Aelfric of Eynsham
At Cerne Ælfric started working on his two series of homilies, Sermones catholici. It is uncertain how many entries were of his own creation, but it is agreed that they were mostly a compilation from various Latin sources. Mostly, Ælfric only played the role of the translator, because most of his works were written in Old English. In the Preface to his Homilies, he stresses that most religious texts of the time were written in Latin, which made them inaccessible to common people. He also points out that the existing translations into Old English contain errors: “I would turn this book from the Latin language into the English tongue … because I have seen and heard of much error in many English books, which unlearned men, through their simplicity, have esteemed as great wisdom”. His Homilies deal with gospels, doctrine of the church, as well as major events of the Christian year.