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 )
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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)