A Testimonie of Antiquity is essentially an edition of one of the homilies by
AElfric (c.995-1020/25) who has been identified, not without some controversy (Magennis 2009) as abbot of Eynsham in Oxfordshire in 1005.
For a thorough discussion on Ailfric's use of the Imitatio Christi motif for Edmund, see Carl Phelpstead, "King, Martyr and Virgin: Imitatio Christi in
AElfric's Life of St Edmund',' St Edmund, King and Martyr: Changing Images of a Medieval Saint, ed.
Late OE (or early ME) ilefen takes on in six examples, four in on + accusative and two in on + dative: Homilies of
AElfric M7 (Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost) 37 al Godes folc, dhe rihtlice ilefaedh on dhone lifigende God, Homilies of
AElfric M2 (Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent) 243 thu ilefest on Godes Sunu, 244 La hwylc is he, laford, thaet ic ilefe on hine?, Second Sunday in Lent (Bodley 343) 4 On tham leafe is thaet he ilefe on God Faeder aelmihtigne, Homilies of
AElfric MI (Christmas Day) 49 ac ilef on him and 131 Eow is mucel neod thaet ge on eowre mode icnawaen thone lifigende God, & on him ilefaen.
'Good teachings are necessary',
AElfric warns in his Preface to the First Series of Catholic Homilies, with his gaze fixed on the coming millennium, 'especially at this time, which is the ending of this world' (p.
The case studies also cover
AElfric, Aldred's and Owun's glosses to the Lindisfarne and Rushworth Gospels, The Battle of Maldon, and the Lives of St Nicholas and St Giles.
AElfric follows the Latin text of Jesus' letter with his English translation of the same and in the following seventy-eight lines conveys Thaddeus's successful mission to Edessa, during which he heals Abgar, as promised by Jesus (lines 156-61), heals many others and preaches in Edessa (lines 161-81), refuses the king's offer of silver and gold as reward (lines 183-88), and establishes Christianity in the kingdom from that time forward (lines 189-91).
AElfric's Old Testament materials are the focus of Rachel Anderson's paper, which examines an approach adopted by
AElfric in which translation is liberally blended with interpretation.
d....paer feoll adune swilce of dam hrofe wearm hlaf mid his syflinge (
AElfric, Catholic Homilies II: 10 82.56).
Books stolen included a first edition of Beowulf and two editions by the 10th Century scholar
Aelfric, one printed in 1566 and the other in 1709.
Also included in the haul was a 15th century manuscript, including a fragment of a poem written by Geoffrey Chaucer, the author of The Canterbury Tales, two works by the 10th century poet
Aelfric, printed in 1566 and 1709, an edition of Beowulf printed in 1815 and a 1612 book of maps and poetry.
Aelfric's lives of the virgin spouses; with a modern English parallel-text translations, Julian and Basilissa, Cecilia and Valerian and Chrysanthus and Daria.
By way of contrast, Wells draws on the Old English homiletic corpus of
AElfric of Eynsham, which has been organized by 'a single tidy mind' (p.