The Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church/XVII

by Ælfric

DOMINICA II. POST PASCA.	THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER.
Dixit Iesus discipulis suis, Ego sum pastor bonus: et reliqua.	Dixit Jesus discipulis suis, Ego sum pastor bonus: et reliqua.
Þis godspel, þe nú geræd wæs, cwyð, þæt se Hælend cwæde be him sylfum, "Ic eom gód hyrde: se góda hyrde sylð his agen líf for his sceapum. Se hyra, seðe nis riht hyrde, he gesihð þone wulf cuman, and he forlæt ða scép and flyhð; and se wulf sum gelæcð and ða oðre tostencð," et reliqua.	This gospel, which has now been read, says, that Jesus said of himself, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his own life for his sheep. The hireling, who is not the right shepherd, seeth the wolf coming, and he forsaketh the sheep and fleeth; and the wolf teareth one, and scattereth the others," etc.
Crist is goód gecyndelice, and soðlice nis nan ðing gód butan Gode anum. Gif ænig gesceaft is gód, þonne is seo gódnys of ðam Scyppende, seðe is healice gód. He cwæð, "Se góda hyrde sylð his agen líf for his sceapum." Ure Alysend is se góda hyrde, and we cristene men sind his scép, and he sealde his agen líf for ure alysednysse. He dyde swa swa he manede, and mid þam he geswutelode hwæt he bebead. Gód hyrde wæs Petrus, and gód wæs Paulus, and góde wæron ða apostoli, ðe hyra líf sealdon for Godes folce and for rihtum geleafan; ac heora gódnys wæs of ðam heafde, þæt is Crist, ðe is heora heafod, and hí sind his lima.	Christ is good by nature, and in sooth there is nothing good, save God only. If any creature is good, then is its goodness of the Creator, who is supremely good. He said, "The good shepherd giveth his own life for his sheep." Our Redeemer is the good shepherd, and we christian men are his sheep, and he gave his own life for our redemption. He did as he exhorted, and he thereby manifested what he enjoined. A good shepherd was Peter, and good was Paul, and good were the apostles, who gave their lives for God's people and for the right faith; but their goodness was of the head, which is Christ, who is their head, and they are his limbs.
Ælc bisceop and ælc láreow is to hyrde gesett Godes folce, þæt hí sceolon þæt folc wið ðone wulf gescyldan. Se wulf is deofol, þe syrwð ymbe Godes gelaðunge, and cepð hu he mage cristenra manna sawla mid leahtrum fordón. Þonne sceal se hyrde, þæt is se bisceop oððe oðer láreow, wiðstandan þam reðan wulfe mid láre and mid gebedum. Mid lare he sceal him tæcan, þæt hi cunnon hwæt deofol tæchð mannum to forwyrde, and hwæt God bebýt to gehealdenne, for begeate þæs ecan lifes. He sceal him fore-gebiddan, þæt God gehealde þa strángan, and gehæle ða untruman. Se bið to strángum geteald, seþe wiðstent deofles lare; se bið untrum, seðe on leahtrum fylð. Ac se láreow bið unscyldig, gif he þæt folc mid lare gewissað, and him wið God geðingað. Þa twa ðing he sceal ðam folce dón, and eac mid his agenum oðrum gehelpan; and gif hit swa getímað, his agen líf syllan for ðæs folces hreddinge.	Every bishop and every teacher is placed as a shepherd over God's people, that they may shield the people against the wolf. The wolf is the devil, who lies in ambush about God's church, and watches how he may fordo the souls of christian men with sins. Then shall the shepherd, that is, the bishop or other teacher, withstand the fierce wolf with doctrine and with prayers. With doctrine he shall teach them, that they may know what the devil teaches for men's perdition, and what God commands to be observed for the attainment of everlasting life. He shall pray for them, that God may preserve the strong and heal the weak. He is to be accounted strong who withstands the precepts of the devil; he is weak who falls into sins. But the teacher will be guiltless, if he direct the people with doctrine, and mediate for them with God. These two things he shall do for the people, and also help others with his own; and if it so happen, give his own life for the saving of the people.
"Se hyra flihð þonne he ðone wulf gesihð." Se is hyra and na hyrde, seðe bið begripen on woruld-ðingum, and lufað þone wurðmynt and ða ateorigendlican edlean, and næfð inweardlice lufe to Godes sceapum. He cepð þæra sceatta, and blissað on ðam wurðmynte, and hæfð his mede for ðisum life, and bið bescyred þære ecan mede. Nast ðu hwá bið hyra, hwá hyrde, ærðam ðe se wulf cume; ac se wulf geswutelað mid hwilcum mode he gymde þæra sceapa. Se wulf cymð to ðam sceapum, and sume hé abitt, sume hé tostencð, þonne se reða deofol tihð þa cristenan men, sume to forlígre, sume hé ontent to gytsunge, sume hé arærð to modignysse, sume hé þurh graman totwæmð, and mid mislicum costnungum gastlice ofslihð. Ac se hyra ne bið naðor ne mid ware ne mid lufe astyred, ac flyhð, forðan þe hé smeað embe ða woruldlican hyðða, and lǽt to gymeleaste þære sceapa lyre. Ne flyhð he na mid lichaman, ac mid mode. He flyhð, forðan þe hé geseh unrihtwisnysse and suwade. Hé flyhð forðan ðe he is hyra, and ná hyrde, swilce hit swa gecweden sy, Ne mæg se standan ongean fræcednyssa þæra sceapa, seðe ne gymð þæra sceapa mid lufe, ac tylað his sylfes; þæt is þæt hé lufað þa eorðlican gestreon, and na Godes folc.	"The hireling fleeth when he seeth the wolf." He is a hireling and not a shepherd, who is engaged in worldly things, and loves dignity and perishable rewards, and has no inward love for God's sheep. He takes heed of treasures, and rejoices in dignity, and has his reward in this life, and will be cut off from the everlasting reward. Thou knowest not who is a hireling, who a shepherd, before the wolf comes; but the wolf makes manifest in what manner he watches the sheep. The wolf comes to the sheep, and some he devours, some he scatters, when the fierce devil instigates christian men, some to adultery, some he inflames to covetousness, some he lifts up to pride, some through anger he divides, and with divers temptations spiritually slays: for the hireling is excited neither by care nor love, but flees, because he considers worldly advantages, and leaves unheeded the loss of the sheep. He flees not with body, but with mind. He flees because he saw iniquity and held silence. He flees because he is a hireling and not a shepherd, as though it were so said, He cannot stand against the perils of the sheep, who guardeth not the sheep with love, but provideth for himself; that is, he loves worldly gain, and not God's folk.
