Preface to the First Series of Catholic Homilies

Preface_Align_Text-Preface_Align Præfatorio Preface Preface_Align_Text-Preface_Align 1. Ic Ælfric munuc and mæssepreost, swa ðeah waccre þonne swilcum hadum gebyrige, wearð asend on Æþelredes dæge cyninges fram Ælfeage biscope, Aðelwoldes æftergengan, to sumum mynstre ðe is Cernel gehaten, þurh Æðelmæres bene ðæs þegenes,^[1] his gebyrd and goodnys sind gehwær cuðe. Þa bearn me on mode, ic truwige ðurh Godes gife, þæt ic ðas boc of Ledenum gereorde to Engliscre spræce awende; na þurh gebylde mycelre lare, ac for ðan ðe ic geseah and gehyrde mycel gedwyld on manegum Engliscum bocum, ðe ungelærede menn ðurh heora bilewitnysse to micclum wisdome tealdon; and me ofhreow þæt hi ne cuðon ne næfdon ða godspellican lare on heora gewritum, buton ðam mannum anum ðe þæt Leden cuðon, and buton þam bocum ðe Ælfred cyning snoterlice awende of Ledene on Englisc, ða synd to hæbbene. 1. I, Ælfric, monk and mass-priest (though weaker than is becoming for such an ordination), was sent in the day of King Æthelred from Bishop Ælfeah, Æthelwold’s successor, to a monastery called Cerne, at the request of the thane Æthelmær, whose family and character are known everywhere. There my mind was kindled, I trust by the grace of God, that I should translate this book from the Latin language into the English vernacular; not with the audacity of my own great learning, but because I have seen and heard much heresy in many English books, which unlearned men in their simplicity have counted as great wisdom. It grieved me that they neither knew nor had the teachings of the gospels in their own writings, except only those men who know Latin, and except those books which King Ælfred prudently had translated from Latin into English, which are available. PrefaceOE-PrefaceME 2. For ðisum antimbre ic gedyrstlæhte, on Gode truwiende, þæt ic ðas gesetnysse undergann, and eac for ðam ðe menn behofiað godre lare swiðost on þisum timan þe is geendung þyssere worulde, and beoð fela frecednyssa on mancynne ær ðan þe se ende becume, swa swa ure Drihten on his godspelle cwæð to his leorning-cnihtum, “Þonne beoð swilce gedreccednyssa swilce næron næfre ær fram frymðe middangeardes. Manega lease Cristas cumað on minum naman, cweðende, ‘Ic eom Crist,’ and wyrcað fela tacna and wundra, to bepæcenne mancynn, and eac swylce ða gecorenan men, gif hit gewurðan mæg. And butan se Ælmihtiga God ða dagas gescyrte, eall mennisc forwurde; ac for his gecorenum he gescyrte þa dagas.” 2. Therefore, I dared to undertake this composition, trusting in God, and also because men have need of sound instruction, even moreso at this time at the end of the world, when there will be many dangers for mankind before the end comes. Our Lord said as much to his disciples^[2] in His gospel: “Then there will be such afflictions as have never been from the beginning of the world. Many false Christs will come in my name, saying ‘I am Christ,’ and will do many signs and wonders to deceive mankind, as well as the elect, if they can. And unless Almighty God shortens those days, all men will die; yet for his elect, he will shorten those days.”^[3] PrefaceOE-PrefaceME 3. Gehwa mæg þe eaðelicor þa toweardan costnunge acuman, ðurh Godes fultum, gif he bið þurh boclice lare getrymmed; for ðan ðe ða beoð gehealdene þe oð ende on geleafan þurhwuniað. Fela gedreccednyssa and earfoðnysse becumað on ðissere worulde ær hire geendunge, and þa synd ða bydelas þæs ecan forwyrdes on yfelum mannum, þe for heora mandædum siððan ecelice ðrowiað on ðære sweartan helle. Þonne cymð se Antecrist, se bið mennisc mann and soð deofol, swa swa ure Hælend is soðlice mann and God on anum hade. And se gesewenlica deofol þonne wyrcð ungerima wundra, and cwyð þæt he sylf God beo, and wile neadian mancynn to his gedwylde. Ac his tima ne bið na langsum, for ðan ðe Godes grama hine fordeð, and ðeos weoruld bið siððan geendod. 3. With God’s help, everyone may more easily withstand the coming trials, if they are established in biblical teaching; for those who continue in the faith until the world ends will be saved.