This homily continues with an exposition of the Gospel reading for the day. For the sake of time and this project, I've translated only the portion relating to the Feast of All Saints.
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XXXVI. Kalande Novembris. Natale Omnium Sanctorum
36. November 1: Nativity of All Saints
Preface_Align_Text-Preface_Align1. Halige lareowas ræddon þæt seo geleaffulle gelaðung þisne dæg Eallum Halgum to wurþmynte mærsige, and arwurðlice freolsige; for þan ðe hi ne mihton heora ælcum synderlice freolstide gesettan, ne nanum menn on andweardum life nis heora eallra nama cuð, swa swa Iohannes se Godspellere[1] on his gastlican gesihðe awrat, þus cweðende, “Ic geseah swa micele menigu, swa nan man geryman ne mæg, of eallum ðeodum and of ælcere mægðe, standende ætforan Godes þrymsetle, ealle mid hwitum gyrlum gescrydde, healdende palm-twigu on heora handum, and sungon mid hluddre stemne, ‘Sy hælu urum Gode þe sitt ofer his þrymsetle.’ And ealle englas stodon on ymbhwyrfte his þrymsetles, and aluton to Gode, þus cweðende, ‘Sy urum Gode bletsung and beorhtnys, wisdom and þancung, wurðmynt and strengð, on ealra worulda woruld.’ Amen.”1. Holy teachers have taught that the believing church should reverently observe and celebrate this day in honor of all the saints, because they could not set a feast-day for each of them separately, nor are all their names known to any man in the present day. As John the Evangelist wrote, describing his spiritual vision: “I saw such a great gathering, so many that no one could number, of all people and from every nation, standing before the throneseat of God, clothed all in white garments, holding palmbranches in their hands, and singing with a loud voice, ‘Salvation is of our God Who sits on His throneseat.’ And all the angels stood in a circle around His throneseat and bowed before Him, saying, ‘Blessing and brightness, wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and strength be to our God, world without end.’ Amen.”[2]NativityAllSaintsOE-NativityAllSaintsME2. Godes halgan sind englas and menn. Englas sind gastas butan lichaman. Þa gesceop se Ælmihtiga Wealdend on micelre fægernysse, him sylfum to lofe, and to wuldre and wurðmynte his mægenþrymme on ecnysse. Be þam we forhtiað fela to sprecenne, for þan ðe Gode anum is to gewitenne hu heora ungesewenlice gecynd, butan ælcere besmitennysse oþþe wanunge, on ecere hluttornysse þurhwunað. Þeahhwæðere we oncnawað on halgum gewritum, þæt nigon engla werod sind wunigende on heofonlicum þrymme, þe næfre nane synne ne gefremedon. Þæt teoðe werod þurh modignesse losode, and to awyrgedum gastum behwyrfede wurdon, and ascofene of heofonlicere myrhðe inn to hellicere susle.2. God’s saints are angels and men. Angels are spirits without bodies, whom the Almighty Ruler shaped with great beauty, for His own honor and glory and praise of His majesty through eternity. Concerning this, we fear to say much, because God alone knows how their invisible nature continues in eternal purity without any blemish or impairment. Yet we know from the Holy Writ[3] that there are nine hosts of angels dwelling in heavenly majesty who never did any wrongdoing. The tenth host, through arrogance, strayed and were made to become cursed spirits, and were expelled from heavenly joy into hellish torment.[4]NativityAllSaintsOE-NativityAllSaintsME3. Soðlice sume ðæra haligra gasta, þe mid heora Scyppende þurhwunodon, to us asende cumað, and towearde ðing cyðað. Sume hi wyrcað, be Godes dihte, tacna and gelomlice wundra on middangearde. Sume hi synd ealdras gesette þam oðrum englum, to gefyllenne þa godcundlican gerynu. Þurh sume gesett God and toscæt his domas. Sume hi sind swa micclum to Gode geðeodde, þæt nane oðre him betwynan ne synd, and hi ðonne on swa micclan maran lufe byrnende beoð, swa micclum swa hi Godes beorhtnysse scearplicor sceawiað. Nu is þes dæg þisum englum arwurðlice gehalgod, and eac þam halgum mannum, þe þurh miccle geðincða fram frymðe middangeardes Gode geþugon.3. But some of those holy spirits who continued with their Creator come sent to us and make known things about the future. Some of them, at God’s command, work signs and frequent wonders on