Chapter 1: 687-699 A.D. #

¹ The venerable Ethelwald succeeded the man of God, Cuthbert, in the practice of the solitary life, which Cuthbert had led on the Isle of Farne before becoming a bishop. After receiving the priesthood, Ethelwald devoted many years to a life of holiness, performing deeds befitting his sacred office in the monastery called Inhrypum. To make his virtue and way of life more clearly known, I will recount one of his miracles, as told to me by the very brother for whom and through whom it was performed—namely, Guthfrid, the devout servant and priest of Christ, who later became abbot and led the brethren of the same church of Lindisfarne, where he had been raised.

² “I came,” he said, “to the island of Farne with two other brethren, wishing to speak with the most reverend Father Ethelwald. After being uplifted by his words and receiving his blessing, we set out on our return journey. But suddenly, while we were in the middle of the sea, the fair weather in which we had been sailing was shattered, and a great and dreadful storm arose. Neither sails nor oars were of any use to us, and we had nothing to expect but death. After struggling against the wind and waves for a long time without success, we turned back, hoping we might at least return to the island from which we had set out. But we found ourselves completely surrounded by the storm, with no hope of escape by our own efforts. Then, looking again toward the island of Farne, we saw our father Ethelwald, beloved of God, emerge from his solitude to watch over us. For, hearing the roar of the storm and the raging sea, he had come forth to see what would become of us.

³ When he saw us in distress and despair, he knelt and prayed to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for our lives and safety. As soon as he finished his prayer, he calmed the raging waters, so that the fury of the storm ceased on all sides, and a gentle wind carried us over a smooth sea all the way to shore. When we landed and pulled our small vessel from the waves, the storm, which had paused briefly for our sake, immediately returned and raged fiercely for the rest of the day. It was clear that this brief moment of calm had been granted by Heaven in answer to the prayers of the man of God, so that we might be saved.”

⁴ The man of God remained on the island of Farne for twelve years and died there, but he was buried in the church of the blessed Apostle Peter on the island of Lindisfarne, beside the bodies of the aforementioned bishops. These events took place during the reign of King Aldfrid, who ruled the Northumbrian people for nineteen years after his brother Egfrid.

Chapter 2: 687 A.D. #

¹ At the beginning of Aldfrid’s reign, Bishop Eata died and was succeeded as bishop of the church of Hagustald by the holy man John. Those who knew him well often recounted many miracles about him, especially Berthun, a man of great reverence and unquestionable truthfulness, who had once been his deacon and was now abbot of the monastery called Inderauuda, meaning “In the wood of the Deiri.” Some of these miracles we have deemed worthy to pass on to future generations.

² There is a secluded dwelling enclosed by a mound, among scattered trees, about a mile and a half from the church of Hagustald, separated from it by the River Tyne. It contains an oratory dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, where the man of God often withdrew, particularly during Lent, to spend time in prayer and study with a few companions. When he arrived there at the beginning of Lent on one occasion, he instructed his followers to seek out a poor man suffering from any grave infirmity or need, whom they could care for during those days and provide with alms, for this was his constant custom.

³ In a nearby township, there was a young man who was mute and well known to the bishop, as he often came into his presence to receive alms. He had never been able to speak a single word, and his head was so covered in scurf and sores that no hair could grow on the top of it—only a few rough hairs stood on end around the edges. The bishop had him brought to him and arranged for a small hut to be built within the enclosure of his dwelling, where the young man could stay and receive alms from him each day.

⁴ After the first week of Lent had passed, on the following Sunday, the bishop called the young man to him. When he arrived, the bishop instructed him to stick out his tongue, and when he did, the bishop took hold of his chin and made the sign of the Holy Cross on his tongue. He then told him to pull his tongue back into his mouth and to speak. “Say something,” he commanded. “Say ‘gae,’” which, in the English tongue, is the word for affirming and agreeing, meaning “yes.” Immediately, the young man’s tongue was loosed, and he spoke as he had been instructed. The bishop then proceeded to teach him the letters of the alphabet: “Say A.” He said A. “Say B.” He said B as well. When he had repeated all the letters after the bishop, the latter moved on to syllables and words, and when the young man pronounced them correctly, he was then instructed to form full sentences, which he did. According to those who were present, he was so overjoyed by his newfound speech that he did not stop speaking for the rest of that day and through the following night, as long as he could remain awake, expressing his thoughts and desires to others for the first time. It was like the man who had been lame from birth, who, after being healed by the apostles Peter and John, “leaping up, stood and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God”, rejoicing in the use of his legs, which he had long been without.

⁵ The bishop, sharing in his joy at this miracle, then instructed a physician to tend to the sores on his head. The physician followed his orders, and with the bishop’s prayers and blessing, the young man’s skin was healed, and a fine head of hair grew in its place. He who had once been disfigured, miserable, and mute was now handsome, eloquent, and adorned with beautiful, curling hair. Though the bishop offered to keep him in his household, the young man, filled with joy at his restored health, chose instead to return home.

Chapter 3: 705 A.D. #

¹ The same Berthun also recounted another miracle performed by the bishop. When the most reverend Wilfrid, after a long exile, was restored to the bishopric of the church of Hexham, and the aforementioned John, upon the death of Bosa—a man of great holiness and humility—was appointed in his place as bishop of York, John once visited a monastery of nuns at a place called Wetadun, where Abbess Heriburg presided.

² “When we arrived there,” Berthun said, “we were welcomed with great and universal joy. The abbess then told us that one of the nuns—her own daughter by birth—was suffering from a grievous illness. She had recently been bled in the arm, and while she was still under treatment, she was suddenly struck with intense pain, which rapidly worsened. Her wounded arm became so swollen that it could scarcely be grasped with both hands, and she lay in bed as though at the point of death from the sheer agony. The abbess therefore begged the bishop to go in and give her his blessing, for she believed that if he blessed her or laid his hands upon her, she would soon recover.

