EBOOK
The Old English Rule of Saint Benedict
With Related Old English Texts
ÆthelwoldSeries: Cistercian Studies4
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About
St. Æthelwold (904/9 –984), abbot of Abingdon and bishop of Winchester, made the first translation of the Rule of Saint Benedict into English (or, indeed, into any vernacular language) as part of the tenth-century English Benedictine Reform. This movement dramatically affected the trajectory of religious life in early medieval England and influenced the ways in which secular power was conceived and wielded in the kingdom. Æthelwold's translation into Old English reworks Benedict's Latin text through numerous silent additions, omissions, and instances of explanatory material, revealing an Anglo-Saxon ecclesiastical and political reformer intent on making this foundational Latin text more readily accessible to the new monks and nuns of the Reform and to the laity. Presented with related texts composed in Old English, this volume makes Æthelwold's transformation of Benedict's Rule available in Modern English translation for the first time.
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Reviews
"This terrific book will be a boon both to scholars of the history of Benedictine monasticism and to those who seek to explore the spirituality of St. Æthelwold and his reform. The scholarly apparatus will facilitate deep study of the Old English Rule as well as its affinity with the Latin Rule. The translation, while eloquent, is faithful to Æthelwold's own language and to his intentions for the
Julie Ann Smith, Senior Lecturer in Medieval History, University of Sydney
"The vast corpus of Old English literature captures a fascinating cultural exchange as Latin learning was translated into a Germanic vernacular. For too long, this material has been largely unread outside of linguistic or English departments, and scholars of religious history have been unaware of its contents. Jacob Riyeff's new translation of The Old English Rule of Saint Benedict is part of a ne
Derek Olsen, author of Reading Matthew with Monks: Liturgical Interpretation in Anglo-Saxo
"Dr. Riyeff's book performs a valuable service for all who are interested in the medieval reception of Benedict's Rule. Most usefully, Riyeff's fluent translation of the often difficult Old English version of the Rule encloses in angled brackets all of the more substantial additions and alterations that the tenth-century translator, Bishop Æthelwold of Winchester, made to the Latin original. Such
Christopher A. Jones, Ohio State University
Extended Details
- SeriesCistercian Studies #264