The Intellectual Foundations of the English Benedictine Reform

This book explores the foundations of the intellectual renaissance in late-tenth-century England, including both the English Benedictine reform and the establishment by Æ thelwold, Bishop of Winchester, of his influential school. The early stages of Æ thelwold's scholarly career are explored and new light is shed on the role which King Æ thelstan's cosmopolitan court played. Two widely influential Old English texts are definitively attributed to Æ thelwold and his circle, which attest to the importance that the reformers attached to the vernacular.

This book explores the foundations of the intellectual renaissance in tenth-century England, including both the English Benedictine reform and the establishment by Æthelwold, Bishop of Winchester (963–84), of the most influential school in late Anglo-Saxon England. The vital early stages of Æthelwold's scholarly career are explored for the first time, particularly his formative years in King Æthelstan's entourage and his period of study at Glastonbury. Light is shed on the contribution which Æthelstan's cosmopolitan court made to intellectual and spiritual life. Based on a wide range of evidence Dr Gretsch assigns to Æthelwold two influential texts: an interlinear translation of the psalter and a vast corpus of Old English glosses to Aldhelm's prose De virginitate. These glosses are shown to have played a pivotal role in the development of the vernacular as a medium for scholarly discourse.

Preface; List of abbreviations; 1. Introduction; 2. Psalters and psalter glosses in Anglo-Saxon England; 3. The vocabulary of the Royal Psalter; 4. The Royal Psalter and the Rule: lexical and stylistic links; 5. The Aldhelm glosses; 6. Word usage in the Royal Psalter, the Rule and the Aldhelm glosses; 7. Æthelwold and the Old English Rule; 8.Æthelwold and the Royal Psalter; 9. Æthelwold and the Aldhelm glosses; 10. French and German loan influence; 11. Conclusion; Appendices; Bibliography; Indexes.

This book explores the intellectual foundations of the Benedictine reform in tenth-century England. It examines the importance of the vernacular at Bishop 'thelwold's influential Winchester school. 'thelwold's early career is also examined, showing the influence King 'thelstan's court had on intellectual and spiritual thought.