³ He asked when the maiden had been bled, and upon being told that it was on the fourth day of the moon, he said, ‘You acted very unwisely and unskillfully in letting blood on the fourth day of the moon. I remember that Archbishop Theodore, of blessed memory, warned that bloodletting at such a time is extremely dangerous, for when the moon is waxing and the tide of the ocean is rising, it can bring harm. And what can I do for the maiden if she is at the point of death?’”

Chapter 4 #

¹ The same abbot recounted another miracle of the aforementioned bishop, similar to the previous one. “Not far from our monastery,” he said, “about two miles away, there was a township belonging to a thegn named Puch. His wife had been suffering from a grievous illness for nearly forty days, and for three weeks, she had been so weak that she could not even be carried out of the chamber where she lay.

² At that time, the man of God was called there by the thegn to consecrate a church. When the consecration was completed, the thegn urged him to come into his house and dine. The bishop, however, declined, saying that he needed to return to the monastery, which was very close by. The thegn, pressing him more earnestly, vowed that he would also give alms to the poor if the bishop would graciously enter his house that day and break his fast.

³ I added my entreaties to his, likewise promising to give alms for the relief of the poor if the bishop would agree to dine at the thegn’s house and give his blessing. After much difficulty, we at last prevailed upon him, and we entered to take our meal.

⁴ The bishop had sent ahead some of the holy water that he had blessed during the consecration of the church, instructing one of the brothers who had accompanied me to take it to the sick woman. He ordered him to give her some to drink and to wash the part of her body where her pain was greatest with the same water. As soon as this was done, the woman immediately rose, completely healed. Not only had she been freed from her long illness, but she had also regained all the strength that she had lost during her long affliction.

⁵ In her joy, she brought the cup to the bishop and to us and continued serving us food and drink as she had begun, until the meal was finished—just as the mother-in-law of the blessed Peter, who, after suffering from a fever, arose at the touch of our Lord’s hand and, having immediately received health and strength, began to serve them.”

Chapter 5 #

¹ On another occasion, the bishop was called to consecrate the church of a thegn named Addi. After completing the sacred duty, the thegn urgently pleaded with him to visit one of his servants, who lay dangerously ill. The man had lost all use of his limbs and appeared to be at the very point of death. In fact, a coffin had already been prepared for his burial.

² The thegn, with tears in his eyes, earnestly begged the bishop to go in and pray for the servant, for his life was of great importance to him. He firmly believed that if the bishop would lay his hand upon the man and give him his blessing, he would soon recover. Moved by his plea, the bishop entered and found the servant close to death, with the coffin already placed beside him, while all around mourned his passing.

³ The bishop said a prayer over the man, blessed him, and then, as he departed, spoke his customary words of comfort: “Good health be yours, and that speedily.”

⁴ Later, as they sat at table, the servant sent word to his lord, asking if he might have a cup of wine, for he was thirsty. The thegn, overjoyed that the man was able to drink, sent him a cup of wine that had been blessed by the bishop. As soon as he drank it, he immediately rose, shook off the weight of his illness, dressed himself, and went out. Entering the hall where the bishop and his guests were gathered, he greeted them all and declared that he, too, would gladly eat and drink with them.

⁵ They welcomed him to the table with great rejoicing at his recovery. He sat down, ate and drank, and joined in their merriment, behaving as though he had never been ill. He went on to live many years in the same good health he had received that day. The aforementioned abbot, who recounted this miracle, admitted that he had not witnessed it himself but had received the account from those who had been present.

Chapter 6 #

¹ Nor do I think it right to pass over in silence the miracle that Herebald, the servant of Christ, testified was performed upon him by the bishop. At the time, he was one of the bishop’s clergy, but he later became abbot of the monastery at the mouth of the River Tyne.

² “Living with him,” he said, “and being well acquainted with his manner of life, I found it in every respect worthy of a bishop, as far as it is possible for men to judge. But beyond what I observed outwardly, I came to know—both from the experience of others and especially from my own—how great his favor was before Him Who sees the heart. For by his prayer and blessing, I was recalled from the very threshold of death and restored to life.

³ In the prime of my youth, while I was among his clergy, I devoted myself to reading and singing, though my heart had not yet entirely withdrawn from youthful pleasures. One day, as we were traveling with the bishop, we came upon a wide and open road, well suited for galloping.”

⁴ The young men who were with him, especially the laymen, began to plead with the bishop for permission to gallop and test their horses against one another. At first, he refused, saying it was a frivolous request. But at last, overcome by the unanimous desire of so many, he said, “Do as you wish, but let Herebald have no part in the trial.”

⁵ I, however, earnestly begged to be allowed to join in the competition, for I had great confidence in an excellent horse—which the bishop himself had given me. Yet, no matter how much I pleaded, I could not obtain his permission.

⁶ “As they galloped back and forth several times, the bishop and I stood watching. But at last, my youthful recklessness got the better of me, and I could no longer hold back. Despite his prohibition, I joined in their sport and began to ride at full speed with them. As I did, I heard him call after me with a groan, ‘Alas! How much you grieve me by riding in such a manner.’ Though I heard his words, I disregarded them and continued on, against his command.

⁷ But immediately, my fiery horse took a great leap over a hollow in the path, and I was thrown violently to the ground. At once, I lost all sense and motion, as if I were dying. In that very spot, there lay a single stone, level with the ground and covered by only a thin layer of turf—though no other stone was to be found in that vast plain. And by chance, or rather by the just ordering of Divine Providence to punish my disobedience, my head and the hand I had instinctively placed beneath it struck directly upon that stone. My skull was fractured, my thumb was broken, and, as I said, I became as one dead.

⁸ And because I was unable to move, they set up a tent there for me to lie in. It was about the seventh hour of the day, and from that time until evening, I remained motionless, as if dead. At last, I revived slightly, and my companions carried me home, where I lay speechless throughout the night, vomiting blood—something within me had been broken by the fall.

