August
663/664 A.D. Synod
of Whitby
No
author. “Bede, the Venerable: The Synod of Whitby, 664 AD.” Britannia
Historical Documents. N.d. http://www.britannia.com/history/docs/whitby.html. Accessed 10 Jul 2014.
Bede,
The Venerable:
The Synod of Whitby, 664 AD
The Synod of Whitby, 664 AD
The
Roman monks who had been sent by Gregory the Great to convert the
"English" to Christianity, found that the missionaries from Ireland
observed Easter at a different time from that which had been appointed by the
Roman church. After years of controversy it was agreed that a synod should be
held where the difficulty might be settled. Bede thus describes the arguments
advanced by both sides and gives an account of the victory of the Roman party.
The
Controversy over the Date of Easter
[Bishop
Colman spoke for the Scots (i.e. Irish) and said:] The Easter which I keep I
received from my elders, who sent me hither as bishop; all our forefathers, men
beloved of God, are known to have kept it after the same manner; and that this
may not seem to any contemptible or worthy to be rejected, it is the same which
St. John the Evangelist, the disciple beloved of our Lord, with all the
churches he presided, is recorded to have observed." . . .
Then
Wilfrid was ordered by the king to speak for the Roman practice: " The
Easter which we observe we saw, celebrated by all at Rome, where the blessed
apostles, Peter, and Paul, lived, taught, suffered, and were buried - we saw
the same done in Italy and in France, when we I traveled through those
countries for pilgrimage and prayer. found that Easter was celebrated at one
and the same time in Africa, Asia, Egypt, Greece, and all the world, wherever
the Church of Christ is spread abroad, through the various nations and tongues
; except only among these and their accomplices in obstinacy, I mean the Picts
and the Britons, who foolishly, in these two remote islands of the world, and
only in part even of them, oppose all the rest of the universe. . . .
You
certainly sin if, having heard the decree of the apostolic see, and of the
universal Church, and that the same is confirmed by Holy Writ, you refuse to
follow them; for, though your fathers were holy, do you think that their small
number, in a corner of the remotest island, is to be preferred before the
universal Church of Christ throughout the world ? And though that Columba of
yours (and, I may say, ours also, if he was Christ's servant) was a holy man
and powerful in miracles, yet should he be preferred before the most blessed
prince of the apostles, to whom our Lord said, 'Thou art Peter, and upon this
rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it. And I will give up to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven'?"
When
Wilfrid had spoken thus, the king said, "Is it true, Colman, that these
words were spoken to Peter by our Lord?" He answered, "It is true, O
king!" Then said he, "Can you show any such power given to your
Columba?" Colman answered, " None." Then added the king, "
Do both of you agree that these words were principally directed to Peter, and that
the keys of heaven were given to him by our Lord?' They both answered, “ We
do." , Then the king concluded "And I also say unto you, that he is
the doorkeeper, whorl I will not contradict, but will, as far as I know and am
able in all things obey his decrees, lest when I come to the gate of the
kingdom of heaven there should be none to open them he being my adversary who
is proved to have the keys." The king having said this, all present, both
great and small gave their assent and, renouncing the more imperfect
institution, resolved to conform to that which they found to be better.
No comments:
Post a Comment