Page:Anglo-Saxon version of the Hexameron of St. Basil.djvu/17

xii invisible might of the holy housel, and the visible appearance of its own nature. By nature it is corruptible bread, and corruptible wine, and is by power of the divine word truly Christ's body and His blood; not so however, bodily, but spiritually. Great is the difference between the body in which Christ suffered, and the body which is hallowed for housel. The body verily in which Christ suffered was born of Mary's flesh, with blood, and with bones, with skin and with sinews, with human limbs, quickened by a rational soul; and His spiritual body, which we call housel, is gathered of many corns, without blood and bone, limbless and soulless, and there is, therefore, nothing to be understood bodily, but all is to be understood spiritually."

Ælfric also at Wilton composed many translations of the lives and sufferings of saints, for the edification of the unlearned. It was about this time, apparently, that Ælfric wrote two pastoral epistles for Wulstan, archbishop of York, one of which he begins by, "Us biscopum gedafênað," "It becomes us bishops," &c. This has lately been printed in Thorpe's "Laws and Institutes of England," vol. ii. p. 365, more correctly than before by Dr. Wilkins in his "Leges Anglo-Saxonicæ."

In the other pastoral epistle also occurs the following passage, which gives a clear exposition of the doctrine of the Anglo-Saxon Church in the time of Ælfric, respecting the Holy Eucharist. "Ne bið se liflica hlaf lichamlice swa ðeah se ylca lichama. ðe Christ on ðrowode. Ne ðæt halige win nis ðæs hælendes blod ðe for us agoten wæs on lichamlican ðinge. ac on gastlicum andgyte. Ægðer bið soðlice se hlaf his lichama. and ðæt win eac his blod. swa swa se heofonlica hlaf wæs ðe we hatað manna. Se feowertig geara afedde Godes folce. and ðæt hlutre water wæs witodlice his blod ðe arn of ðam stane on ðam westene ða. Swa swa Paulus awrat on sumon his pistole. 'Ealle ure fæderas æton on ðam westene ðone ylcan gastlican mete, and ðone gastlican