The Vernacular Theology of the Old English Advent Lyrics: Monastic Devotion to Mary

Abstract

Abstract The cult of the Virgin Mary in England is typically perceived as beginning in the High Middle Ages and blossoming during the late medieval and early modern periods. Any recognition of English interest in Mary before the Norman Conquest is pushed to the end of the early medieval period (c. 500–c. 1100), with advanced thinking about Mary confined to the mid-to-late tenth century, during the English Benedictine Reform (c. 960–c. 1000). However, material and historical evidence indicates that sophisticated English Mariology dates from much earlier. An important, overlooked, and distinctive piece of evidence is The Advent Lyrics, probably composed by a monastic poet for a monastic audience before the upsurge of writing in Old English prose during the reign of King Alfred the Great (871–99). The work we call The Advent Lyrics is formed of twelve Old English lyric meditations which scholars have considered disconnected and have interpreted within the context of Benedictine Reform; however, this article argues that they form a unified, early composition. The Advent Lyrics demonstrate the complexity and longevity of Mariology in early medieval English culture. By drawing attention to new analogues from diverse traditions such as Syriac, Greek, Irish and Germanic-heroic, this article demonstrates how The Advent Lyrics provide insight to the earliest English poetry as a medium of vibrant vernacular theology.