Anglo-Saxon Spirituality: Selected Writings

The beauty, the mystery and the power of Anglo-Saxon civilization have long fascinated lovers of history and literature. Now, with this volume in the much-lauded Classics of Western Spirituality ™ readers are invited to discover the heart and soul of this culture-its spirituality. Extending from the mid-400’s to 1066, the Norman Conquest of England, the Anglo-Saxon age demonstrated a fusion of the Christian and the pagan/heroic, rending their literature compelling and their spirituality unique.

This volume presents a wide-ranging selection of Anglo-Saxon writings both in poetry and prose. There are sermons extolling the heroism of saints, homilies explaining church festivals and customs, poetical paraphrases of excerpts from the Bible, visions of Judgment Day, allegories, hagiographies and didactic pieces, as well as the celebrated Dream of the Rood and Caedmon’s Hymn, the earliest of English poems. All pieces, freshly and engagingly translated by Robert Boenig, are arranged according to the manuscripts in which they can be found.

With this extraordinary selection of texts from the Anglo-Saxon tradition, this volume is sure to attract an audience that includes medievalists, church historians and religious professionals, who will appreciate its historical and religious insights. In addition, those who teach or study medieval English literature will want to adopt it for course and research work.