Died 981. Elfstan was one of the monks trained by St. Ethelwold in the
monastery at Abingdon, which he was given by King Edred to restore.
Ethelwold had been ordained with St. Dunstan, and they both worked
together to restore the discipline of the monastic houses in England and
bring them under the Benedictine Rule. St. Benedict lays great emphasis
in his rule on visitors being received as Christ, and he impresses upon
monks that at the judgement
He is going to say, I was a guest and ye
received me.
Throughout, the rule obedience is enjoined as the evidence
of humility, and monks are told to regard the instructions of their
superiors as those of Christ, whom they seek to serve, and to remember
His words,
Who hears you, hears me.
When Ethelwold came to Abingdon from Glastonbury, he found the abbey
almost derelict and had to organise considerable building works,
including the rebuilding of the abbey church, which he transformed with
a double rotunda. Elfstan was in charge of the kitchens and was told to
make sure that the workmen were properly fed. He set about this task
with enthusiasm, doing all the cooking, serving, washing up and cleaning
of the kitchen without asking for any assistance, although the rule
specifically provided for help to be given at times when there were
extra numbers.
One day Ethelwold, doing his abbatial rounds, discovered Elfstan's
heroic humility, and congratulated him on it. Wishing to test the extent
of his obedience, he went on to say,
If you are such a soldier as you
seem to be, plunge your hand into that boiling cauldron and draw me out
a piece of meat.
Without a pause Elfstan did so and was unharmed by the
boiling water.
Elfstan succeeded Ethelwold as Abbot of Abingdon, when the latter became
Bishop of Winchester, and in 970, he was appointed Bishop of Ramsbury,
in succession to Osulf. Stanton says he was Bishop of Wilton, but he is
probably confused by Florence of Worcester, who says that he was buried
at Wilton. Ramsbury was the poorest See in Wessex, and so would have
suited Elfstan's temperament. It seems that there was no proper
Cathedral church, Florence listing the bishops residing at Sunning. When
S. Elfstan died, his body was taken to Abingdon, and he was buried in
the Abbey church there
(
Bowen,
Stanton,
Farmer,
Florence of Worcester).