The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church/Preface

by Ælfric

PRÆFATIO.

PREFACE.

Ic Ælfric munuc and mæssepreost, swa þeah waccre þonne swilcum hadum gebyrige, wearð asend on Æþelredes dæge cyninges fram Ælfeage biscope, Aðelwoldes æftergengan, to sumum mynstre þe is Cernel gehaten, þurh Æðelmæres bene ðæs þegenes, his gebyrd and goodnys sind gehwær cuþe. Þa bearn me on mode, ic truwige þurh Godes gife, þæt ic ðas boc of Ledenum gereorde to Engliscre spræce awende; na þurh gebylde mycelre lare, ac forþan þe ic geseah and gehyrde mycel gedwyld on manegum Engliscum bocum, þe ungelærede menn þurh heora bilewitnysse to micclum wisdome tealdon; and me ofhreow þæt hí ne cuþon ne næfdon þa godspellican lare on heora gewritum, buton þam mannum anum ðe þæt Leden cuðon, and buton þam bocum ðe Ælfred cyning snoterlice awende of Ledene on Englisc, þa synd to hæbbene. For þisum antimbre ic gedyrstlæhte, on Gode truwiende, þæt ic ðas gesetnysse undergann, and eac forðam þe menn behofiað godre lare swiðost on þisum timan þe is geendung þyssere worulde, and beoð fela frecednyssa on mancynne ærðan þe se ende becume, swa swa ure Drihten on his godspelle cwæð to his leorning-cnihtum, "Ðonne 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 þa gecorenan men, gif hit gewurþan mæg: and butan se Ælmihtiga God ða dagas gescyrte, eall mennisc forwurde; ac for his gecorenum he gescyrte þa dagas." Gehwá mæg þe eaðelicor ða toweardan costnunge acuman, ðurh Godes fultum, gif hé bið þurh boclice lare getrymmed; forðan ðe þa beoð gehealdene þe oð ende on geleafan þurhwuniað. Fela gedreccednyssa and earfoðnysse becumað on þissere worulde ǽr hire geendunge, and þa synd ða bydelas þæs ecan forwyrdes on yfelum mannum, þe for heora mándædum siððan ecelice þrowiað 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; forþan þe Godes grama hine fordeð, and þeos weoruld bið siððan geendod. 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 hí openlice on manna gesihþe; ac hé 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 tácna, and wundra, and ehtnysse, to feorþan healfan geare; forþan ðe on ðam timan bið swa micel yfelnyss and þwyrnys betwux mancynne þæt hí wel wyrðe beoð þære deoflican ehtnysse, to ecum forwyrde þam ðe him onbugað, and to ecere myrhðe ðam þe him þurh geleafan wiðcweðað. 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 hí þonne farað mid halgum martyrdome to heofenan rice. Þa ðe his leasungum gelyfað, þam hé arað, and hí habbað syððan þa ecan susle to edleane heora gedwyldes. Se arleasa deð þæt fyr cymð ufan swilce of heofonum on manna gesihðe, swilce hé God Ælmihtig sy, ðe ah geweald heofenas and eorþan. Ac þa cristenan sceolon beon þonne gemyndige hu se deofol dyde þa 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 út 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; forðan 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 hé þurh deofles cræft hit swa gehiwige. Bið nu wíslicor þæt gehwa ðis wite and cunne his geleafan, weald hwa ða micclan yrmðe gebidan sceole. Ure Drihten bebead his discipulum þæt hí 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 hé 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. For wel fela ic wat on þisum earde gelæredran þonne ic sy, ac God geswutelað his wundra þurh ðone þe 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 hí geornlice gerihte be þære bysene, þylæs 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: forþi sceal gehwa gerihtlæcan þæt þæt he ær to woge gebigde, gif hé on Godes dome unscyldig beon wile. 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.

