An ancient tomb is discovered deep in the foundations of St Paul's. It is decorated with a mysterious inscription in letters of gold. The body within is unblemished, dressed as a judge and with a crown and sceptre. Obviously an important person, but unidentified. The citizens are both curious and alarmed, and so Erkenwald, bishop of London, is summoned to uncover the mystery. The answer is as unexpected for Erkenwald as it is for the reader. The moving alliterative poem St Erkenwald , long associated with the Gawain -Poet, is here presented in a new critical edition designed to offer maximum support for the general reader, as well as to provide fresh insights for the specialist and guidance into the intriguingly complex eschatology. The text is accompanied by a close translation and an extensive commentary and glossary.

An introduction covers questions of authorship and date, sources and area of composition, examines the rich poetic vocabulary, and explores the theological issues raised by the poem. An up-to-date bibliography presents important studies of the poem, its concepts and its contexts. Over fifty years Thorlac Turville-Petre has been editing and commenting on alliterative poems of the fourteenth century.