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The Old English Pastoral Care

Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Old English Pastoral Care presents Pope Gregory the Great's Book of Pastoral Rule, a vital guide for bishops outlining who should pursue ecclesiastical leadership and how to provide spiritual guidance. This work, translated into Old English between 890 and 896 under King Alfred the Great's supervision, aimed to restore the English Church amid challenges from Viking invasions and clerical decline. This modern edition offers the first contemporary English translation in over 150 years.
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Format: Hardback
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Ideal for students and researchers of medieval history, religious studies, and Anglo-Saxon literature, as well as anyone interested in the history of the English Church and early translations of key Latin texts.

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The Old English Pastoral Care, a ninth-century translation from Latin of Pope Gregory the Great’s guide for aspiring bishops that advises on what sort of spiritual guidance bishops should provide, was aimed at revitalizing the English Church. This new edition and translation into modern English is the first to appear in a century and a half.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Book of Pastoral Rule, or Liber regulae pastoralis, by Pope Gregory the Great—the pontiff responsible for the conversion of the English to Christianity beginning in 597—is a guide for aspiring bishops. Pope Gregory explains who ought and who ought not seek such a position and advises on what sort of spiritual guidance a bishop should provide to those under his direction.

The Old English Pastoral Care, a translation of Gregory's treatise completed between 890 and 896, is described in a prefatory letter by King Alfred the Great as his own work, composed with the assistance of his bishops and chaplains. It appears to be the first of the Alfredian translations into Old English of Latin texts deemed necessary for the revitalisation of the English Church, which had been ravaged by the depredations of Scandinavian invaders during the ninth century and by the decline of clerical competence in Latin.

This new edition and translation into modern English is the first to appear in a century and a half.

Series: Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Scholars praise Fulk’s translation for making this often-overlooked text accessible to a wide audience. Amy Faulkner of Medieval Review encourages students, teachers, and researchers to engage deeply with this important Old English translation beyond the introductory materials.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780674261150

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 16 November 2021

Country: United States

Imprint: Harvard University Press

Contributors:

  • Edited and translated by R. D. Fulk

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 32.0mm

Width: 133.0mm

Height: 203.0mm

Weight: 658g

Pages: 608

About the Author

R. D. Fulk is Class of 1964 Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus of English at Indiana University, Bloomington.

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