Anglo-Saxon Texts- Ælfric's Old English Admonition to a Spiritual Son

An edition with facing page translation of the Old English Admonition to a Spiritual Son, a treatise penned at the turn of the first millennium by Ælfric of Eynsham. An edition with facing page translation of the Old English Admonition to a Spiritual Son, a treatise penned at the turn of the first millennium by Ælfric of Eynsham. This book brings the first vernacular adaptation of one of the most widely read religious texts in the Middle Ages back to prominence: the Old English Admonition to a Spiritual Son, a treatise composed at the turn of the first millennium by Ælfric of Eynsham, the most prolific author in the vernacular. Based on the Latin Admonitio ad filium spiritualem, a popular pseudo-Basilian doctrinal manual dating to the sixth century, the Admonition offers guidance on general Christian principles, with a distinctive monastic focus. It addresses a range of virtues and vices and stresses the importance of the Great Commandment, of chastity and the dangers of worldly greed. The freshly-edited original is presented here alongside a facing modern translation into modern English, and accompanied by comprehensive historical, palaeographical, literary and linguistic contextualisation. It includes in-depth analyses of the history of the single surviving manuscript, the dissemination of the Latin source text, the potential audiences of the Admonition and Ælfric's unique translation style. The volume also contains a commentary, a glossary and further resources.