⁹ The bishop was deeply grieved by my accident and misfortune, for he held me in great affection. That night, he did not stay among his clergy as was his custom, but spent it alone in vigil and prayer, imploring, as I believe, the Divine mercy for my healing.

¹⁰ Early the next morning, he came to me, and after saying a prayer over me, he called me by name. Awakening as if from a deep slumber, I heard him ask, ‘Do you know who is speaking to you?’ I opened my eyes and said, ‘Yes, you are my beloved bishop.’ He asked: ‘Can you live?’ I answered, ‘I can, through your prayers, if the Lord wills it.’”

¹¹ He then placed his hand on my head, blessed me, and returned to prayer. When he visited me again a short time later, he found me sitting up and able to speak. Then, moved by divine inspiration, as later became clear, he asked me whether I was certain that I had been baptized. I responded without hesitation that I had indeed been washed in the font of salvation for the forgiveness of sins, and I named the priest who had baptized me.

¹² He replied, “If that priest baptized you, then your baptism is not valid. I know him, and when he was ordained, he was unable to properly learn the ministry of catechizing and baptizing because of the weakness of his understanding. For this reason, I strictly forbade him from presuming to perform those sacraments, as he was not capable of doing so correctly.”

¹³ At that very moment, he began to catechize me. Then, as soon as he breathed upon my face, I immediately began to feel better. He called the surgeon and instructed him to set and bandage the fracture in my skull. And after receiving his blessing, I improved so much that the very next day, I was able to mount a horse and travel with him to another place. Not long after, having fully recovered, I was washed in the water of life.

¹⁴ He served as bishop for thirty-three years, and then, upon ascending to the heavenly kingdom, was buried in St. Peter’s Chapel within his own monastery, known as “In the Wood of the Deiri,” in the year of our Lord 721. Due to his advanced age, which left him unable to govern his diocese, he appointed his priest, Wilfrid, as bishop of the Church of York. He then withdrew to the monastery, where he spent his final days in a life of piety and devotion.

Chapter 7: 688 A.D. #

¹ In the third year of King Aldfrid’s reign, Caedwalla, king of the West Saxons, having ruled his people with great strength for two years, renounced his crown for the sake of the Lord and the hope of an eternal kingdom. He journeyed to Rome, desiring the special honor of being baptized at the threshold of the blessed Apostles. He had come to understand that baptism alone grants access to the heavenly life, and he hoped that, once cleansed in the baptismal waters, he would soon be freed from his mortal body and pass into the eternal joy of Heaven.

² By the grace of God, his desire was fulfilled. Arriving in Rome during the papacy of Sergius, he was baptized on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter, in the year of our Lord 689. While still clothed in his white baptismal garments, he fell ill, and on April 20, he was released from the bonds of the flesh, entering into the blessed kingdom of Heaven.

³ At his baptism, the pope gave him the name Peter so that he might also be united in name with the most blessed chief of the Apostles, whose sacred tomb his devotion had led him to seek from the farthest reaches of the earth. He was buried in the same church, and by the pope’s command, an epitaph was inscribed on his tomb to preserve the memory of his piety forever. This inscription was intended to inspire all who read or heard it to dedicate themselves to a life of faith, following his example.

⁴ The epitaph was this:

⁵ “High rank, great wealth, a royal lineage, a mighty kingdom, victories, spoils of war, chieftains, fortresses, the battlefield, his home—everything that the valor of his ancestors had secured, and all that he himself had won—Caedwalla, mighty in war, abandoned for the love of God. As a pilgrim king, he sought to behold Peter and his sacred seat, to receive in his font the pure waters of life, and to drink deeply of the radiant light from which life-giving glory shines upon the whole world.

⁶ And as he eagerly grasped the prize of new life, he cast aside his former warrior’s fierceness. Transformed in heart, he took a new name with joy. Pope Sergius, himself as a father to him, named him Peter when he arose, newly reborn from the baptismal font. The grace of Christ cleansed him, and in his white baptismal robes, he was swiftly carried to the heights of Heaven.

⁷ O wondrous faith of a king—but greater still, the boundless mercy of Christ, whose divine will is beyond human understanding! From the distant land of Britain, he came safely through many nations, across many seas, along many roads, until he beheld the city of Romulus and the sacred shrine of Peter, offering mystical gifts in reverence.

⁸ Now he walks in white among the flock of Christ, numbered among the saints. His body rests in the tomb, but his soul is in glory. You might well say that he exchanged an earthly kingdom for a heavenly one, for now he has attained the eternal reign of Christ.

⁹ Here was buried Caedwalla, also known as Peter, king of the Saxons, on the twentieth day of April, in the second indiction, at around the age of thirty. This took place during the reign of our most pious lord, the Emperor Justinian, in the fourth year of his consulship, and in the second year of the pontificate of our Apostolic Lord, Pope Sergius.”

¹⁰ When Caedwalla went to Rome, Ini, who was of the royal bloodline, succeeded him as king. He ruled over the nation for thirty-seven years, and, like his predecessor, he eventually relinquished his throne, entrusting it to younger rulers. He then journeyed to the threshold of the blessed Apostles during the pontificate of Pope Gregory, desiring to spend part of his earthly pilgrimage near the sacred sites so that he might more readily be received into the fellowship of the saints in heaven.

¹¹ At that time, many of the English people—both noble and common, lay and clergy, men and women—were fervently undertaking the same journey, seeking to dedicate themselves to a life of faith near the holy places.

Chapter 8: 690 A.D. #

¹ The year after Caedwalla’s death in Rome—that is, in the year 690 after the Incarnation of our Lord—Archbishop Theodore, of blessed memory, passed from this life, having reached an old age and the fullness of his days. He was eighty-eight years old, a number he had long foretold to his friends, having received knowledge of it in a dream. He served as archbishop for twenty-two years and was buried in St. Peter’s Church, where the bodies of all the bishops of Canterbury are laid to rest.

