As someone who specializes in Anglo-Saxon literature, each year during the season of Advent, I'm reminded of a poem in the Old English Exeter Book titled Christ I. This poem, written in vernacular English (probably in the ninth century), is a series of reflections known as the Advent Lyrics, based on a Latin liturgical cycle sung … Continue reading Advent Reflections through Apocryphal Dialogue
This week, one of the most highly anticipated pop culture events hit theaters everywhere: Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens. I saw the film as early as I could, and have a lot to say about it. Most specifically, as a medievalist, I was struck by a certain amount of medievalism built into this movie. I'm … Continue reading Medievalism in The Force Awakens
A few weeks ago, I was fortunate to attend the York Christian Apocrypha Symposium in Toronto, Canada, organized by Tony Burke in consultation with Brent Landau. You can learn more about the conference, presenters, and papers delivered here. I was a medievalist in a sea of experts on early Christianity--a field to which I often look in my own research and … Continue reading Attending the York Christian Apocrypha Symposium
This weekend, the End is finally upon us. At least, that's what some outspoken would-be prophets are saying about one upcoming astronomical event on September 27, 2015: the first occurrence in over thirty years of a total lunar eclipse of a supermoon. (The last eclipse like this occurred in 1982, the next is set to occur in 2033.) One … Continue reading Supermoon Eclipse, Apocalypse, & Medieval History
Recently, because of my new commute, I found and have been listening to the backlog of episodes of the WNYC podcast Note to Self (formerly New Tech City). According to the show's website, "Host Manoush Zomorodi talks with everyone from big name techies to elementary school teachers about the effects of technology on our lives, in a quest for the smart choices … Continue reading Teaching with Lego
My article "Psalm 151 in Anglo-Saxon England" has been accepted for publication in the Review of English Studies. This essay presents the first sustained examination of the apocryphal psalm in early England, focusing on manuscript witnesses and the two extant Old English gloss translations. Below are the abstract and introduction to the article. The Psalms were a central aspect of … Continue reading Psalm 151 in Anglo-Saxon England (forthcoming in RES)
In the June 8 issue of The New Yorker, a story appeared by Robyn Creswell (Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature, Yale) and Bernard Haykel (Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Princeton) about reading the poetry of Muslim extremists (known as ISIS) in order to understand them. The tagline of the article suggests, "Want to understand the jihadis? … Continue reading Literature and Culture: Reflections
CFP: Society for the Study of Anglo-Saxon Homiletics at the 51st International Congress on Medieval Studies Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, MI) May 12-15, 2016 Preaching Texts in Early England: Homiletics and Beyond For over ten years at the ICMS, the Society for the Study of Anglo-Saxon Homiletics has thrived in its aims to promote scholarship … Continue reading CFP for Preaching Texts in Early England: Homiletics and Beyond
I recently had the pleasure of reading Kathleen E. Kennedy's Medieval Hackers (Brooklyn, NY, 2014)--available in both paperback and an open access ebook through punctum books--and want to offer a brief review here. In short: I recommend this book, which should appeal to a wide audience of medievalists, early modernists, media studies specialists, as well as those interested in the … Continue reading Review of Kathleen E. Kennedy’s Medieval Hackers
Last July, I posted a translation of Ælfric of Eynsham's Old English Preface to Genesis for the benefit of those interested in a modern rendering. Since then, I've been overwhelmingly pleased by the attention it's garnered--over 1,300 views as of this posting! In the same spirit, I'm now posting my translation of Ælfric's Libellus de Veteri Testamento et Novi (Little … Continue reading Ælfric’s Libellus de Veteri Testamento et Novi: A Translation
Brandon W. Hawk 