earth. Some of them are set as chiefs over other angels to oversee the divine mysteries. Through some, God sets and determines His judgment. Some of them are so greatly united with God that none stand between them, and therefore those angels burn with so much greater love inasmuch as they more keenly behold the brightness of God. Today is now reverently hallowed for these angels, and also for those holy people who, from the beginning of the world, have increased toward God with great honor.NativityAllSaintsOE-NativityAllSaintsME4. Of þisum wæron ærest heahfæderas, eawfæste and wuldorfulle weras on heora life, witegena fæderas, þæra gemynd ne bið forgiten, and heora nama þurhwunað on ecnysse; for þan ðe hi wæron Gode gecweme þurh geleafan, and rihtwisnysse, and gehyrsumnysse. Þisum fyligð þæra witegena gecorennys: hi wæron Godes gesprecan, and þam he æteowde his digelnysse, and hi onlihte mid gife þæs Halgan Gastes, swa þæt hi wiston þa towerdan ðing, and mid witigendlicere gyddunge bododon. Witodlice þa gecorenan witegan mid manegum tacnum and forebicnungum on heora life scinende wæron. Hi gehældon manna untrumnysse, and deaddra manna lic to life arærdon. Hi eac for folces þwyrnysse heofonan scuras oftugon, and eft miltsigende getiþodon. Hi heofodon folces synna, and heora wrace on him sylfum forscytton. Cristes menniscnysse, and his ðrowunge, and ærist, and upstige, and ðone micclan dom, þurh ðone Halgan Gast gelærede, hi witegodon.4. Of these people, the earliest were the patriarchs, lawfast and glorious men during their lives, the fathers of prophets, whose memories will not be forgotten and whose names will continue throughout eternity; for they were pleasing to God in their faith and righteousness and obedience. The elect of the prophets followed these men—they were the speakers of God, and to them He revealed His mysteries, and He opened their eyes with the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that they had knowledge of things to come and proclaimed them with prophetic songs. Indeed, these chosen prophets were radiant with many signs and fortokens in their lives. They healed the people’s infirmities and raised dead bodies back to life. Because of the people’s wickedness, they also withheld showers from heaven and in pity allowed them again. They lamented the sin of the people and prevented their misery by taking it on themselves. Christ’s humanity and His passion and resurrection and ascension and the great judgement, which they learned through the Holy Ghost, they prophesied.NativityAllSaintsOE-NativityAllSaintsME5. On ðære Nywan Gecyðnysse forðstop Iohannes se Fulluhtere, seðe mid witegunge Cristes tocyme bodode, and eac mid his fingre hine gebicnode. "Betwux wifa bearnum ne aras nan mærra mann þonne is Iohannes se Fulluhtere." Þisum Godes cempan geþwærlæcð þæt twelffealde getel Cristes apostola, þe he sylf geceas him to leorning-cnihtum, and hi mid rihtum geleafan and soðre lare geteah, and eallum ðeodum to lareowum gesette, swa þæt se sweg heora bodunge ferde geond ealle eorðan, and heora word becomon to gemærum ealles ymbhwyrftes. To ðisum twelf apostolum cwæð se Ælmihtiga Hælend, "Ge sind middangeardes leoht: scine eower leoht swa ætforan mannum, þæt hi geseon eowre godan weorc, and wuldrian eowerne Fæder þe on heofonum is. Ge sind mine frynd, and ic cyðe eow swa hwæt swa ic æt minum Fæder gehyrde." Eornostlice Drihten forgeaf þa mihte his twelf apostolum, þæt hi ða ylcan wundra worhton þe he sylf on middangearde gefremode. And swa hwæt swa hi bindað ofer eorðan, þæt bið on heofonum gebunden; and swa hwæt swa hi unbindað ofer eorðan, þæt bið unbunden on heofonum. Eac he him behet mid soðfæstum behate, þæt hi on ðam micclum dome ofer twelf domsetlum sittende beoð, to demenne eallum mannum þe æfre on lichaman lif underfengon.[9]5. In the New Testament, John the Baptist stepped forward, who made known the coming of Christ with prophecy, and pointed Him out with his finger as well. “Among all the children of women there did not arise a better man than John the Baptist.”[5] The twelvefold number of Christ’s apostles are also accounted with God’s champions, whom He chose for Himself as disciples and instructed in right faith and true knowledge and sent as teachers to all tribes, so that the sound of their testimony went around all the earth and their words came to the furthest boundaries.