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)
We habbað oft gehyred þæt men hatað þysne dæg geares dæg, swylce þes dæg
fyrmest sy on geares ymbryne; ac we ne gemetað nane geswutelunge on
cristenum bocum, hwí þes dæg to geares anginne geteald sy. Þa ealdan
Romani, on hæðenum dagum, ongunnon þæs geares ymbryne on ðysum dæge; and ða
Ebreiscan leoda on lenctenlicere emnihte; ða Greciscan on sumerlicum
sunstede; and þa Egyptiscan ðeoda ongunnon heora geares getel on hærfeste.
Nu onginð ure gerím, æfter Romaniscre gesetnysse, on ðysum dæge, for nanum
godcundlicum gesceade, ac for ðam ealdan gewunan. Sume ure ðening-béc
onginnað on Aduentum Domini; nis ðeah þær forðy ðæs geares ord, ne eac on
ðisum dæge nis mid nánum gesceade; þeah ðe ure gerím-béc on þissere stówe
ge-edlæcon. Rihtlicost bið geðuht þæt þæs geares anginn on ðam dæge sy
gehæfd, þe se Ælmihtiga Scyppend sunnan, and mónan, and steorran, and ealra
tida anginn gesette; þæt is on þam dæge þe þæt Ebreisce folc heora geares
getel onginnað; swa swa se heretoga Moyses on ðam ælicum bocum awrát.
Witodlice God cwæð to Moysen be ðam monðe, "Þes monað is monða anginn, and
he bið fyrmest on geares {100} monðum." Nu heold þæt Ebreisce folc ðone
forman geares dæg on lenctenlicere emnihte, forðan ðe on ðam dæge wurdon
gearlice tida gesette.
Se eahteteoða dæg þæs monðes þe we hátað Martius, ðone ge hatað Hlyda, wæs
se forma dæg ðyssere worulde. On ðam dæge worhte God leoht, and merigen,
and æfen. Ða eódon þry dagas forð buton tída gemetum; forðan þe tunglan
næron gesceapene, ær on þam feorðan dæge. On ðam feorðan dæge gesette se
Ælmihtiga ealle tungla and gearlice tída, and hét þæt hí wǽron to tácne
dagum and gearum. Nu ongynnað þa Ebreiscan heora geares anginn on þam dæge
þe ealle tida gesette wæron, þæt is on ðam feorðan dæge woruldlicere
gesceapenysse; and se lareow Beda telð mid micclum gesceade þæt se dæg is
XII. K[=L], ðone dæg we freolsiað þam halgum were Benedick to wurðmynte,
for his micclum geðincðum. Hwæt eac seo eorðe cyð mid hire ciðum, þe ðonne
ge-edcuciað, þæt se tima is þæt rihtlicoste geares anginn, ðe hí on
gesceapene wæron.
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