A saint’s progress – a quick look at Ælfric Catholic Homilies II, X: Depositio Sancti Cuthberhti

It’s interesting to see some familiar patterns in how the life of St Cuthbert unfolds as Ælfric tells it (based on Bede’s Latin lives of the saint).

1. At the beginning of the Homily tout est luxe, calme et volupté, as it were: we find Cuthbert as an eahtwintre cild ... plegende mid his efenealdrum. But God has other plans:

Ac se ælmihtiga god wolde styran þære nytennysse his gecorenan cuðberhtes

2. God sends a 3-year-old child to let Cuthbert know that this behaviour is inappropriate in a future bishop. By implication Cuthbert must now take an unwished-for journey from the heedless life of a child to the commitment of a religious calling.

3. During his apprenticeship to the religious life, Cuthbert has four miraculous encounters:

• He receives advice from a mysterious stranger on the treatment of his afflicted knee

• He sees Aidan’s soul conducted into heaven

• He is sustained in the wilderness by the appearance of a loaf

• He offers hospitality to an angel, who disappears leaving heavenly bread behind (whiter than lilies, smelling of roses, sweeter than bees’ honey)

4. Cuthbert is ministered to by animals on two occasions: seals who dry and warm him on the beach, and an eagle that feeds him and a doubting companion.

5. He does successful battle three times with the devil;

• Quenching an ignis fatuus that is terrifying villagers who have lapsed from their faith

• Diverting a fire which is menacing a house

• Casting out a devil from the wife of a pious man

6. He decides to retreat from his popularity: ferde ða to farne. on flowende yðe. His retreat to the solitary island is facilitated by the discovery of a spring of fresh water, by the ministry of grateful ravens who bring him pig fat to waterproof his shoes, and by the sea casting up a sill-beam for his outhouse.

7. Cuthbert reveals the future to Ælflæd; he is drafted into the office of bishop, thus fulfilling the prophecies of the 3-year-old child and of Boisil; while bishop his saintliness is manifested by his healing of

• an ealdorman’s wife with holy water

• a bedridden girl by anointing her with oil

• a man at the point of death with consecrated bread

• a man borne on a litter with his blessing

• a half-dead child with a kiss

By clairvoyance Cuthbert perceives the death of one of Ælflæd’s woodmen; he foresees his own death, and is able by his prayer to obtain a simultaneous death for the priest Hereberhtus; his tomb is opened, and his body found to be uncorrupted:

þa wearð þæt halige lic. hal on eorðan gemet. gesundful licgende. swilce he slapende wære