Ælfric of Eynsham (955-1010) was an English abbot of the late 10th century who won renown as a homilist (he is sometimes known as Ælfric the Grammarian or Ælfric the Homilist). While serving as the first Abbot of Cerne in Dorset during the 990s, Ælfric began composing his homilies that would become known as the Sermones Catholici, a series of sermons for the liturgical year in Anglo-Saxon drawn from the Bible and Church Fathers. Completed in two books between 990 and 994, Ælfric’s Sermones Catholici are believed to be the oldest extant sermons written in a Germanic tongue.
Why did Ælfric choose to write in Anglo-Saxon instead of Latin, as was common? In the preface to his first book of the Sermones, Ælfric explains his rationale—the paucity of reliable translations of spiritual and theological works into English, which was a occasion of great ignorance among many of the Anglo-Saxon clergy. Ælfric explains that, while he had originally planned his work in Latin, these considerations led him to compose the book in Anglo-Saxon instead. He wrote:
I Ælfric, monk and mass-priest, although more weakly than for such orders is fitting, was sent, in King Æthelred’s day, from bishop Ælfeah [of Winchester], Æthelwold’s successor, to a minster which is called Cerne, at the prayer of Æthelmær the thane, whose birth and goodness are known everywhere. Then it occurred to my mind, I trust through God’s grace, that I would turn this book from the Latin language into the English tongue; not from confidence of great learning, but because I have seen and heard of much error in many English books, which unlearned men, through their simplicity, have esteemed as great wisdom: and I regretted that they knew not nor had not the evangelical doctrines among their writings, those men only excepted who knew Latin, and those books excepted which king Ælfred wisely turned from Latin into English, which are to be had. For this cause I presumed, trusting in God, to undertake this task. (1)
The Sermones Catholici were translated from Anglo-Saxon into modern English in 1844 by Benjamin Thorpe, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. We present here Ælfric’s homily for the First Sunday of Advent, as found in Book I of the Sermones.
The service of this day and the celebration of this tide speak concerning God’s advent. This tide until midwinter is called Adventus Domini, that is, “The Lord’s Coming.” His advent is his humanity. He came to us when he took our nature to his Almighty Godhead, to the end that he might redeem us from the power of the devil.
The custom now stands in God’s church, that all God’s servants in the church services, both in holy readings and in harmonious hymns, constantly at this tide recite the songs of the prophets. The prophets, through the Spirit of God, prophesied Christ’s advent through humanity, and of that composed many books, which we now read over at God’s service before his birth-tide, to his honour, for that he would so mercifully visit us. Christ came at that time to mankind visibly, but he is ever invisibly with his chosen servants, as he himself promised, thus saying, “Lo, I will be with you on all days until the consummation of this world.” By these words he manifested that there will ever be, until the ending of the world, men chosen to him, who will be worthy that with him they may have habitation with God.
The holy prophets prophesied both the first advent at the birth, and also the latter at the great doom [i.e. judgment’. We also, God’s servants, confirm our faith with the services of this tide, because we in our hymns confess our redemption through his first advent, and we admonish ourselves to be ready on his latter advent, that we may from that doom follow him to everlasting life, as he has promised us. Of the celebration of this tide the apostle Paul, in this epistle to the Roman people, and also to all believing men, spake, thus admonishing, “My brothers, know ye that it is now time for us to arise from sleep: our salvation is nearer than we believed. The night is departed, and the day has approached. Let us cast away works of darkness, and be invested with weapons of light, so that we by day may go honestly; not in gluttony and drunkenness, not in adulteries and uncleannesses, not in strife and envy; but be invested by the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The apostle has excited us to arise at some time from the sleep of our sluggishness and disbelief, as ye in this present lesson have heard. “My brothers, know ye that it is now time for us to arise from sleep.” Verily it befits us not to be always delicate in our faith, as a tender child, but we should hasten to perfect excellence through the observance of God’s commandments. We should shake sluggish sleep from us, and forsake the devil’s works, and go in the light, that is, in good works. Of old the light of knowledge shone over the circumference of earth, and very many shine in the way of truth, who go through the evangelic path to the joy of everlasting life. Lo now “our salvation is nearer than we believed.” Through increasing knowledge and good will, salvation is nearer to every one than it was to him when he at first believed, and therefore he should ever increase in daily diligence, as the psalmist said of God’s chosen, “The holy go from virtue to virtue.”