² Of him, as well as of his fellow bishops, it may rightly and truly be said: “Their bodies are buried in peace, and their names shall live for all generations.” Indeed, to put it briefly, the English Church experienced greater spiritual growth during his time as archbishop than ever before.

³ His life, character, age, and death are plainly recorded for all who visit his tomb, through an epitaph inscribed in thirty-four heroic verses. The first of these read as follows:

⁴ “Here in this tomb rests the body of the holy prelate, known in the Greek tongue as Theodore. A chief pontiff and blessed high priest, he faithfully taught pure doctrine to his disciples.”

⁵ The last is as follow:

⁶ “For September had reached its nineteenth day when his spirit departed from the prison of the flesh. Rising in joy to the blessed fellowship of new life, he was joined to the angelic hosts in the heights of Heaven.”

⁷ Bertwald succeeded Theodore as Archbishop, having previously been abbot of the monastery called Reculver, which stood at the northern mouth of the River Genlade. He was well-versed in the Scriptures and thoroughly trained in both ecclesiastical and monastic teachings, though he was in no way equal to his predecessor. He was elected bishop on the 1st of July in the year of our Lord 692, during the reign of Wihtred and Swæbhard in Kent, but he was not ordained until the following year, on Sunday, the 29th of June, by Godwin, the metropolitan bishop of Gaul. His enthronement took place on Sunday, the 31st of August. Among the many bishops he ordained was Tobias, a man learned in Latin, Greek, and Saxon, as well as in various other fields of knowledge, whom he consecrated to succeed Gedmund as bishop of the Church of Rochester after Gedmund’s death.

Chapter 9: 688 A.D. #

¹ At that time, the venerable servant of Christ and priest, Egbert—who is to be held in all honour and who, as previously mentioned, lived as a pilgrim and stranger in Ireland to gain an eternal homeland in heaven—resolved in his heart to benefit many by taking up the work of an apostle. He sought to preach the Gospel and bring the Word of God to nations that had not yet heard it. He knew that many such tribes existed in Germany, from whom the Angles and Saxons who now inhabit Britain are descended; for this reason, they are still improperly called “Garmans” by the neighboring Britons. These tribes include the Frisians, the Rugini, the Danes, the Huns, the Old Saxons, and the Boructuari. In those same regions, there were also many other peoples still bound by pagan rites, and Egbert, as a soldier of Christ, was determined to go to them, sailing around Britain in the hope of delivering some from the power of Satan and bringing them to Christ. If this was not possible, he intended to go to Rome to visit and venerate the thresholds of the holy Apostles and martyrs of Christ.

² But a revelation from Heaven and the working of God prevented him from accomplishing either of these undertakings. For after he had chosen companions of great courage, well suited to preach the Word—men renowned for their good deeds and learning—and after all necessary provisions for the voyage had been gathered, a certain brother came to him early one morning. This brother had been a disciple of the priest Boisil, beloved of God, and had served him in Britain when Boisil was the provost of the monastery of Melrose under Abbot Eata, as mentioned before. The brother told Egbert of a vision he had seen that night.

³ “After matins,” he said, “when I had lain down in my bed and fallen into a light sleep, my former master Boisil, who raised me in all love, appeared to me and asked if I recognized him. I said, ‘Yes, you are Boisil.’ He replied, ‘I have come to bring Egbert a message from our Lord and Saviour, though it must be delivered to him by you. Tell him, therefore, that he cannot complete the journey he has planned, for it is God’s will that he should instead go and teach the monasteries of Columba.’”

⁴ Now, Columba was the first to bring the Christian faith to the Picts beyond the northern mountains and was the founder of the monastery on the island of Iona, which for a long time was greatly revered by many tribes of the Scots and Picts. He is now called by some Columcille, a name formed from “Columba” and “Cella.”

⁵ Upon hearing the vision, Egbert instructed the brother not to share it with anyone else, in case it prove to be a false vision. Yet, when he pondered the matter privately, he felt it was true; still, he did not abandon his preparations for the journey he intended to make to teach those nations.

⁶ A few days later, the same brother came to Egbert again, saying that Boisil had appeared to him once more in a vision after matins and had said, “Why did you deliver my message to Egbert so carelessly and with such little fervor? Go now and tell him that, whether he wills it or not, he must go to Columba’s monasteries, for their ploughs are not driven straight, and he must bring them back into the right path.”

⁷ Hearing this, Egbert once again instructed the brother not to reveal the vision to anyone. Though now certain of its truth, he still persisted in his plan to set out on his intended voyage with his companions. When they had loaded everything necessary for such a long journey onto the ship and had waited for several days for favorable winds, a violent storm arose one night. The storm was so fierce that part of the cargo was lost, and the ship itself was left lying on its side in the sea. Yet, everything belonging to Egbert and his companions was preserved.

⁸ Then, recognizing the hand of God in these events, he said, in the words of the prophet, “For my sake this great storm has come upon you”, and he abandoned his undertaking, choosing instead to remain where he was.

⁹ But one of Egbert’s companions, named Wictbert, a man renowned for his disdain for worldly things as well as for his learning and wisdom—having spent many years as a pilgrim and stranger in Ireland, living the life of a hermit with great devotion—set sail and arrived in Frisia. There, for two whole years, he preached the Word of salvation to that nation and to its king, Rathbed. However, despite all his efforts, he saw no fruit from his labors among his barbarous listeners.

¹⁰ Afterward, he returned to the place he had chosen for his pilgrimage and devoted himself once more to the Lord in his accustomed life of silence. Since he was unable to bring strangers to the faith through his preaching, he resolved instead to be all the more fruitful among his own people by the example of his virtuous life.

