All Things to All Men: Representations of the Apostle Paul in Anglo-Saxon Literature by Valerie Susan Heuchan A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Medieval Studies University of Toronto Copyright by Valerie Susan Heuchan 2010 Thesis Abstract Title: All Things to All Men: Representations of the Apostle Paul in Anglo-Saxon England Submitted by: Valerie Susan Heuchan Degree: Doctor of Philosophy, 2010 Department: Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto This dissertation examines the ways in which the Apostle Paul is presented in literature from Anglo-Saxon England, including both Latin and Old English texts. The first part of the study focuses on uses of canonical Pauline sources, while the second concentrates on apocryphal sources. The introductory chapter summarizes the various forms of commemoration of Paul in Anglo-Saxon religious praxis, including church dedications, hymns, and prayers. The chapter concludes with a brief examination of early Anglo-Latin authors who used Paul’s letters in their writings. Chapter 2 looks at the Bonifatian Correspondence, which reveals that Boniface viewed himself as a missionary in the Pauline tradition. Like Paul, he and his correspondents found solace by writing letters to one another, often reflecting their affinity for Paul by including quotations from the Pauline epistles. Chapter 3 examines the Alfredian translation of Augustine’s Soliloquies, providing evidence to support the finding that the hitherto unsourced building metaphor in the preface was inspired by Paul’s comparison of himself to a wise architect in 1 Corinthians 3.9-14. ii Chapter 4 looks into the works of Ælfric of Eynsham, discovering that his homilies demonstrate a view of himself as a teacher in the tradition of Paul. In chapter 5 the study turns to the second part of the dissertation, looking at apocryphal works about Paul, beginning with the Passio Petri et Pauli. Paul’s passio was extant in a variety of texts in Anglo-Saxon England, and the chapter focuses on comparing the different versions and the source relationships amongst them. Chapter 6 studies the texts of the Visio Sancti Pauli in Anglo-Saxon England, reviewing its wide influence, and examining Blickling Homilies IV and XVI, both of which include passages from the Visio. Chapter 7 begins by discussing the non-canonical Epistle to the Laodiceans and then turns to the issue of the definition of an apocryphal text in Anglo-Saxon England, and what implications such a label conferred on a text. The dissertation concludes by observing the many different ways in which the Apostle Paul functioned as a figure to be imitated by Anglo-Saxon writers, and the reasons for his popularity. iii Acknowledgements In the research and writing of this dissertation, I owe great thanks to my committee members, Andy Orchard, Toni Healey, and John Haines, for their constant encouragement and support, and for patiently meeting with me on many occasions to discuss my latest chapter or revisions. I am especially indebted to my supervisor, Andy Orchard, for generously sharing his encyclopaedic knowledge of all aspects of the Anglo-Saxon world, and for his constant wit and good humour, which enabled me to maintain a spirit of fun and enjoyment in the whole process. To Toni Healey, I am particularly grateful for her painstaking reading of my final draft and her uplifting messages of motivation in the final stages. I would also like to thank my internal examiner, John Marshall, for providing the refreshing perspective of someone from another area of study, and to my external examiner, Frederick M. Biggs, whose detailed comments and suggestions gave me new insight into the project and ideas for its future development. In addition I am grateful to Professor G. Peter Richardson, whose infectious enthusiasm initially inspired me with an interest in the Apostle Paul, and who encouraged me in my graduate work many years ago. Further thanks is owed to all those at the Centre for Medieval Studies, in particular Grace Desa, who never failed to give me a warm greeting, to take an interest in my family, and to keep me on track. To Nicole Fallon I also feel a great debt for encouraging me to persevere whenever the end seemed remote. iv Finally, to my family and friends, I am grateful beyond measure for their constant interest in and patience with my lengthy studies; in particular to my mother for her loving care of my daughters without which I would not have been able to return to school; to my four daughters, Emma, Isobel, Alison, and Muireann, who took an interest in my studies and were always accommodating and helpful when I had a deadline; and most of all to my husband, Derrick, who never failed to believe in me, whose love of ancient languages inspired me, and whose encouragement, understanding, and support allowed me to achieve my goal. To him I dedicate this work, as a small token of thanks. v Table of Contents Abstract ii Acknowledgements iv List of Abbreviations