• October 26th - Alfred the Great, King of the West Saxons

    From rich@1:396/4 to All on Fri Oct 25 09:19:06 2019
    From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

    October 26th - Alfred the Great, King of the West Saxons

    When the Gospel was first preached in Britain, the island was
    inhabited by Celtic peoples. In the 400's, pagan Germanic tribes, the
    Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, invaded Britain and drove the Christian
    Celts out of what is now England into Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.
    The new arrivals (called collectively the Anglo-Saxons) were then
    converted by Celtic missionaries moving in from the one side and Roman missionaries moving in from the other. (They then sent missionaries of
    their own, such as Boniface, to their pagan relatives on the
    Continent.)

    In the 800's the cycle partly repeated itself, as the Christian
    Anglo-Saxons were invaded by the Danes, pagan raiders, who rapidly
    conquered the northeast portion of England. They seemed about to
    conquer the entire country and eliminate all resistance when they were
    turned back by Alfred, King of the West Saxons.

    Alfred was born in 849 at Wantage, Berkshire, youngest of five sons of
    King Aethelwulf. He wished to become a monk, but after the deaths (all
    in battle, I think) of his father and his four older brothers, he was
    made king in 871. He proved to be skilled at military tactics, and
    devised a defensive formation which the Danish charge was unable to
    break. After a decisive victory at Edington in 878, he reached an
    agreement with the Danish leader Guthrum, by which the Danes would
    retain a portion of northeastern England and be given other
    concessions in return for their agreement to accept baptism and
    Christian instruction. From a later point of view, it seems obvious
    that such a promise could not involve a genuine change of heart, and
    was therefore meaningless (and indeed, one Dane complained that the
    white robe that he was given after his baptism was not nearly so fine
    as the two that he had received after the two previous times that he
    had been defeated and baptized). However, Alfred's judgement proved
    sound. Guthrum, from his point of view, agreed to become a vassal of
    Christ. His nobles and chief warriors, being his vassals, were thereby obligated to give their feudal allegiance to Christ as well. They
    accepted baptism and the presence among them of Christian priests and missionaries to instruct them. The door was opened for conversions on
    a more personal level in that and succeeding generations.

    In his later years, having secured a large degree of military security
    for his people, Alfred devoted his energies to repairing the damage
    that war had done to the cultural life of his people. He translated
    Boethius's Consolations of Philosophy into Old English, and brought in
    scholars from Wales and the Continent with whose help various writings
    of Bede, Augustine of Canterbury, and Gregory the Great were likewise translated. He was much impressed by the provisions in the Law of
    Moses for the protection of the rights of ordinary citizens, and gave
    order that similar provisions should be made part of English law. He
    promoted the education of the parish clergy. In one of his treatises,
    he wrote:

    "He seems to me a very foolish man, and very wretched, who will not
    increase his understanding while he is in the world, and ever wish and
    long to reach that endless life where all shall be made clear."

    He died on 26 October 899, and was buried in the Old Minster at
    Winchester. Alone among English monarchs, he is known as "the Great."
    The writer G.K. Chesterton has written a long narrative poem about
    Alfred, called, "The Ballad of the White Horse."


    Saint Quote:
    Beware of becoming vexed or impatient at the faults of others; for it
    would be folly when you see a man falling into a ditch, to throw
    yourself into another to no purpose
    --St. Bonaventure

    Bible Quote:
    We must never get tired of doing good, and then we shall get our
    harvest at the proper time. While we have the chance, we must do good
    to all, and especially to our brothers in the faith.=C2 (Galatians
    6:9-10 )


    --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
    * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)
  • From rich@1:396/4 to All on Sun Oct 25 10:01:18 2020
    From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

    October 26th - Alfred the Great, King of the West Saxons

    When the Gospel was first preached in Britain, the island was
    inhabited by Celtic peoples. In the 400's, pagan Germanic tribes, the
    Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, invaded Britain and drove the Christian
    Celts out of what is now England into Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.
    The new arrivals (called collectively the Anglo-Saxons) were then
    converted by Celtic missionaries moving in from the one side and Roman missionaries moving in from the other. (They then sent missionaries of
    their own, such as Boniface, to their pagan relatives on the
    Continent.)

    In the 800's the cycle partly repeated itself, as the Christian
    Anglo-Saxons were invaded by the Danes, pagan raiders, who rapidly
    conquered the northeast portion of England. They seemed about to
    conquer the entire country and eliminate all resistance when they were
    turned back by Alfred, King of the West Saxons.

    Alfred was born in 849 at Wantage, Berkshire, youngest of five sons of
    King Aethelwulf. He wished to become a monk, but after the deaths (all
    in battle, I think) of his father and his four older brothers, he was
    made king in 871. He proved to be skilled at military tactics, and
    devised a defensive formation which the Danish charge was unable to
    break. After a decisive victory at Edington in 878, he reached an
    agreement with the Danish leader Guthrum, by which the Danes would
    retain a portion of northeastern England and be given other
    concessions in return for their agreement to accept baptism and
    Christian instruction. From a later point of view, it seems obvious
    that such a promise could not involve a genuine change of heart, and
    was therefore meaningless (and indeed, one Dane complained that the
    white robe that he was given after his baptism was not nearly so fine
    as the two that he had received after the two previous times that he
    had been defeated and baptized). However, Alfred's judgement proved
    sound. Guthrum, from his point of view, agreed to become a vassal of
    Christ. His nobles and chief warriors, being his vassals, were thereby obligated to give their feudal allegiance to Christ as well. They
    accepted baptism and the presence among them of Christian priests and missionaries to instruct them. The door was opened for conversions on
    a more personal level in that and succeeding generations.

    In his later years, having secured a large degree of military security
    for his people, Alfred devoted his energies to repairing the damage
    that war had done to the cultural life of his people. He translated
    Boethius's Consolations of Philosophy into Old English, and brought in
    scholars from Wales and the Continent with whose help various writings
    of Bede, Augustine of Canterbury, and Gregory the Great were likewise translated. He was much impressed by the provisions in the Law of
    Moses for the protection of the rights of ordinary citizens, and gave
    order that similar provisions should be made part of English law. He
    promoted the education of the parish clergy. In one of his treatises,
    he wrote:

    "He seems to me a very foolish man, and very wretched, who will not
    increase his understanding while he is in the world, and ever wish and
    long to reach that endless life where all shall be made clear."

    He died on 26 October 899, and was buried in the Old Minster at
    Winchester. Alone among English monarchs, he is known as "the Great."
    The writer G.K. Chesterton has written a long narrative poem about
    Alfred, called, "The Ballad of the White Horse."


    Saint Quote:
    Beware of becoming vexed or impatient at the faults of others; for it
    would be folly when you see a man falling into a ditch, to throw
    yourself into another to no purpose
    --St. Bonaventure

    Bible Quote:
    We must never get tired of doing good, and then we shall get our
    harvest at the proper time. While we have the chance, we must do good
    to all, and especially to our brothers in the faith.=C2 (Galatians
    6:9-10 )

    <><><><>
    Covetousness 2

    "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth
    not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15).

    "He that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days" (Proverbs 28:16).

    "Be content with such things as ye have" (Hebrews 13:5).

    "Having food and raiment let us be therewith content" (1 Timothy 6:8).

    "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in
    this world shall keep it unto life eternal" (John 12:25).

    "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he
    hath, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33).

    "But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your
    consolation" (Luke 6:24).

    "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall
    come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are
    motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them
    shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were
    fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days" (James 5:1-3).
    --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
    * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)