I Ælfric, monk and mass-priest, although more weakly than for such orders is fitting, was sent, in king Æthelred's day, from bishop Ælfeah, Æthelwold's successor, to a minster which is called Cernel, at the prayer of Æthelmær the thane, whose birth and goodness are known everywhere. Then it occurred to my mind, I trust through God's grace, that I would turn this book from the Latin language into the English tongue; not from confidence of great learning, but because I have seen and heard of much error in many English books, which unlearned men, through their simplicity, have esteemed as great wisdom: and I regretted that they knew not nor had not the evangelical doctrines among their writings, those men only excepted who knew Latin, and those books excepted which king Ælfred wisely turned from Latin into English, which are to be had. For this cause I presumed, trusting in God, to undertake this task, and also because men have need of good instruction, especially at this time, which is the ending of this world, and there will be many calamities among mankind before the end cometh, according to what our Lord in his gospel said to his disciples, "Then shall be such tribulations as have never been from the beginning of the world. Many false Christs shall come in my name, saying, 'I am Christ,' and shall work many signs and wonders, to deceive mankind; and also the elect, if it may be. And unless Almighty God shorten those days, all mankind will perish; but for his elect he will shorten those days." Everyone may the more easily withstand the future temptation, through God's support, if he is strengthened by book learning, for they shall be preserved who continue in faith to the end. Many tribulations and hardships shall come on this world before its end, and those are the proclaimers of everlasting perdition to evil men, who afterwards for their crimes suffer eternally in the swart hell. Then Antichrist shall come, who is human man and true devil, as our Saviour is truly man and God in one person. And the visible devil shall then work innumerable miracles, and say that he himself is God, and will compel mankind to his heresy: but his time will not be long, for God's anger will destroy him, and this world will afterwards be ended. Christ our Lord healed the weak and diseased, and the devil, who is called Antichrist, which is interpreted, Opposition-Christ, weakens and enfeebles the hale, and heals no one from diseases, save those alone whom he himself had previously injured. He and his disciples injure men's bodies secretly through the devil's power, and heal them openly in the sight of men: but he may not heal those whom God himself had before afflicted. He compels, through wickedness, men to swerve from the faith of their Creator to his leasings, who is the author of all leasing and wickedness. Almighty God permits the impious Antichrist to work signs, and miracles, and persecution, for three years and a half; for in that time there will be so much wickedness and perversity among mankind, that they will be well worthy of devilish persecution, to the eternal perdition of those who incline unto him, and to the eternal joy of those who by faith resist him. God also permits that his chosen servants be cleansed from all sins through great persecutions, as gold is tried in fire. The devil slays those who withstand him, and then, with holy martyrdom, they go to the kingdom of heaven. Those who believe in his leasings, those he honours, and they shall have afterwards eternal torment for reward of their sin. The impious one will cause fire to come from above, as it were from heaven, in sight of men, as if he were God Almighty, who rules over heaven and earth; but Christians must then be mindful how the devil did, when he prayed to God that he might tempt Job; he made fire to come from above, as if from heaven, and burned all his sheep out in the field, and the shepherds also, save one who should announce it to him. The devil sent not fire from heaven, though it came from above; for he himself was not in heaven, after that he, for his pride, had been cast out. Nor also hath the cruel Antichrist the power to send down heavenly fire, though he, through the devil's craft, may so pretend. It will now be wiser that everyone know this, and know his belief, lest anyone have to await great misery. Our Lord commanded his disciples that they should instruct and teach all people the things which he had himself taught to them; but of those there are too few who will well teach and well exemplify. The Lord also cried, through his prophet Ezechiel, "If thou warnest not the unrighteous, and exhortest him not, so that he turn from his wickedness and live, then shall the wicked die in his iniquity, and I will require from thee his blood," that is, his perdition. "But if thou warnest the wicked, and he will not turn from his wickedness, thou shalt release thy soul with that admonition, and the wicked shall die in his unrighteousness." Again the Almighty spake to the prophet Isaiah, "Cry and cease thou not, raise thy voice as a trumpet, and declare to my people their crimes, and to the family of Jacob their sins." From such commands it appeared to me that I should not be guiltless before God, if I would not declare to other men, by tongue or by writings, the evangelical truth, which he himself spake, and afterwards to holy teachers revealed. Very many I know in this country more learned than I am, but God manifests his wonders through whom he will. As an almighty worker he works his work through his chosen, not because he has need of our aid, but that we may earn eternal life by the performance of his work. Paul the apostle said, "We are God's assistants," and yet we do nothing for God without the assistance of God. Now I desire and beseech, in God's name, if anyone will transcribe this book, that he carefully correct it by the copy, lest we be blamed through careless writers. He does great evil who writes false, unless he correct it; it is as though he turn true doctrine to false error; therefore should everyone make that straight which he before bent crooked, if he will be guiltless at God's doom. Quid necesse est in hoc codice capitula ordinare, cum prædiximus quod xl. sententias in se contineat? excepto quod Æthelwerdus dux vellet habere xl. quattuor in suo libro.