Chapter 10: 690 A.D. #

¹ When the man of God, Egbert, realized that he himself was not permitted to go and preach to the nations—being restrained for the sake of some other benefit to the holy Church, as had been revealed to him—and that Wictbert, despite his efforts, had accomplished nothing among them, he nevertheless continued to send holy and diligent men to carry out the work of the Word. Among them, the most notable was Wilbrord, a priest of great merit and distinction.

² He and his twelve companions arrived in those lands and turned aside to Pippin, Duke of the Franks, who welcomed them gladly. Since Pippin had recently subdued the nearer part of Frisia and expelled King Rathbed, he sent them to preach there, granting them his protection so that none might hinder their mission. He also bestowed many favors on those who were willing to receive the faith. By the grace of God, their efforts bore fruit, and in a short time, they converted many from idolatry to the faith of Christ.

³ Following their example, two other priests of the English nation, who had long lived as pilgrims in Ireland for the sake of the eternal kingdom, set out for the land of the Old Saxons, hoping that by their preaching they might bring some to Christ. They were alike in both name and devotion, for both were called Hewald, though they were distinguished by the color of their hair—one being known as Black Hewald and the other as White Hewald. Both were filled with religious piety, but Black Hewald was the more learned in the Scriptures.

⁴ When they arrived in the region, they sought lodging in the house of a certain township-reeve and asked him to lead them to the ealdorman under whom he served, for they had an important message to deliver to him. The Old Saxons had no king but were governed by many ealdormen, and when war was imminent, they cast lots without distinction; whoever was chosen by lot would lead them in battle, and once the conflict was over, all the ealdormen would return to equal authority.

⁵ The reeve received the two priests into his house and entertained them for some days, assuring them that he would send them to the ealdorman as they had requested.

⁶ But when the barbarians realized that the two priests followed a different faith—for they continually devoted themselves to singing psalms and prayer and daily offered to God the Sacrifice of the saving Victim, having with them sacred vessels and a consecrated table for an altar—they began to grow suspicious. They feared that if these men were allowed to speak with their ealdorman, they might turn his heart away from their gods and convert him to the Christian faith, leading to the gradual abandonment of their ancient worship throughout the province.

⁷ Seized by this fear, they suddenly laid hold of them and put them to death. White Hewald was killed outright with the sword, but Black Hewald was subjected to prolonged torture, torn limb from limb in a horrific manner. Afterward, they cast their bodies into the Rhine.

⁸ When the ealdorman, whom they had sought to meet, heard what had happened, he was furious that these strangers, who had wished to come before him, had been murdered before they could do so. In his wrath, he ordered the execution of all those responsible and had their village burned to the ground. The two priests and servants of Christ suffered martyrdom on the 3rd of October.

⁹ Miracles from Heaven were not lacking at their martyrdom. After their bodies had been cast into the river by the pagans, as previously mentioned, they were carried against the current for nearly forty miles to the very place where their companions were. Moreover, each night, a long ray of light shone from above them, stretching up to heaven, no matter where they drifted, and even the very pagans who had slain them witnessed this wondrous sign.

¹⁰ Furthermore, one of them appeared in a vision by night to one of their companions, a man named Tilmon. Tilmon was of noble birth and renowned in the world; he had once been a thegn but had renounced his rank to become a monk. In the vision, the martyr told him that their bodies could be found in the place where he would see rays of light descending from heaven to earth. And so it happened: following the sign, Tilmon and the others discovered their remains and buried them with the honor due to martyrs. The day of their martyrdom, or of the discovery of their bodies, continues to be celebrated in those regions with fitting veneration.

¹¹ In time, Pippin, the most glorious duke of the Franks, upon learning of these events, ordered that their bodies be brought to him. He then had them interred with great honor in the church of the city of Cologne, on the Rhine. It is also said that at the very spot where they were killed, a spring miraculously burst forth, and to this day, a plentiful stream continues to flow there.

Chapter 11: 692 A.D. #

¹ At their first arrival in Frisia, as soon as Wilbrord received permission from the prince to preach there, he hastened to Rome, where Pope Sergius then presided over the Apostolic See. He sought the Pope’s license and blessing to undertake the mission of preaching the Gospel to the nations. He also hoped to obtain from him relics of the blessed Apostles and martyrs of Christ, so that when he destroyed the idols and built churches among the people to whom he preached, he would have the relics of saints ready to place within them. By doing so, he could dedicate each church in honor of the saint whose relics it held. Additionally, he wished to learn and receive many other things necessary for so great a task. Having obtained everything he desired, he returned to continue his mission of preaching.

² At that time, the brothers who were in Frisia, engaged in the ministry of the Word, selected from among themselves a man of upright life and gentle heart named Suidbert to be ordained as their bishop. At their request, he was sent to Britain, where he was consecrated by the most reverend Bishop Wilfrid. Wilfrid, having been exiled from his homeland, was then living in banishment among the Mercians. At that time, there was no bishop in Kent, since Theodore had died, and his successor, Bertwald, had traveled overseas for his ordination and had not yet returned to his episcopal see.

³ Bishop Suidbert, having been consecrated, returned from Britain and soon afterward set out for the Boructuari. Through his preaching, he led many of them to the path of truth. However, before long, the Boructuari were conquered by the Old Saxons, and those who had embraced the Word were scattered. Suidbert himself, along with some companions, sought refuge with Pippin. At the request of Pippin’s wife, Blithryda, he was granted a place to live on an island in the Rhine, called Inlitore in their language. There, he established a monastery, which his successors continue to hold. He lived there for some time in great self-discipline and eventually passed away in that place.

⁴ After those who had journeyed there had spent several years teaching in Frisia, Pippin, with the agreement of them all, sent the venerable Wilbrord to Rome. At that time, Sergius was still pope, and Pippin requested that Wilbrord be consecrated as archbishop over the Frisian people. This request was granted, and in the year of our Lord 696, Wilbrord was consecrated in the Church of the Holy Martyr Cecilia on her feast day. The pope gave him the name Clement and sent him back to his bishopric just fourteen days after his arrival in the city.

