Ælfric+of+Eynsham



**Ælfric of Eynsham**

Æ lfric of Eynsham was born around 950 AD and died around 1010 AD. He lived during a time of great political upheaval as the Anglo-Saxon king Ethelred the Unready lost power to a new wave of Norse invaders. This led to a short dynasty of Danish monarchs starting with the reign of King Sven.

Ælfric served as an abbot in the Old Minster at Winchester and became very well known as the writer of countless histories, hagiographies and biblical commentaries. Many of his doctrinal beliefs were revolutionary for their day. His work was patronized by a local nobleman named Æthelweard. It was at Æthelweard's request that Ælfric cautiously created an Old English translation of the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy), the Book of Joshua and the Book of Judges. Ælfric undertook this work with great concern. He believed, as did the church, that a vernacular translation of scripture could lead to misinterpretation of doctrine by the unlearned.

His free translation of these Old Testament books stand as one of the first free standing Old English translations of biblical texts, and were used around 1100 AD by monks in Canterbury in the creation of a work called The Old English Hexateuch.

Links: The Old Minster at Winchester The Old English Hexateauch