vii Chapter 1. Introduction: Forms of Veneration of the Apostle Paul in Anglo-Saxon England 1 Part A.: Anglo-Saxon Writers and the Pauline Epistles Chapter 2. Boniface and Paul: Virtus in infirmitate 23 Chapter 3. God’s Co-workers and Powerful Tools: Pauline Sources for Alfred’s Building Metaphor in the Old English Translation of Augustine’s Soliloquies 57 Chapter 4. Ælfric, Paul and the Lareow 83 Part B: Anglo-Saxon Writers and Apocryphal Literature on the Apostle Paul Chapter 5. The Passio Petri et Pauli 112 Chapter 6. The Visio Sancti Pauli 145 Chapter 7. Perceptions of Pauline Apocryphal Literature in Anglo-Saxon England 178 Chapter 8. Conclusion 213 Appendix A: The Latin Text of the Passio Sanctorum Apostolorum Petri et Pauli with a Modern English Translation 218 Appendix B: Pauline Citations in Ælfric’s Homilies and Saints’ Lives 255 Bibliography 259 vi List of Abbreviations ÆCHom I Ælfric’s Catholic Homilies. The First Series Text. EETS s. s. 17, ed. P. A. M. Clemoes (Oxford, 1997). ÆCHom II Ælfric’s Catholic Homilies. The Second Series Text. EETS s. s. 5, ed. M. R. Godden (Oxford, 1979). ÆHom Homilies of Ælfric: A Supplementary Collection, EETS 259 and 260, ed. John C. Pope (Oxford, 1967–68). ÆHomM Twelfth-Century Homilies in MS Bodley 343. EETS 137, ed. A. O. Belfour (London, reprinted 1962). ÆLS Ælfric’s Lives of Saints, EETS o. s. 76, 82, 94, 114, ed. W. W. Skeat (London, 1881-1900, reprinted in 2 Vols., 1966). ASE Anglo-Saxon England ASPR The Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records, ed. G. P. Krapp and E. V. K. Dobbie. AASS Acta Sanctorum quotquot toto orbe coluntur, 1st Ed. (Antwerp, etc., 1643–1940, repr. In 65 vols. (Brussels, 1965-70). BHL Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina BL British Library CCSL Corpus Christianorum Series Latina CS Cistercian Studies CSASE Cambridge Studies in Anglo-Saxon England DOE Dictionary of Old English EETS Early English Text Society HBS Henry Bradshaw Society JEGP Journal of English and Germanic Philology MÆ Medium Ævum MGH Monumenta Germaniae Historica vii n. s. new series N & Q Notes and Queries o. s. original series OEN Old English Newsletter PIMS Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies PMLA Publications of the Modern Language Association of America s. s. supplementary series TOES Toronto Old English Series VSP Visio Sancti Pauli viii Chapter 1. Introduction: Forms of Veneration of the Apostle Paul in Anglo-Saxon England The Apostle Paul has always been an important figure for Christians, seemingly from Christianity’s earliest days in the first century CE. The preservation and imitation of his epistles, as well as their inclusion in the New Testament canon, show that he quickly became a central figure in the movement.1 Following Paul’s canonical letters, apocryphal writings emerged relating his life and death, which further contributed to the popularity and mystique of the figure of the Apostle Paul in subsequent centuries. In Anglo-Saxon England, as in other medieval cultures, the Apostle Paul and his writings, as well as apocryphal sources about him, formed an important source of Christian doctrine and Paul as a Christian figure functioned as an inspiration in many ways. This study examines some of the various references in Anglo- Saxon literature (both Latin and Old English) to Paul himself, his letters, and apocryphal sources concerning him, seeking to understand in what ways the Apostle Paul figured in the mind and imagination of Anglo-Saxon writers, how he and his works may have influenced Anglo-Saxon writing and thinking, and how Anglo-Saxon writers may in turn have influenced 1 See, for example, Ferdinand Christian Baur, Paul the Apostle of Jesus Christ, His Life and Work, His Epistles and Doctrine, 2 Vols. (London, 1876); Helmut Koester, Introduction to the New Testament (Philadelphia, 1982), pp. 1–13; A. Lindemann, “Der Apostel Paulus im 2. Jahrhundert,” The New Testament in Early Christianity: La réception des écrits néotestamentaires dans le christianisme primitif, ed. Jean-Marie Sevrin. (Leuven, 1989), pp. 39–68; Gregory E. Sterling, “From Apostle to the Gentiles to Apostle of the Church: Images of Paul at the End of the First Century,” Zeitschrift für die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und Kunde die älteren Kirche 99 (2007), 74–98; Daniel Marguerat, “Paul àpres Paul: Une Histoire de Réception,” New Testament Studies 54 (2008), 317– 37. 1 (or intended to influence) the understanding of those reading or hearing their works about Paul. There is a surprisingly small amount of secondary work available on the figure of Paul and his writings in Anglo-Saxon England, and works of a general nature on the subject are nonexistent. Two volumes address the study of the Bible in the medieval period in a general way, the first by Beryl Smalley,2 and the second a collection of essays focussing on the Bible in the Carolingian era; 3 however they do not address the study of Pauline works directly.