⁵ Pippin granted Wilbrord a place for his episcopal see in his renowned stronghold, known in the ancient language of the people as Wiltaburg, meaning “the town of the Wilts,” but called Trajectum in the Gallic tongue. There, the most reverend bishop built a church and, through his preaching, spread the Word of faith far and wide, leading many away from their errors. He established numerous churches and several monasteries.

⁶ Before long, he also appointed other bishops in the region, choosing them from among the brethren who had either accompanied him or arrived later to join in the mission. Some of these bishops have since passed away in the Lord, but Wilbrord himself, known as Clement, remains alive. Now venerable in his old age, he has served as a bishop for thirty-six years. After many struggles in the service of God, he now longs with all his heart for his heavenly reward.

Chapter 12: 696 A.D. #

¹ At this time, a remarkable miracle occurred in Britain, reminiscent of those in ancient days. To awaken the living from spiritual death, a man who had been dead for some time was restored to life and recounted many astonishing things he had seen. Some of these I have deemed worthy to briefly relate here.

² In the region of the Northumbrians known as Incuneningum, there was a certain householder who, along with his entire household, lived a devout life. This man fell ill, and as his condition worsened, he eventually passed away at the beginning of the night. However, at dawn, he suddenly returned to life and sat up. Those who had been keeping watch over his body, weeping, fled in terror—except for his wife, who, though trembling with fear, remained by his side out of love for him.

³ He then sought to reassure her, saying, “Do not be afraid, for I have truly risen from the death that held me, and I have been granted permission to live among men once more. However, I must no longer live as I once did, but in a completely different way.”

⁴ Immediately after rising, he went to the oratory in the nearby town and remained in prayer until morning. At once, he divided all his possessions into three parts: one he gave to his wife, another to his children, and the third he kept only briefly before distributing it among the poor.

⁵ Not long afterward, desiring to be free from the burdens of worldly affairs, he went to the monastery of Mailros, which is nearly surrounded by the winding course of the River Tweed. There, he received the tonsure and withdrew to a dwelling that the abbot had provided for him. He remained there until the day of his death, living in such deep repentance and severe self-discipline that, even if he had spoken no word, his way of life alone would have testified that he had witnessed things either to be feared or greatly desired—mysteries hidden from the sight of other men.

⁶ Thus, he recounted what he had seen: “The one who led me had a face full of light and wore shining garments. In silence, as it seemed to me, we walked toward the rising of the summer sun. As we traveled, we came upon a vast and deep valley of immeasurable length. It lay to our left, and one side of it was terrifying with raging flames, while the other was no less unbearable, swept by violent hail and drifting snows.

⁷ Both sides were filled with the souls of men, who appeared to be hurled back and forth as if caught in a violent storm. When they could no longer endure the searing heat, the wretched souls leaped into the midst of the deadly cold; yet finding no relief there, they were forced to leap back again into the unquenchable fire.

⁸ As I looked upon this countless multitude of twisted and tormented spirits, suffering without pause as far as my eyes could see, I began to wonder if this might be Hell, of whose dreadful torments I had often heard. But my guide, who walked before me, perceived my thoughts and said, ‘Do not think so, for this is not the Hell you imagine it to be.’

⁹ As he led me farther, I was still overcome with fear at the dreadful sight we had passed. Suddenly, the way before us grew dim, filled with shadows. As we entered into them, the darkness thickened so greatly that I could see nothing at all—except for the outline and garments of my guide.

¹⁰ As we journeyed ‘through the shades in the lone night,’ lo! before us appeared great masses of foul fire, constantly rising as if from an immense pit and then falling back into it again. When we reached this place, my guide suddenly vanished, leaving me alone in the midst of darkness and these terrifying sights.

¹¹ The same flames, without ceasing, shot upwards and then fell back into the depths of the abyss. As I watched, I saw that at the peaks of these flames were the souls of men. Like sparks rising with the smoke, they were flung high into the air, only to fall back again when the fire’s vapors sank downward. Moreover, with these vapors came a stench, beyond all description in its foulness, filling the entire darkness around me.

¹² I stood there for a long time, overcome with dread, not knowing what to do, where to turn, or what fate awaited me. Then, all of a sudden, I heard behind me the sound of a mighty and sorrowful lamentation, mingled with the coarse laughter of a cruel and mocking crowd, as though enemies were rejoicing over those they had captured.

¹³ As the noise grew clearer and drew near, I beheld a throng of evil spirits dragging five human souls into the depths of the darkness. The souls wailed and shrieked in anguish, while their captors exulted with laughter. Among them, I could make out the figures of a man with a cleric’s tonsure, a layman, and a woman. The demons hauled them down into the fiery abyss, and as they descended deeper, the cries of the souls and the laughter of the devils became indistinguishable, blending into a dreadful and confused sound in my ears.

¹⁴ Meanwhile, other dark spirits rose from the pit, rushing toward me and surrounding me on all sides. With their flaming eyes and the foul fire that issued from their mouths and nostrils, they sought to choke me. They brandished fiery tongs, threatening to seize me, yet though they tried to terrify me, they dared not lay a hand upon me.

¹⁵ Hemmed in by these enemies and shrouded in darkness, I cast my eyes desperately around, searching for any sign of help or deliverance. Then, behind me, along the path by which I had come, I beheld a light—at first small, like the glimmer of a star in the vast darkness, but growing steadily brighter. Swiftly it advanced toward me, and as it drew near, all the wicked spirits who had sought to drag me away with their tongs scattered and fled in terror.