[6] To these twelve apostles the Almighty Savior said, “You are the light of the world. Shine your light before men, so that they may see your good work and glorify your Father who is in heaven. You are my friends, and I make known to you whatever I have heard from my Father.”[7] Truly the Lord gave power to his twelve apostles, that they might work the same wonders that he himself performed on earth; and whatever they bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever they unbind on earth will be unbound in heaven.[8] He also promised with a steadfast promise that in the Great Judgement they would be sitting in twelve judgementseats to judge all those who have ever had life in the body.NativityAllSaintsOE-NativityAllSaintsME6. Æfter þam apostolican werode we wurðiað þone gefæstan heap Godes cyðera, þe ðurh mislice tintrega Cristes ðrowunge werlice geefenlæhton, and ðurh martyrdom þæt upplice rice geferdon. Sume hi wæron mid wæpnum ofslagene, sume on lige forswælede, oðre mid swipum ofbeatene, oþre mid stengum þurhðyde, sume on hengene gecwylmede, sume on widdre sæ besencte, oðre cuce behylde, oðre mid isenum clawum totorene, sume mid stanum ofhrorene, sume mid winterlicum cyle geswencte, sume mid hungre gecwylmede, sume handum and fotum forcorfene, folce to wæfersyne, for geleafan and halgum naman Hælendes Cristes. Þas sind þa sigefæstan Godes frynd, þe ðæra forscyldgodra ealdormanna hæsa forsawon, and nu hi sind gewuldorbeagode midsige heora þrowunga on ecere myrhðe. Hi mihton beon lichamlice acwealde, ac hi ne mihton fram Gode þurh nane tintregunga beon gebigede. Heora hiht wæs mid undeadlicnysse afylled, þeah ðe hi ætforan mannum getintregode wæron. Hi wæron sceortlice gedrehte, and langlice gefrefrode; for þan ðe God heora afandode swa swa gold on ofne, and he afunde hi him wyrðe, and swa swa halige offrunga, hi underfeng to his heofonlican rice.6. After the apostolic host, we honor the victorious band of God’s martyrs, who through various torments courageously imitated the suffering of Christ, and through martyrdom ascended to the celestial kingdom. Some of them were slain by weapons; some burned up in flames; others beaten with scourges; others pierced through with spears; some tortured in crucifixion; some sunk in the wide sea; others flayed alive; others torn with iron claws; some overcome by stoning; some vexed by winter chill; some afflicted by hunger; some, with hands and feet cut off, made a spectacle to people for their faith and for the holy name of Jesus Christ. These are the victorious friends of God, who rejected the commands of wicked rulers and now are crowned in glory with the victories of their suffering in eternal joy. They might have been killed bodily, but they could not be turned from God by any torment. Their hope was satisfied by immortality, though they were tormented by men. They were vexed shortly and consoled longly, because God tried them as gold in a furnace and found them worthy, and as holy offerings He received them into His heavenly kingdom.NativityAllSaintsOE-NativityAllSaintsME7. Æfter ablunnenre ehtnysse reðra cynega and ealdormanna, on siblicere drohtnunge Godes gelaðunge, wæron halige sacerdas Gode ðeonde, þa mid soðre lare and mid halgum gebysnungum folces menn to Gode symle gebigdon. Heora mod wæs hluttor, and mid clænnysse afylled, and hi mid clænum handum Gode Ælmihtigum æt his weofode ðenodon, mærsigende þa halgan gerynu Cristes lichaman and his blodes. Eac hi offrodon hi sylfe Gode liflice onsægednysse butan womme, oþþe gemencgednysse þwyrlices weorces. Hi befæston Godes lare heora underþeoddum, to unateorigendlicum gafele, and heora mod mid þreatunge, and bene, and micelre gymene to lifes wege gebigdon, and for nanum woruldlicum ege Godes riht ne forsuwodon; and ðeah ðe hi swurdes ecge ne gefreddon, þeah ðurh heora lifes geearnunga hi ne beoð martyrdomes bedælede, for þan þe martyrdom bið gefremmed na on blodes gyte anum, ac eac swylce on synna forhæfednysse, and on biggenge Godes beboda.7. Once the persecution of savage kings came to