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)
Forðy sealde God mannum gesceád, þæt hi sceoldon oncnawan heora Scyppend,
and mid biggenge his beboda þæt ece lif geearnian. Witodlice se fyrenfulla
bið earmra ðonne ænig nyten, forðan þe þæt nyten næfð nane sawle, ne næfre
ne ge-edcucað, ne þa toweardan wita ne ðrowað. Ac we ðe sind to Godes
anlicnysse gesceapene, and habbað únateorigendlice saule, we sceolon of
deaðe arísan, and agyldan Gode gescead ealra ura geðohta, and worda, and
weorca. Ne sceole we forðy sinderlice on anum lime beon ymbsnidene, ac we
sceolon ða fulan galnysse symle wanian, and ure eagan fram yfelre gesihðe
awendan, and earan from yfelre heorcnunge; urne múð fram leasum spræcum,
handa fram mándædum; ure fotwylmas fram deadbærum siðfæte, ure heortan fram
facne. Gif we swa fram leahtrum ymbsnidene beoð, þonne bið ús geset níwe
nama; swa swa se wítega Isaías cwæð, "God gecígð his ðeowan oðrum naman."
Eft se ylca wítega cwæð, "Þu bist gecíged niwum naman, þone ðe Godes múð
genemnode." Se níwa nama is 'Cristianus,' þæt is, Cristen. Ealle we sind of
Criste cristene gehátene, ac we sceolon ðone arwurðfullan naman mid æðelum
þeawum geglengan, þæt we ne beon lease cristene. Gif we ðas gastlican
ymbsnidennysse on urum ðeawum healdað, þonne sind we Abrahames cynnes,
æfter soðum geleafan; swa swa se þeoda lareow Paulus {98} cwæð to
geleaffullum, "Gif ge sind Cristes, þonne sind ge Abrahames sǽd, and æfter
behate yrfenuman." Petrus eac se apostol tihte geleaffulle wíf to
eadmodnysse and gemetfæstnysse, ðus cweðende, "Swa swa Sarra gehyrsumode
Abrahame, and hine hlaford het, ðære dohtra ge sind, wel donde and na
ondrædende ænige gedrefednysse."
Se eahtoða dæg, þe þæt cild on ymbsniden wæs, getacnode ða eahtoðan ylde
ðyssere worulde, on þære we arisað of deaðe ascyrede fram ælcere brosnunge
and gewemmednysse ures lichaman. Þæt stænene sex, þe þæt cild ymbsnað,
getacnode ðone stán ðe se apostol cwæð, "Se stán soðlice wæs Crist." He
cwæð wæs for ðære getacnunge, na for edwiste. Þurh Cristes geleafan, and
hiht, and soðe lufe, beoð singallice estfulle heortan mid dæghwonlicere
ymbsnidenysse afeormode fram leahtrum, and ðurh his gife onlihte.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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