Also to every man is his last day nearer and nearer; and the common doom approaches daily, at which every one will receive according to what he has merited in body, whether good or evil. Let us then flee from every evil, and do good according to our power, lest we be willing when we cannot, and pray for time when death compels us to depart. “The night is departed, and the day has approached.” Here the apostle has placed night for the old ignorance, which reigned through all the world before Christ’s advent; but he scattered the erroneous ignorance by the illumination of his presence, as the bright day drives away the dim darkness of the swart night. The devil is also called night, and Christ day, who has mercifully released us from the devil’s darkness, and given us the light of knowledge and truth. “Let us cast away works of darkness, and be invested with weapons of light, so that we by day may go honestly.” Let us by confession and repentance cast away the forthgone evils, and let us henceforth strongly withstand the instigations of the devil, as the same apostle in another place exhorted his followers, “Withstand the devil, and he will flee from you; draw near unto God, and he will draw near unto you.” The weapons of light are works of righteousness and truth. With those weapons we should be invested, so that we by day may go honestly. As the light of day forbids everyone to perpetrate that which the night allows, so also the knowledge of truth, that is, the thought of our Lord’s will, allows us not to perpetrate deeds of wickedness.
We are ever seen by God, both without and within; therefore everyone who wills not to be condemned should especially take care that he transgress not God’s commandments, either by gluttony or drunkenness. We should have ghostly [i.e. spiritual] refection, as the same apostle taught in these words, “When ye gather yourselves to refection, let each of you have salutary lore in mouth, and psalm-book in hand.” Drunkenness is a death-bearing thing, and the material of libidinousness. Solomon said, “Nothing is secret where drunkenness reigns.” In another place the same apostle bewailed the life of intemperate men, thus saying, “Their belly is their God, and their end is perdition, and their glory in pollution.” Not in adulteries and uncleannesses, but let there be honourable union between believing persons, so that at least no adultery nor uncleanness be named in God’s church; not in strife and envy. Christ said of peaceful men, that they are called children of God; and verily the strifeful are limbs of the devil. The evil ever seeks contention, and a cruel angel will be sent against him. Envy is a pernicious vice, and ever will the envious be continuing in affliction, because envy blinds his mind and deprives it of every ghostly bliss. Through envy the devil deceived the first-created man, and the envious is a participator with the devils. True peace drives away discord, and enlightens the darkness of the mind, and envy certainly multiplies anger.
The apostle closed this epistle with these words, “But be invested by the Lord Jesus Christ.” All those who are baptized in Christ are invested with Christ, if they adorn their Christianity with works of righteousness. Of these garments the same apostle wrote more plainly in another place, thus saying, “Clothe yourselves, as God’s chosen, with mercy and with benevolence, with humility, with moderation, with patience, and have, before all things, true love, which is the bond of all perfections; and let Christ’s peace rejoice in your hearts, in which ye are called in one body. Be thankful, and let God’s word dwell among you abundantly, in all wisdom teaching and stimulating among yourselves, in psalms and ghostly hymns, singing with God’s grace in your hearts. Whatsoever ye do in word or in work, do it ever in the name of the Lord, thanking the Almighty Father through his Son, who with him ever continueth in unity of the Holy Ghost.”
Let us then prepare ourselves with these before-said garments, according to the apostle’s admonition, that we may come to the wonderful birth-tide of our Lord with solemn service, to whom be glory and praise ever to eternity. Amen.
Translated from the Anglo-Saxon by Benjamin Thorpe, in The Homilies of Aelfric, Vol. 1 (The Aelfric Society: London, 1844), 601-607
(1) The Homilies of Aelfric, Vol. 1, trans. Benjamin Thorpe (The Aelfric Society: London, 1844), 4-5.
Phillip Campbell, “Ælfric’s Homily for the First Sunday in Advent,” Unam Sanctam Catholicam, Nov. 30, 2025. Available online at https://unamsanctamcatholicam.com/2025/11/aelfrics-homily-for-the-first-sunday-in-advent