an end, in the peaceful conversation of God’s assembly holy priests were growing toward God, men who with sound doctrine and holy examples always turned the minds of the people back to God. Their souls were pure and filled with cleanness, and with clean hands they served God Almighty at His alter, celebrating the holy mysteries of Christ’s body and blood. They also offered themselves to God as a living oblation, without blemish or works mixed with perversity. They fixed the teaching of God in their followers as an unfailing tribute, and with rebuke and prayer and great diligence turned their souls toward the way of life. For no fear of the world would they keep silent concerning God’s law. And though they did not feel the persecution of the sword, yet, for the merits of their lives they are not deprived martyrdom; for martyrdom is not achieved by the shedding of blood alone, but also by abstaining from sin and by observing God’s commands.NativityAllSaintsOE-NativityAllSaintsME8. Þysum fyligð ancersetlena drohtnung, and synderlic ingehyd. Þa on westenum wunigende, woruldlice estas and gælsan mid strecum mode and stiðum life fortrædon. Hi forflugon woruldmanna gesihðe and herunge, and on waclicum screafum oððe hulcum lutigende, deorum geferlæhte, to engelicum spræcum gewunode, on micclum wundrum scinende wæron. Blindum hi forgeafon gesihðe, healtum færeld, deafum hlyst, dumbum spræce. Deoflu hi oferswyðdon and afligdon, and ða deadan þurh Godes mihte arærdon. Seo boc þe is gehaten Uitae Patrum sprecð menigfealdlice embe þyssera ancersetlena, and eac gemænelicra muneca drohtnunge, and cwyð, þæt heora wæs fela ðusenda gehwær on westenum and on mynstrum wundorlice drohtnigende, ac swa þeah swyðost on Egipta lande. Sume hi leofodon be ofete and wyrtum, sume be agenum geswince, sumum ðenodon englas, sumum fugelas, oðþæt englas eft on eaðelicum forðsiðe hi to Gode feredon.8. The way of life and private knowledge of the anchorites and hermits follow. These men, dwelling in wastes, trod worldly favor and extravagance underfoot with strict souls and stern lifestyles. They fled from the sight and praise of worldly men, and, skulking in squalid caves or huts, keeping company with beasts, becoming accustomed to angelic speech, they shone with great splendor. They gave sight to the blind, movement to the lame, hearing to the deaf, speech to the mute. They overcame demons and put them to flight, and raised the dead through the power of God. The book Vitae Patrum speaks at length about these anchorites, and more generally about the community of monks, and tells us that there were several thousand of them dwelling wonderfully in both wastes and monasteries, and exceedingly so in the land of Egypt.[10] Some of them lived on fruits and herbs, some of them by their own labor; angels served some, and birds served others, until angels carried them to God in an easy death.NativityAllSaintsOE-NativityAllSaintsME9. ✠ Eala ðu, eadige Godes cennestre, symle mæden Maria, tempel ðæs Halgan Gastes, mæden ær geeacnunge, mæden on geeacnunge, mæden æfter geeacnunge, micel is ðin mærð on ðisum freolsdæge betwux þam foresædum halgum; for þan ðe ðurh þine clænan cenninge[12] him eallum becom halignyss and ða heofonlican geðincðu. We sprecað be ðære heofonlican cwene endebyrdlice æfter wifhade, þeahhwæðere eal seo geleaffulle gelaðung getreowfullice be hire singð, þæt heo is geuferod and ahafen ofer engla werod to þam wuldorfullan heahsetle. Nis be nanum oðrum halgan gecweden, þæt heora ænig ofer engla werod ahafen sy, buton be Marian anre. Heo æteowde mid hire gebysnungum þæt heofonlice lif on eorðan, for þan þe mægðhad is ealra mægna cwen and gefera heofonlicra engla. Ðyses mædenes gebysnungum and fotswaðum fyligde ungerim heap mægðhades manna on clænnysse þurhwunigende, forlætenum giftum, to ðam heofonlicum brydguman Criste geþeodende mid anrædum mode, and haligre drohtnunge, and sidefullum gyrlan, to þan swiðe, þæt heora for wel menige for mæigðhade martyrdom geðrowodon, and swa mid twyfealdum sige to heofonlicum eardungstowum wuldorfulle becomon.9. ✠ O Blessed Theotokos,[11] Mary Ever-Virgin, temple of the Holy Ghost, maiden before conceiving, maiden in conceiving, maiden after