoð geendebyrde
betwux ðam heofenlicum mihtum þe Godes tacna gefremmað. Sind eac sume
gecorene menn ðe aflyað þa awyrgedan gastas fram ofsettum mannum, ðurh
mihte heora bena: hwærto beoð þas geendebyrde buton to ðam heofenlicum
anwealdum, be gewyldað þa feondlican costneras? Þa gecorenan ðe ðurh
healice geearnunga þa læssan gebroðru oferstigað mid ealdorscipe, þa habbað
eac heora dæl betwux ðam heofenlicum ealderdomum. Sume beoð swa geðungene
þæt hí wealdað mid heora hlafordscipe ealle uncysta and leahtras on him
sylfum, swa þæt hi {346} beoð godas getealde ðurh ða healican clænnysse: be
ðam cwæð se Ælmihtiga to Moysen, "Ic ðe gesette, þæt þu wære Pharaones
god." Þas Godes ðegnas, þe beoð on swa micelre geðincðe on gesihðe þæs
Ælmihtigan þæt hi sind godas getealde, hwider gescyt ðonne heora
endebyrdnysse, buton to ðam werode ðe sind hlafordscipas gecwedene? forðan
ðe him oðre englas underðeodde beoð.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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