The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church

This two-volume collection, published 1844–6, contains transcriptions and translations of the Sermones Catholici by Ælfric of Eynsham (c.950–c.1010).

Prepared by Benjamin Thorpe (1781/2–1870) and first published in 1844–6, this two-volume collection contains transcriptions and translations of the Sermones Catholici of Ælfric of Eynsham (c.950–c.1010). Volume 1 (1844) contains sermons for the first year of a two-year cycle, and focuses on the important events in the calendar.The writings of Ælfric of Eynsham (c.950–c.1010) are among the most important to survive from Anglo-Saxon England. He was shaped by tenth-century monastic reform, and his promotion of Old English was highly influential. His earliest known works, the Sermones Catholici (c.990–5), are adaptations of Latin texts rendered in Old English. The homilies draw on the gospels, saints' lives and other doctrinal themes. They were intended to be delivered over two years. This two-volume collection, first published between 1844 and 1846, contains transcriptions of the Old English texts with facing-page translations by Benjamin Thorpe (1781/2–1870). A well-respected scholar with a strong interest in promoting the study of Old English, Thorpe produced an important edition of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the Rolls Series (also reissued in this series). Volume 1 of the present work contains the sermons for the first year, focusing on important events in the church calendar.