¹⁶ The one whose arrival had caused them to flee was the same who had led me before. Then, turning to the right, he began to guide me as if toward the rising of the winter sun. Soon, he brought me out of the darkness and led me into a place filled with clear light. As he continued to lead me in the open brightness, I saw before us a vast wall stretching endlessly in both directions, its height appearing boundless. I wondered why we were approaching the wall, for I saw neither door nor window, nor any means of ascending it. But as we reached it, we were suddenly, though by what means I could not tell, standing atop it. And behold! Before us lay a broad and delightful plain, filled with blooming flowers whose fragrance was so sweet and wonderful that it immediately dispelled the vile stench of the dark furnace that had filled my nostrils. The light that shone over this place was so great that it seemed to surpass even the brightness of day or the rays of the noonday sun. In this field, countless multitudes of people were clothed in white, and there were many seats among the rejoicing throngs. As my guide led me through the midst of these joyful inhabitants, I began to wonder if this might be the kingdom of Heaven, of which I had so often heard. Perceiving my thought, he said to me, ‘No, this is not the kingdom of Heaven, as you suppose.’

¹⁷ When we had passed beyond those dwellings of the blessed spirits and gone farther on, I beheld before me a light far more beautiful than before. From within it, I heard the sweet sounds of singing, and such a wondrous fragrance filled the air that the scent I had previously thought so great now seemed but a small thing in comparison. Likewise, the radiant brightness of the flowery field, which had once appeared so marvelous, now seemed dim and feeble beside this new brilliance. As I began to hope that we might enter that glorious place, my guide suddenly stopped. Then, without delay, he turned and led me back along the way we had come.

¹⁸ As we made our way back and came again to those joyful dwellings of the white-robed spirits, my guide said to me, ‘Do you understand what all these things you have seen mean?’ I answered, ‘No’ Then he said, ‘That valley, which you saw filled with dreadful flames and bitter cold, is the place where the souls of those are tried and punished who delayed in confessing and amending their sins, putting off repentance until the very end of their lives. Though they departed from the body in a state of repentance and confession, they must undergo purification. Yet because they did repent, they shall all be received into the kingdom of Heaven on the day of judgment. However, many are delivered from their suffering before that day through the prayers of the living, their acts of charity and fasting, and most especially through the offering of Masses. But that vile, fiery pit which you saw is the mouth of Hell, and whoever falls into it shall never be freed for all eternity.

¹⁹ This place of flowers, where you see this fair and youthful company, bright and full of joy, is where the souls of those are received who, though they have done good works in life, are not yet so perfect as to be immediately admitted into the kingdom of Heaven. Yet, on the day of judgment, they shall all behold Christ and enter into the joys of His kingdom. For those who are perfect in every word, deed, and thought, as soon as they depart from the body, enter at once into the kingdom of Heaven. That place which you glimpsed, where you heard sweet singing and perceived a fragrant aroma and brilliant light, is near to that kingdom.

²⁰ As for you, who must now return to the body and live again among men, if you diligently examine your actions and keep your manner of life and speech in righteousness and simplicity, then after death, you shall have a dwelling among these joyful bands of blessed souls whom you see here. For when I left you for a time, it was to learn what should become of you.”

²¹ When he had spoken these words, I was filled with deep aversion at the thought of returning to my body, for I was captivated by the sweetness and beauty of the place before me and by the company of those I beheld. Yet I dared not ask my guide anything. Then, suddenly, I found myself, though by what means I do not know, alive again among men.

²² This man of God would not reveal these visions to the slothful or to those who lived carelessly, but only to those who, either struck with fear of torment or enraptured by the hope of eternal joy, would take his words as a means to grow in piety. Near his cell lived a monk named Haemgils, an eminent priest whose good works were worthy of his calling. He is still alive, living a solitary life in Ireland, sustaining his old age with coarse bread and cold water.

²³ Haemgils often visited this man and, through persistent questioning, learned what he had seen when out of the body. It was from his account that these few details, which we have briefly recorded, came to our knowledge. He also related his visions to King Aldfrid, a man most learned in every respect, who listened to him eagerly and attentively. At the king’s request, he was admitted into the monastery previously mentioned and received the monastic tonsure. King Aldfrid, whenever he traveled to that region, frequently visited him to hear more of his account.

²⁴ At that time, the monastery was led by Abbot and Priest Ethelwald, a man of pious and sober life. He now serves as bishop of the Church of Lindisfarne, living a life worthy of his sacred office.

²⁵ He was given a dwelling apart within the monastery so that he might devote himself more freely to the service of his Creator in continual prayer. Since this place was near the riverbank, he often entered the water, driven by his great desire to do penance in his body. Many times, he would plunge into the river and remain there, standing motionless while reciting psalms or prayers, enduring the cold as long as he could bear it—sometimes with the water reaching his waist, at other times up to his neck. When he came ashore, he never removed his wet garments but allowed them to dry upon his body through their own warmth.

²⁶ In winter, when the river was covered with floating ice, he would sometimes break the ice himself to make space to stand or immerse himself in the water. Those who witnessed this would say, “Brother Drythelm” (for that was his name), “we marvel that you can endure such extreme cold.” But he, being a man of simple and sober spirit, would answer, “I have seen greater cold.” And when they said, “We wonder that you choose to observe such a harsh discipline,” he replied, “I have seen harder things.”

²⁷ Thus, until the day he was called from this life, he tamed his aged body through daily fasting, ever striving for heavenly bliss, and by his words and example, he led many to salvation.

Chapter 13: 704-709 A.D. #

¹ On the contrary, there was a man in the province of the Mercians whose visions and words were of benefit to others, though not to himself, for his way of life did not follow them. During the reign of Coenred, who succeeded Ethelred, there was a layman, a king’s thegn, who was highly valued by the king for his outward diligence but displeasing to him for his neglect of his own soul. The king earnestly admonished him to confess his sins, repent, and abandon his wicked ways, warning him that if he delayed, he might be overtaken by sudden death and lose his chance for repentance and salvation.

