Ælfric of Eynsham facts for kids

Ælfric of Eynsham (born around 955, died around 1010) was an English monk and abbot. He was a very important and busy writer in Old English, which is an early form of the English language. He wrote many different types of texts, including stories about saints (called hagiography), sermons (called homilies), and explanations of the Bible.

People also knew him as Ælfric the Grammarian because he wrote a grammar book. Some historians think he was as important as the famous writer Bede. He is seen as a top figure in both the Benedictine religious movement and early English literature.

Life and Works

Ælfric grew up and studied at the Old Minster in Winchester. This was a Benedictine monastery, a place where monks lived and worked. His teacher was Saint Æthelwold, who was a bishop there. Æthelwold was a strong supporter of the English Benedictine Reform, which was a movement to improve monastic life in England.

The Tower of Babel from an 11th-century English book. Ælfric helped translate parts of the Old Testament into Old English for the first time.

In 987, Ælfric was sent to the new abbey of Cerne in Dorset. He went there to teach the monks. This is one of the few exact dates we know about his life. He was already a priest at this time. Two important people, Æthelmær and his father Æthelweard, were supporters of the abbey and became good friends with Ælfric. They loved learning and helped him a lot.

While at Cerne, Ælfric wrote two main sets of his English sermons. These sermons explained Christian teachings and stories from the Bible. He used writings from earlier Christian leaders to help him. In the introduction to his first set of sermons, he said that English people didn't have many ways to learn true Christian ideas, except for the translations made by King Alfred.

After these sermons, Ælfric wrote three books to help students learn Latin:

• His Grammar translated Latin grammar rules into English. This was the first time someone did this in medieval Europe!
• His Glossary was a list of Latin words grouped by topic, not in alphabetical order.
• His Colloquy was a conversation guide to help students practice speaking Latin. It probably showed what his own school days were like.

From 996 to 997, he wrote a third set of sermons called Lives of the Saints. These were stories about important Christian saints. Many of these sermons were written in a special rhythmic, alliterative style, almost like poetry. He also wrote two sermons called On False Gods and The Twelve Abuses. On False Gods shows that the Church was still trying to teach people about Christianity and move away from older religions, including those of the Danish invaders.

Ælfric also helped translate parts of the Old Testament into Old English. This was a big deal because it was the first time parts of the Old Testament were translated from Latin into Old English. He translated the Book of Genesis and parts of other books. He wrote an introduction to his Genesis translation. In it, he explained that readers should understand that old practices from the ancient Israelites were not meant for Christians today. He didn't translate word-for-word, which was common then. Instead, he focused on translating the meaning, which was a new approach.

In 1005, Ælfric moved from Cerne to a new monastery in Eynsham, Oxfordshire. This was a long journey! He became the first abbot of Eynsham and lived there until his death. As abbot, he continued writing. He wrote a letter to the monks of Eynsham, a guide to the Old and New Testaments, and a Latin story about his teacher Æthelwold.

The last time Ælfric is mentioned in historical records is around 1010.

Ælfric was very careful about his writings. He told future scribes (people who copied books by hand) to copy his works exactly. He didn't want any mistakes or new ideas added. Many years later, some of his valuable writings almost got destroyed in a big fire at the Cotton Library in London.

Ælfric wrote more than any other writer in Old English. His main message was about God's mercy. For example, he wrote: "The love that loves God is not idle. Instead, it is strong and works great things always. And if love isn’t willing to work, then it isn’t love. God’s love must be seen in the actions of our mouths and minds and bodies. A person must fulfil God’s word with goodness."

He also believed in humility and kindness. He wrote: "And we ought to worship with true humility if we want our heavenly God to hear us because God is the one who lives in a high place and yet has regard for the deep down humble, and God is always near to those who sincerely call to him in their trouble. . . . Without humility no person can thrive in the Lord." He also said that bosses should be kind to their workers.

Ælfric's ideas were sometimes different from what was commonly believed at the time. For example, he had strong views on purity. His ideas were influenced by his time studying with Saint Æthelwold.

In 2022, a special Blue Plaque was put up in Eynsham to honor Ælfric’s important work.

Who Was Ælfric?

For a long time, it was hard to know exactly who Ælfric was because his name was similar to other important people. He was often confused with Ælfric of Abingdon, who was an Archbishop of Canterbury.

However, thanks to the work of many scholars, we now know that Ælfric of Eynsham was the abbot of Eynsham and did not hold a higher church position like archbishop.

Selected Bibliography: Editions of Works by Ælfric

Homilies

• Pope, John C., ed. Homilies of Ælfric: a Supplementary Collection. 2 volumes. London: Oxford University Press, 1967, 1968.
• Clemoes, Peter, ed. Ælfric’s Catholic Homilies: the First Series Text. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
• Godden, Malcolm, ed. Ælfric’s Catholic Homilies: the Second Series Text. London: Oxford University Press, 1979.
• Thorpe, Benjamin, ed. and trans. The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church. 2 volumes. London: Richard and John E. Taylor, 1844, 1846.

Hagiography

• Skeat, Walter W. (ed. and tr.). Ælfric’s Lives of Saints. 2 volumes. London: N. Trübner & Co., 1881–85, 1890–1900. Reprinted as 2 volumes, 1966.
• Upchurch, Robert, ed. Ælfric’s Lives of the Virgin Spouses with Modern English Parallel-Text Translations. University of Exeter Press, 2007.

Old English Hexateuch

• Crawford, Samuel J., ed. The Old English Version of the Heptateuch, Ælfric’s Treatise on the Old and New Testament and His Preface to Genesis. London: Oxford University Press, 1969.

Other Works

• Jones, Christopher A. Ælfric's Letter to the Monks of Eynsham. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
• Zupitza, Julius. Ælfrics Grammatik und Glossar. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1880.
• Garmonsway, G. N., ed. Colloquy. Ælfric. 2nd ed. Exeter: University of Exeter, 1999.

Links to original texts

• The homilies, in Anglo-Saxon, with an English version by B.Thorpe.

See also

In Spanish: Aelfrico para niños

Images for kids

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  The Tower of Babel, from an illustrated English manuscript (11th century) in the British Library, containing some Latin excerpts from the Hexateuch. Ælfric was responsible for the preface to Genesis as well as some of its translations. Another copy of the text, without lavish illustrations but including a translation of the Book of Judges, is found in Oxford, Bodleian Library, Laud Misc. 509.