Confessing the Faith in Anglo-Saxon England
Miranda Wilcox
Confessing correct belief qualified a Christian for meriting eternal life after death as well receiving sacramental grace, through which is sanctified and united with Christ on earth. Anglo-Saxon Christians had to confess their faith receive baptism, cleansed souls from original sin; celebrate mass, brought bodies in communion the Eucharist; do penance, committed last rites, prepared entrance into Heaven. They confessed formulated definitions of fundamental doctrines. Many confessions were composed circulated early medieval Europe, including England. Although formulations some became fixed liturgy widely memorized, other contexts more flexible easily adaptable. This paper categorizes approximately fifty distinct found manuscripts by Anglo-Saxons.
Journal of English and Germanic Philology