The Intellectual Foundations of the English Benedictine Reform

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.

• The first study of Bishop Æthelwold’s early career, in particular the decisive role of King Æthelstan’s cosmopolitan court on his thought • Assigns two widely influential Old English texts to Æthelwold and his circle • Attests the unparalleled importance of the vernacular and its refinement in tenth-century England

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.

‘… a major contribution to our understanding of the mental life of late Anglo-Saxon England’. The English Historical Review

‘Every now and then a book is published which changes our frame of reference, Mechthild Gretsch’s monograph … is one of these; it is exciting to read, and it advances our understanding in ways that could not have been anticipated …’ Anglia