The Benedictine
Reform
- an important stage in the
history of Old English
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Table of contents
1. Linguistic and Historical context
2. Protagonists and reforms in particular
3. Effects on the Old English langugage
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Linguistic context


Generally: Latin influence on English 
3 stages of Latin influence on Old
English



Zero Period: continental borrowing
First Period: through Celtic transmission
Second Period: Christianizing of England


earlier influence of Christianity (597 AD - 9th
century)
Benedictine Reform (959 AD - end of OE period)
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Historical context
8th century: England held the intellectual
leadership of Europe
 9th/10th century: downturn of the Church



Viking invasions
Decay of moral standards within the Church
 decay of education and learning
  reforms were urgently needed
 959 AD: King Eadgar  starting point of
the Benedictine Reform

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2. The three Protagonists

Dunstan (909 - 988 A.D.)


Æþelwold (909 - 984 A.D.)


Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, Bishop of
Worcester and of London, Archbishop of
Canterbury
Bishop of Winchester
Oswald (? - 992 A.D.)

Bishop of Worcester, Archbishop of York
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2. Special Concerns of the
Reform
Improvement of education
 Establishment of schools
 Encouragement of learning among monks
and clergy

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2. Results of the Reform
movement
uniformity of observance within monastic
foundations
 the three reformers were established in
key positions of the English church and
counsellors to the king
 the King owned the power to install
people in clerical positions
 monasteries became once more centres of
literary activity
 composition of literary works in the
vernacular

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3. Translations from Latin to
English

New Latin Importations




less popular words than earlier Christian
borrowings
learned, scientific character
i.e. medical terms: cancer, paralysis
animal names: scorpion, camel
herbal and tree names: cucumber, ginger
clerical terms
came through books
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
Application of native words to new
concepts



shows the affect Christianity had on the lives
and thoughts of the English people
words that expressed already existing
conceptions of Anglo-Saxon culture were by
slight adaptations made to fit their new
Christian meaning
i.e. OE „God“ instead of lat. „Deus“
OE „Hálig Gást“ instead of lat. Spiritus
Sanctus
OE „déofol“ instead of lat. „diabulus“
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Effects on the Old English
langugage
Texts directly written in Old English

 most manuscripts in Old English
date from the time of the Bendictine
Reform
 Important authors:



AEthelwold (preface to Regularis Concordia)
AElfric (pupil of AEthelwold; largest corpus of
OE writing)
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Effects on the Old English
langugage
AEthelwold and his Winchester school

 effects on Old English?



à
à
Skilful master of OE himself
Teaching Latin in the vernacular
Extraordinary interest in the OE language
England‘s first English philologists
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Effects on the Old English
langugage
Why was AEthelwold so occupied with OE?
 What were his intentions behind the
promotion of OE?



Access to knowledge also for the
common/uneducated people
Thesis: creation of a literary standard !!!
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Effects on the Old English
langugage
By the time of the Norman Conquest:
highly developped OE literary standard
 Gradual development unlikely 
 Must have been a regulative force behind
this development 
 AEthelwold‘s school and scriptorium in
Winchester

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Effects on the Old English
langugage
AElfric‘s work
 Thesis: „Winchester Vocabulary“

 first step towards a literary standard

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Effects on the Old English
langugage

Conclusion:


Development of a temporary literary
standard???
Permanent extension of the (Old) English
vocabulary!
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