Saint Erkenwald: biografia, agiografia o pamphlet?

Saint Erkenwald is undoubtedly a poem of refined artistic ability and of great complexity, which continues to be object of debate amongst scholars. One of the most discussed issues concerns its text-type. This paper tries to find further elements that would help to identify its literary genre through the analysis of a particular narrative moment – the dialogue and the baptism of the judge. On the basis of Erkenwald’s presentation as a bishop and as a saint, we propose to confirm the link between the poem and the texts of the manuscript Nero Cotton A. x., not only for their linguistic affinities, but also because it fits perfectly into the issues treated therein, and its hagiographic nature, although affected by the new religious sensibility of the time