conceiving, great is your glory on this feast-day among the aforementioned saints, because through your pure birth holiness and heavenly honor came to them all. We speak concerning the heavenly queen, as is custom, according to her womanhood; yet all the assembly of believers faithfully sing of her that she is exalted and lifted over the hosts of angels up to the glorious throne. It is not said of any other saint that they are lifted up over the hosts of angels, but only of Mary alone. Through her conduct, she modeled heavenly life on earth, for celibacy is queen of all virtues and the companion of heavenly angels. A countless number of celibate people followed the Virgin’s example and footsteps, continuing in chasteness, letting go of marriage, joining themselves to their heavenly bridegroom Christ with resolved minds and holy conduct and modest apparel, to the point that a good many of them suffered martyrdom for their chasteness, and so they came with a twofold reward to their wonderful heavenly dwellingplace.NativityAllSaintsOE-NativityAllSaintsME10. Eallum ðisum foresædum halgum, þæt is, englum and Godes gecorenum mannum, is þyses dæges wurðmynt gemærsod on geleaffulre gelaðunge, him to wurðmynte and us to fultume, þæt we ðurh heora þingrædene him geferlæhte beon moton. Þæs us getiðige se mildheorta Drihten, þe hi ealle and us mid his deorwurðan blode fram deofles hæftnedum alysde. We sceolon on ðyssere mærlican freolstide mid halgum gebedum and lofsangum us geinnian, swa hwæt swa we on oðrum freolsdagum ealles geares ymbrynes, þurh mennisce tyddernysse hwonlicor gefyldon, and carfullice hogian þæt we to ðære ecan freolstide becumon.10. The honor of this day is celebrated in the assembly of believers, for all these aforementioned saints (that is, the angels and God’s chosen people), as an honor for them and a help for us, that through their intercession we might be in fellowship with them. May the kindhearted Lord grant us this fellowship, He who freed us and all of them from the devil’s captivity with His dear-precious blood. On this splendid feast-day, we ought to make up for ourselves whatever we, through our human weakness, only did slightly on the other feast-days over the course of the year, with holy supplications and songs of praise, and we ought to carefully reflect on it so that we may come to the eternal feast-day.
Notes
This is literally ‘Gospell-er’ or ‘one who does Gospels.’ It seems a shame to lose a lovely little word like ‘Gospeller.’ ^
Here Ælfric draws a distinction between men, who have life in the body, and angels, who were described above as “spirits without bodies.” ^
The first encyclopedic collection of the Vitae Patrum dates to 1615, though most of the original texts date from before the 5th century. ^
OE cennestre is a particularly profound word. Generally speaking, it means ‘one who has borne a child; mother,’ but it also carries a sense of ‘one who produces; one who brings forth.’ The term seems to unite carrying a child and then delivering. The importance of ‘carrying’ leads me to translate the word as Theotokos, from the Greek meaning ‘God-bearer.’ (See also note 2 in the homily on the Feast of the Assumption.) ^
These two words gave me perhaps the greatest trouble in all this translation. The OE clænan cenninge literally means ‘clean birth(?),’ but it’s unclear what the reference precisely is. It most probably refers to the Virgin Birth, Mary’s chaste childbirth of Christ. However, Ælfric also uses cenninge synonymously with ‘conception’ and combined with the possessive pronoun þine ‘your,’ the meaning is muddied further. What does ‘your conception’ mean? Is it ‘your conception’ of your child, or is it your mother’s ‘conception of you’? The first, the subjective genitive, would refer to Mary’s conception of Christ, while the second, the objective genitive, may be the earliest reference in Britain to the Immaculate Conception of Mary. I argued with myself over whether I could reasonably translate þine clænan cenninge as ‘your Immaculate Conception,’ but ultimately I decided against this until I can do suitable linguistic and historical research regarding the development of this doctrine in the early English Church. ^