Roy M. Liuzza and Dumbarton Oaks have given the reading public the first complete translation of the first series of Ælfric of Eynsham’s Catholic Homilies in almost two hundred years. This bare fact alone makes this an exciting publication for anyone interested in Old English literature and Benedictine culture. Liuzza, a prolific scholar and writer himself, has provided a clear and helpful volume for anyone interested in monastic culture in the medieval West, early medieval England generally, or the Church’s long tradition of preaching. To have an accessible Modern English translation alongside a fresh and straightforwardly presented edition of the Old English text is an ideal way to make the riches of Old English literature available to people who may have an active interest in Ælfric’s project but who have not had the time to dedicate to mastery of Old English.
Amidst the ongoing contemporary devaluation of the humanities and the study of ancient languages, Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library and Liuzza have, rather, committed to the value of both, to the benefit of anyone desiring greater knowledge of early medieval culture and language as well as anyone open to the wisdom of this Benedictine abbot from a millennium ago.
Jacob Riyeff
American Benedictine Review
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