Catholic Homilies

work by Aelfric

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 24, 2026

Quick Summary

Aelfric's Catholic Homilies are a collection of orthodox sermons written around 990-992 CE. Aelfric, an Anglo-Saxon prose writer, composed these homilies to instruct monks and disseminate the learning of the monastic revival of the 10th century. The sermons are based on the teachings of the Church Fathers. Aelfric was a prolific writer, also known for his Latin grammar, Lives of the Saints, and translations of biblical texts. His work is considered a significant contribution to English prose literature, noted for its clarity and beauty.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Aelfric
His Catholic Homilies, written in 990–992, provided orthodox sermons, based on the Church Fathers. Known as Grammaticus due to his authorship of a Latin grammar, he also wrote Lives of the Saints, Heptateuch (a vernacular language version of the first seven books of the Bible), as…
Read More
His Catholic Homilies, written in 990–992, provided orthodox sermons, based on the Church Fathers. Known as Grammaticus due to his authorship of a Latin grammar, he also wrote Lives of the Saints, Heptateuch (a vernacular language version of the first seven books of the Bible), as…
Read More