The Review of English Studies Advance Access published online on August 5, 2009
The Review of English Studies, doi:10.1093/res/hgp003
© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press 2009; all rights reserved
Hagiography in Homily—Theme and Style in Ælfric's Two-Part Homily on SS Peter and Paul
Showa Women's University, Tokyo
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Abstract |
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Ælfric's Passio Petri et Pauli (CH I, 26), a hagiography in a collection of homilies, has been called an ‘experiment in genre’. By examining this ‘two-part homily’ in comparison with the Latin sources, this essay proposes to demonstrate how Ælfric adapts the hagiographic material to the theme and style of the homily. The essay begins by examining the first part of the work, which is a homily on Matthew 16:13–19, focusing on its theme and how it is developed in the exegesis. I argue that the theme, the distinguishing by Peter of true God, is given central expression in an ‘envelope pattern’ that hinges on a characteristic Ælfrician wordplay (‘todælde ... untodæledlice’, lines 46–51). It is then elaborated in three segments of the exegesis, with geleafa (not always prompted by the Latin) as the keyword. The essay then discusses how the legend of the two Apostles in the second part is linked successfully to the homily proper, in terms of theme and style. Stylistically, for example, the legend uses two modes of discourse, narrative and homiletic; the former being the mode for describing ‘bad’ characters with colourful details (as in lines 226–44), and the latter seen at its best in Paul's reply to Nero and Peter's speech before being crucified, where Ælfric the homilist has almost replaced Ælfric the narrator. The homiletic mode directly links the hagiography to the homily proper, while the narrative reinforces that link, providing a foil to the homiletic contents and style, thus securing a unity and coherence of the two-part homily as a whole.