Aelfric and the Early Medieval Homiliary

Author:

Smetana Cyril L.

Abstract

‘… hit stod gefyrn awriten on Ledenbocumpeah pe pa laewdan men paet nyston.’Aelfric, Lives of the SaintsThe suggestion of a possible dependence of Aelfric's Catholic Homilies on a medieval collection of patristic sermons is neither new nor startling. John Earle, writing in 1884, remarked that Aelfric had most probably used ‘some standard collection of homilies now lost’. Max Förster, commenting on Earle's suggestion that Aelfric's source may have been similar to the homiliary of Eusebius of Emesa, pointed out that the Catholic Homilies have more in common with the Homiliary of Paul the Deacon as printed in Migne PL 95. Förster readily admitted that Aelfric may have used such a collection, but he contended that the Catholic Homilies represented a translation from a number of sources. His own study of Aelfric's sources is based on this assumption. It is the purpose of this paper to show that while Aelfric may not have used the medieval homiliary as his sole source, the two volumes of his Catholic Homilies give evidence of a very real dependence on the homiliary, and that almost all of his patristic sources can be traced to one or other version of a collection of homilies generally known as the Homiliary of Paul the Deacon.

Publisher

Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Subject

Literature and Literary Theory,Philosophy,Religious studies,Visual Arts and Performing Arts

Reference71 articles.

1. Wiegand , Homiliar 88: ‘Es ist wohl nicht zufällig wenn Aug. 37, den wir als ein speziell für den Klostergebrauch zusammengeschnittenes Homiliarium kennen lernten, nur Predigten von solchen Verfassern aus dem Homiliar Karls herübernahm, welche mehr lehrhaft als volkstümlich waren. So verzichtete er vollig auf irgendwelche Beiträge von Maximus von Turin …’ Examination of Aug. 37 reveals, however that it has homilies for only the ordinary Sundays of the year and for the Common of the Saints; it does not cover the greater feasts of the year or the liturgical seasons (Advent and Lent). Even a cursory glance at the PD homiliary shows that Maximus’ homilies are never used on Sundays, and for the Common of the Saints Maximus occurs only three times, and then as supplementary material.

2. Thus in a second Easter homily on Lk. 24.13–35 (Hom. 2.16.282–286) he remarks: ‘On Ðisum andwerdan daege gelamp Ðis, peah Ðe Þis godspel aet oÐre maessan geraed sy.’ Or in an additional selection for the the third Sunday after Pentecost (Hom. 2.27.378–380): ‘We sind gecnaewe Þaet we hit forgymeleasodon on Ðam daege Þe mann Þaet godspel raedde, ac hit maeg eow nu fremian swa micclum swa hit Ða mihte.’

3. S. Ambrosii Med. Opera IV, Expositio sec. Luc. (ed. Adriaen M. ).

4. The source for this homily was first discovered by Max Förster. In a footnote to a book review of Cook's A. S. Biblical Quotations in Old English Prose Writers in Englische Studien 28 (1900) 423, Förster pointed it out. Davis C. R. , JEGP 41 (1942) 512 (see footnote 31 above) apparently was not aware of the footnote, when he published the source as his own discovery.

5. We have discussed in the footnotes four sources for Aelfric's homilies which are not found in PD. See footnotes 17, 24, 25, 34 above. Two of these sources were found in Alan of Farfa's homiliary; two sources could not be found in any homiliary that I examined.

Cited by 59 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

1. The Benedictine Reform and Beyond;A Companion to Anglo-Saxon Literature;2017-08-29

2. Biblical and Patristic Learning;A Companion to Anglo-Saxon Literature;2017-08-29

3. Religious Prose;A Companion to Anglo-Saxon Literature;2017-08-29

4. Concordance of named manuscripts;The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain;2011-12-22

5. Bibliography;The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain;2011-12-22

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3