^[4] Many trials and tribulations will come into this world before the end. They are the heralds of eternal damnation for those evil men who will suffer forever in dark hell for their sinful deeds. Then the Antichrist will come, who is fleshly man and true devil, just as our Savior is truly man and God in one person. The visible devil will perform countless wonders and say that he himself is God, and will seduce mankind to his heresy. Yet his time will not be long, because God's wrath will destroy him and this world will end soon after. PrefaceOE-PrefaceME 4. Crist ure Drihten gehælde untrume and adlige, and þes deofol þe is gehaten Antecrist, þæt is gereht ðwyrlic Crist, aleuað and geuntrumað ða halan, and nænne ne gehælð fram untrumnyssum, buton þam anum þe he sylf ær awyrde. He and his gingran awyrdað manna lichaman digellice þurh deofles cræft, and gehælað hi openlice on manna gesihþe; ac he ne mæg nænne gehælan þe God sylf ær geuntrumode. He neadað þurh yfelnysse þæt men sceolon bugan fram heora Scyppendes geleafan to his leasungum, seðe is ord ælcere leasunge and yfelnysse. Se Ælmihtiga God geðafað þam arleasan Antecriste to wyrcenne tacna, and wundra, and ehtnysse, to feorþan healfan geare; for ðan ðe on ðam timan bið swa micel yfelnyss and þwyrnys betwux mancynne þæt hi wel wyrðe beoð þære deoflican ehtnysse, to ecum forwyrde þam ðe him onbugað, and to ecere myrhðe ðam þe him þurh geleafan wiðcweðað. 4. Christ our Lord healed the weak and sickly, while the devil who is called Antichrist (that is, Opposite-Christ)^[5] weakens and sickens those in good health, and heals no one from illness except those whom he earlier corrupted himself. He and his followers secretly corrupt the bodies of men through the devil’s power, and then they heal them publicly for everyone to see; but they cannot heal any whom God Himself afflicted. Through his evilness he seduces men to turn from faith in their Maker to his own artifices, because he is the source of artifice and evilness. Almighty God permits the honorless Antichrist to work signs and wonders and persecution for three and a half years, for in that time there will be such great evilness and crookedness among mankind that they well-deserve that devilish persecution, which is eternal damnation for them that bow to him and is endless joy for them who by faith resist him. PrefaceOE-PrefaceME 5. God geðafað eac þæt his gecorenan þegenas beon aclænsade fram eallum synnum þurh ða ormætan ehtnyssa, swa swa gold bið on fyre afandod. Þa ofslihð se deofol ðe him wiðstandað, and hi þonne farað mid halgum martyrdome to heofenan rice. Þa ðe his leasungum gelyfað, þam he arað, and hi habbað syððan þa ecan susle to edleane heora gedwyldes. Se arleasa deð þæt fyr cymð ufan swilce of heofonum on manna gesihðe, swilce he God Ælmihtig sy, ðe ah geweald heofenas and eorþan. Ac þa Cristenan sceolon beon þonne gemyndige hu se deofol dyde ða ða he bæd æt Gode þæt he moste fandian Iobes. He gemacode ða þæt fyr come ufan swilce of heofenum, and forbærnde ealle his scep ut on felda, and þa hyrdas samod, buton anum þe hit him cyðan sceolde. Ne sende se deofol ða fyr of heofenum, þeah ðe hit ufan come; for ðan þe he sylf næs on heofonum, syððan he for his modignysse of aworpen wæs. Ne eac se wælhreowa Antecrist næfð þa mihte þæt he heofenlic fyr asendan mæge, ðeah þe he þurh deofles cræft hit swa gehiwige. 5. For God permits his elect servants to be cleansed from all sin through this great persecution, just as gold is tried by fire. The devil slays those who stand against him, and then, in holy martyrdom, they go to the heavenly kingdom; he honors those who believe his lies, and they will afterward receive eternal torment as the reward for their heresy. The honorless one will cause fire to come from above, and men will think it pours from heaven, as if the devil were God Almighty, who has power over heaven and earth. Christians must then be mindful of the devil’s behavior when he asked God if he might tempt Job: the devil made fire come from above as if from heaven and burned up all of Job’s sheep out in the field, and all the shepherds with them, except for one to bring him the news. Though the fire did come from above, the devil did not actually send it from heaven, because he cannot be in heaven, not since he was cast out because of his arrogance. Nor does that cruel Antichrist have the power to send heavenly fire, although he may appear to do so through the devil’s craftiness. PrefaceOE-PrefaceME 6. Bið nu wislicor þæt gehwa ðis wite and cunne his geleafan, weald hwa ða micclan yrmðe gebidan sceole. Ure Drihten bebead his discipulum þæt hi sceoldon læran and tæcan eallum þeodum ða ðing þe he sylf him tæhte; ac þæra is nu to lyt ðe wile wel tæcan and wel bysnian. Se ylca Drihten clypode þurh his witegan Ezechiel, “Gif þu ne gestentst þone unrihtwisan, and hine ne manast, þæt he fram his arleasnysse gecyrre and lybbe, þonne swelt se arleasa on his unrihtwisnysse, and ic wille ofgan æt ðe his blod,” þæt is his lyre. “Gif ðu ðonne þone arleasan gewarnast, and he nele fram his arleasnysse gecyrran, þu alysdest þine sawle mid þære mynegunge, and se arleasa swylt on his unrihtwisnysse.” Eft cwæð se Ælmihtiga to þam witegan Isaiam, “Clypa and ne geswic ðu, ahefe þine stemne swa swa byme, and cyð minum folce heora leahtras, and Iacobes hirede heora synna.” For swylcum bebodum wearð me geðuht þæt ic nære unscyldig wið God, gif ic nolde oðrum mannum cyðan, oððe þurh tungan oððe þurh gewritu, þa godspellican soþfæstnysse þe he sylf gecwæð, and eft halgum lareowum onwreah. 