Political Writings of Archbishop Wulfstan of York

Andrew Rabin is Associate Professor of English at the University of Louisville

‘There is much more of interest that can be gleaned from these texts. Scholars of social, cultural, legal, religious, and political phenomena will find many clues to the early history of such topics, to just name a few, as penance, marriage, tithes, wergild, oaths, sanctuary, and slavery. And for those interested in broader social and political ideas, Rabin is undoubtedly right that Wulfstan's writings offer one of the most ambitious attempts to describe a coherent "political theology" known from Anglo-Saxon England (vii). The clarity of the translations and the relatively modest length of the book will also make it appropriate for use in the undergraduate classroom. These texts will allow readers to come to their own conclusions about Rabin's claims that Wulfstan was "a political thinker of the first order," and that his Institutes of Polity "represents the most sophisticated work of English political theory before John of Salisbury's Policraticus" (15-16).’Richard Keyser, University of Wisconsin-Madison, The Medieval Review‘Rabin has provided handy translations of works by Wulfstan that are ill-served by or excluded from Bethurum’s standard edition of the homilies or Liebermann’s of the law codes. The resulting book is a superb scholarly presentation of an easy-to-overlook corpus.’ Jonathan Wilcox, University of Iowa, Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies, 92.1

• Part I: Political tracts1. The laws of Edward and Guthrum2. Concerning episcopal duties (Episcopus)3. The ‘compilation on status’ Concerning the ranks of people and law (Geþyncðu) Concerning Wergild (Be wergylde/Norðleoda laga)Concerning the law of the Mercians (Mircna laga)Concerning the Mercian oath (Að)Concerning priests’ oaths and clerical compensation (Hadbot)4. Concerning sanctuary (Grið)5. Northumbrian church-sanctuary (Norðhymbra Cyricgrið)6. The canons of Edgar7. The institutes of polityPart II: Homilies and homiletic tracts1. On the laws of God and the world (Napier 51)2. On various misfortunes (Napier 35)3. On the proper support of the Church (Napier 22/Bethurum 13)4. On the duties of the clergy (Napier 52)5. On the sins of the clergy (Napier 53)6. On justice, virtue and the law (Napier 50)7 . On the duties of the laity (Napier 59)8. On heathen practices (Napier 60)9. On christian practices (Napier 61)10. On tithes and tithing (Napier 23)11. On baptism and confirmation (Napier 24)Part III: Sources and analogues1. God’s threat to a sinning Israel (Bethurum 19)2. Evil rulers (Bethurum 21)3. An admonition to bishops4. Two versions of VII Æthelred5. Cnut’s proclamation of 10206. The Northumbrian priests’ lawIndex