Vulgarising Christianity: the Old English version of the <i>Elucidarium</i>

Sciacca, Claudia Di

doi:10.1484/m.tmt.1.101429

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“…60 As Claudia di Sciacca notes in her study of the Old English translation, the question of whether evil had substance was 'much debated within Anselmian circles'. 61 The archbishop synthesised his thoughts on the matter in a letter to a favourite pupil Maurice, presumably in response to a request, and Ralph prior of Rochester repeats the argument in his own devotional treatises. 62 The Old English excerpts from Honorius' works are short snatches in a larger anthology, yet their importance as evidence for the diffusion of Anselm's ideas at Canterbury cannot be overstated; these brief translations show us how ideas formulated in Anselm's circle were absorbed and reformulated by English-speaking monks.…”

Section: Network and Connections: Old English And The Circle Of Saint...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Old English Literary Culture and the Circle of Saint Anselm

Younge¹

2021

Anselm of Canterbury: Communities, Contemporaries and Criticism

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In a well-known letter to Pope Alexander II, Lanfranc described himself as a 'new Englishman' (novus Anglus), a claim, which, while reminiscent (probably deliberately) of Augustine of Canterbury's initial reports to Pope Gregory the Great, implies an openness to English culture. 1 Anselm imitated Lanfranc's (and Gregory's) words at his own appointment to Canterbury, and seems to have cultivated close friendships with Englishmen, 'creating both casual and intense ties with a number of natives', notably with his biographer Eadmer. 2 Indeed, it is Eadmer who records Anselm's perception of himself as an heir to Pope Gregory the Great's mission to the English in 597, a venture that was defined by a pragmatic approach to evangelism and willingness to compromise in order to connect with the Anglo-Saxons. In a sermon delivered by Anselm and written down by Eadmer in his personal manuscript, we catch a valuable glimpse of Anselm addressing the English contingent of the priory at Canterbury, which he appeals to by emphasising his status as an heir to the Gregorian legacy:Yes brothers, for perhaps some from that race are present giving ear to me saying these things-indeed I say, you English, who have been made brothers to us in the Christian faith, you received as an apostle the blessed Gregory who was predestined and sent to you by God, and, by him preaching through his envoys, you lowered your necks to the yoke of the Christian faith. 3 Anselm's strong sense of pastoral purpose, coupled with a flexible approach to instruction and communication, emerge in the Vita Anselmi. Here, for instance, Eadmer recalls Anselm's sensitivity to the varying educational and linguistic competencies of his audience:For he adapted his words to every class of men, so that his hearers declared that nothing could have been spoken more appropriate to their station. He spoke to monks, to clerks, and to laymen, ordering his words to the way of life of each. 41 This chapter was written with financial support from the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF102ID).

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Section: Network and Connections: Old English And The Circle Of Saint...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Old English Literary Culture and the Circle of Saint Anselm

Younge¹

2021

Anselm of Canterbury: Communities, Contemporaries and Criticism

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Vulgarising Christianity: the Old English version of the Elucidarium

Cited by 1 publication

References 0 publications

Old English Literary Culture and the Circle of Saint Anselm

Old English Literary Culture and the Circle of Saint Anselm

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