6. It is wiser for everyone to be aware of this deceit and know what they believe, in case anyone should have to endure the same great misery. Our Lord commanded his disciples to learn and to teach all people the things which he himself taught them; but there are now too few who teach well and model the teaching correctly. The same Lord also cried through his prophet Ezekiel: “If you do not oppose the unrighteous and admonish him that he should turn from his wickedness and live, then will the wicked die in his unrighteousness, and I will exact from you his blood” (that is, his destruction). “But if you do warn the unrighteous, and he will not turn from his wickedness, you will free your soul with that admonition, and the wicked will die in his unrighteousness.”^[6] Again, the Almighty spoke to the prophet Isaiah: “Cry out and do not stop. Raise your voice like a trumpet, and declare to my people their faults and to the house of Jacob their sins.”^[7] With such commands in mind, I felt that I could not stand guiltless before God, if I would not declare to other men the truth of the gospel either in word or in writing, which God himself spoke and afterward revealed to holy teachers. PrefaceOE-PrefaceME 7. Forwel fela ic wat on ðisum earde gelæredran þonne ic sy, ac God geswutelað his wundra ðurh ðone ðe he wile. Swa swa Ælmihtig Wyrhta, he wyrcð his weorc þurh his gecorenan, na swylce he behofige ures fultumes, ac þæt we geearnion þæt ece lif þurh his weorces fremminge. Paulus se apostol cwæð, “We sind Godes gefylstan,” and swa ðeah ne do we nan þing to Gode, buton Godes fultume. Nu bidde ic and halsige on Godes naman, gif hwa þas boc awritan wylle, þæt he hi geornlice gerihte be þære bysene,^[9] þy læs þe we þurh gymelease writeras geleahtrode beon. Mycel yfel deð seðe leas writ, buton he hit gerihte, swylce he gebringe þa soðan lare to leasum gedwylde: for ði sceal gehwa gerihtlæcan þæt þæt he ær to woge gebigde, gif he on Godes dome unscyldig beon wile. 7. I full-well know many people in this country more learned than I am, but God reveals his glory through whomever he will. As the almighty creator, He works his work through his elect, not because he needs our help, but so that we may earn eternal life by performing his work. The Apostle Paul said, “We are God’s assistants,”^[8] even though we do nothing for God without God’s help. Now in God’s name I bid and beseech that if anyone transcribes this book, he diligently correct it by the original, lest we be held accountable for someone else’s careless writing. The irresponsible writer does much evil, unless he corrects his mistakes; for he changes true doctrine to deceitful heresy. Therefore, everyone should straighten out what they have bent crooked, if he would be innocent of God’s judgment. PrefaceOE-PrefaceME 8. Quid necesse est in hoc codice capitula ordinare, cum prediximus quod xl. sententias in se contineat? excepto quod Æþelwerdus dux vellet habere xl. quattuor in suo libro.^[10] 8. Why is it necessary to arrange the chapters in this codex, since we have said that it contains forty sermons? Except that Duke Æthelwerd would have forty-four in his book.

Notes

I’ve yet to come up with a satisfactory translation of þegen ‘thane.’ ‘Minister ', ‘retainer,’ and ‘attendant’ are all suggested, but the technical rank is so specific so as to resist translation. Æthelmær the Stout attended to Æthelred, became an ealdorman, and eventually founded Cerne Abbey.
Literally ‘learning-knights.’ I am constantly torn between using the Germanic compounding of Old English and terms that carry meaning for modern readers.
Matthew 24: 21, 24, 23.
cf. Matthew 24:13.
Characteristic of Ælfric is his attention to translating potentially unfamiliar Latin terms into the language of his audience. At every turn in his project, Ælfric ensures that his congregation understands his teaching.
Ezekiel 3:18–19.
Isaiah 58:1.
1 Corinthians 3:9.
The OE phrase gerihte be þære bysene ‘set it right according to the example’ emphasizes the role of copying and patterning off a model. Perhaps this reflects Ælfric’s own education history, learning by imitation.
Written in a different hand, this note voices the concern of a scribe over the arrangement of the manuscript. However, my Latin is too poor to offer a translation.