Wulf bið eac se unrihtwisa rica, ðe bereafað þa cristenan, and ða eadmodan mid his riccetere ofsitt: ac se hyra, oððe se médgylda ne gedyrstlæcð þæt he his unrihtwisnysse wiðstande, þæt he ne forleose his wurðmynt, and ða woruldlican gestreon ðe he lufað swiðor ðonne þa cristenan menn. Be ðisum awrát se wítega Ezechiel, þus cweðende, "Ge hyrdas, gehyrað Godes word: Mine scép sint tostencte ðurh eowre gymeleaste, and sind abítene. Ge cariað embe eowerne bigleofan, and ná embe þæra sceapa; forði ic wille ofgán ða scép æt eowrum handum; and ic do þæt ge geswícað þære wícan, and ic wylle ahreddan mine eowde wið eow. Ic sylf wylle gadrian mine scép þe wæron tostencte, and ic wylle hi healdan on genihtsumere læse: þæt þæt losode þæt ic wylle sécan and ongean lædan; þæt þæt alefed wæs, þæt ic gehæle; þæt untrume ic wylle getrymman, and þæt strange gehealdan, and ic hí læswige on dome and on rihtwisnysse."	The unrighteous powerful man also is a wolf, who robs christians, and oppresses the humble with his power: for the hireling, or the mercenary, dares not withstand his unrighteousness lest he lose his dignity, and the worldly gain which he loves more than christian men. Concerning this the prophet Ezechiel wrote, thus saying, "Ye shepherds, hear the word of God: My sheep are scattered through your heedlessness, and are devoured. Ye care for your own sustenance, and not for that of the sheep; therefore I will require the sheep at your hands, and I will cause you to depart from the fold, and I will deliver my flock from you. I myself will gather my sheep that were scattered, and I will feed them in an abundant pasture: that which was lost I will seek and bring again; that which was maimed I will heal; the sick I will strengthen, and feed the strong, and I will pasture them in judgement and in righteousness."
Þas word spræc God þurh ðone wítegan Ezechiel, be láreowum and be his folce. Ge sceolon beon geornfulle to eower agenre ðearfe, þeah hit swa getimige þæt se láreow gimeleas beo, and doð swa swa Crist tæhte, "Gif se láreow wel tǽce and yfele bysnige, doð swa swa he tæcð, and na be ðam þe hé bysnað." Se Hælend cwæð be him, "Ic eom gód hyrde, and ic oncnawe mine scép, and hí oncnawað me." Þæt is, ic lufige hí, and hí lufiað me. Se ðe ne lufað soðfæstnysse, ne oncneow he na gyt God. Ac behealde ge hwæðer ge sind Godes scép, hwæðer ge hine gyt oncneowon, hwæðer ge mid soðfæstnysse hine lufiað. Hé cwæð, "Swa swa min Fæder oncnǽwð me, and ic oncnáwe hine, and ic sylle min agen lif for minum sceapum." He oncnǽwð his Fæder ðurh hine sylfne, and we oncnawað þurh hine. Mid þære lufe þe hé wolde for mancynne sweltan, mid þære hé cyðde hú micclan hé lufað his Fæder. He cwæð, "Ic hæbbe oðre scép þe ne sind na of ðisre eowde, and ða ic sceal lædan, and hi gehyrað mine stemne, and sceal beon án eowd, and án hyrde."	These words spake God through the prophet Ezechiel, concerning teachers and concerning his people. Ye should be zealous for your own need (though it so happen that the teacher be heedless), and do as Christ taught, "If the teacher teach well, and give evil example, do as he teacheth, and not according to his example." Jesus says of himself, "I am a good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and they know me." That is, I love them, and they love me. He who loves not truth, he yet knows not God. But consider whether ye are God's sheep, whether ye yet know him, whether ye with truth love him. He said, "As my Father knoweth me, I also know him, and I give my own life for my sheep." He knows his Father through himself, and we know him through him. With that love with which he would die for mankind, he manifested how greatly he loves his Father. He said, "I have other sheep which are not of this fold, and those I shall bring, and they will hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd."
Þis hé spræc on Iudea-lande: ðær wæs án eowd of ðam mannum þe on God belyfdon on ðam leodscipe. Þa oðre scép syndon þa þe of eallum oðrum eardum to Gode búgað; and Crist hí gebrincð ealle on ánre eowde on ðam ecan life. Manega sind hyrdas under Criste, and ðeah-hwæðere he is ána heora ealra Hyrde, seðe leofað and rixað mid Fæder and mid Halgum Gaste, á on ecnysse. Amen.	This he spake in the land of Juda: there was a fold of men who believed in God in that nation. The other sheep are those of all other countries who incline to God; and Christ will bring them all to one fold in eternal life. Many are the shepherds under Christ, and yet he alone is Shepherd of them all, who liveth and ruleth with the Father and with the Holy Ghost ever to eternity. Amen.