² But though he was frequently warned, he scorned these words of life, always putting off his repentance and promising to amend his ways at some later time. In the meantime, he fell gravely ill and was confined to his bed, suffering intense pain. The king, who loved him dearly, came to visit him and urged him, even in his final hours, to repent of his sins. However, the man stubbornly refused, saying that he would not confess at that time but would do so once he had recovered. He feared that if he repented while sick, his companions would mock him for doing out of fear of death what he had refused to do in health. He thought he was speaking with courage, but it soon became clear that he had been wretchedly deceived by the cunning of the Devil.

³ As his illness grew worse, the king came again to visit and exhort him, but the man immediately cried out in a sorrowful voice, “Why have you come? What do you want? You can do nothing now for my good or my salvation.” The king answered, “Do not speak so; listen and be of sound mind.” He repied, “I am not mad, but I now see the worst, and it stands plainly before my eyes.”

⁴ “What is it that you see?” asked the king. He said, “Not long ago, two radiant youths entered this room and sat beside me—one at my head, the other at my feet. One of them took out a book, most beautiful but very small, and handed it to me to read. As I looked into it, I saw recorded all the good deeds I had ever done in my life, but they were few and of little worth. Then they took the book back and said nothing to me.

⁵ Then, suddenly, a horde of evil spirits with terrifying faces appeared and surrounded the house, some remaining outside while many entered and filled most of the room. Among them, one who seemed to be their leader—distinguished by the dreadful blackness of his grim face and his seat above the rest—took out a massive book, monstrous in size and almost too heavy to bear. He commanded one of his followers to bring it to me to read.

⁶ When I looked into it, I saw written in hideous characters every sin I had ever committed—not only in word and deed but even in my smallest thoughts. Then the chief of the demons turned to the radiant men in white who sat beside me and said, ‘Why do you remain here, when you know for certain that this man belongs to us?’ They answered, ‘You speak the truth; take him and lead him away to receive the punishment he deserves.’

⁷ At these words, they immediately vanished, and two wicked spirits arose, each holding a fiery ploughshare. One struck me on the head, the other on the foot, and now these ploughshares, with unbearable torment, are creeping through the very depths of my body. As soon as they meet, I shall die, and the devils, who are waiting for me, will seize me and drag me down into the dungeons of hell.”

⁸ Thus spoke that wretched man in his despair, and soon after he died—now suffering in eternal torments the penance he refused to endure for a short time, which could have brought him the fruits of forgiveness. It is clear, as the blessed Pope Gregory writes of certain others, that he was not shown these things for his own sake—since they did not benefit him—but for the sake of others, that they might take warning from his end and not delay repentance while they still have time. Otherwise, being overtaken by sudden death, they too might perish unrepentant.

⁹ The fact that he saw various books presented to him by both good and evil spirits was by divine design, reminding us that our deeds and thoughts are not lost like the wind but are all recorded, to be examined by the Supreme Judge. In the end, they will be revealed to us either by friendly angels or by our adversaries. That the angels first brought forth a white book and then the devils a black one—the former being very small and the latter exceedingly large—teaches us something important. In his early years, he had done some good, but he had utterly obscured those deeds with the sins of his youth. Had he instead taken care in his later years to correct the errors of his past and, through righteous living, wiped them away before the sight of God, he might have been numbered among those of whom the Psalm declares: “Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered”.

¹⁰ This account, which I learned from the venerable Bishop Pechthelm, I have set forth plainly, for the salvation of those who may read or hear it.

Chapter 14 #

¹ I once knew a brother—though I wish to God I had never known him—whose name I could mention, though it would serve no purpose. He lived in a well-known monastery, yet his own life was anything but honorable. The other brothers and elders frequently rebuked him and urged him to turn to a more disciplined and upright way of life. However, he refused to listen. They endured his behavior with patience, partly because his skills were useful—he was a highly skilled craftsman.

² Yet he was addicted to drunkenness and other reckless pleasures. He spent more time in his workshop, both day and night, than he did in church, where he ought to have been singing, praying, and listening to the Word of Life with his brethren.

³ Because of this, he suffered the fate described in the saying: He who refuses to humble himself and enter the gate of the church willingly will be led unwillingly through the gates of Hell, condemned.

⁴ When he fell gravely ill and neared death, he called for the brothers. With great lamentation, like one already damned, he began to tell them that he saw Hell opened before him. He saw Satan sunk in its depths, and near him, Caiaphas and the others who had condemned our Lord, now consumed by avenging flames. “And beside them,” he cried, “I see a place of eternal destruction prepared for me—wretched man that I am!”

⁵ The brothers, hearing this, urged him with all their strength to repent, for as long as he still lived, there was hope. But he answered in despair, “It is too late for me to change my life now, for I have already seen my judgment passed.”

⁶ As he spoke these words, he died—without having received the saving Viaticum. His body was buried in the most remote part of the monastery, and no one dared to offer Masses, sing psalms, or even pray for him.

⁷ Oh, how greatly has God separated light from darkness! When the blessed Stephen, the first martyr, was about to suffer death for the sake of truth, he saw the heavens opened and the glory of God, with Jesus standing at His right hand. Where he was destined to go after death, he fixed the eyes of his soul, so that he might die with joy.

⁸ But this craftsman, whose mind and life were shrouded in darkness, saw something far different when death approached. He beheld Hell opened before him. He witnessed the damnation of the Devil and his followers, and—wretched man!—he saw his own prison prepared among them. And so, despairing of salvation, he died in even greater misery. Yet through his condemnation, he provided a warning for the living, that those who heard of his fate might turn to repentance.

⁹ This happened not long ago in the province of the Bernicians. The news of it spread far and wide, moving many to do penance without delay. May God grant that the reading of these words may inspire the same conversion in others!

Chapter 15: 703 A.D. #

¹ At this time, by the grace of God, a great number of the Scots in Ireland, as well as some of the Britons in Britain, adopted the proper and ecclesiastical time for celebrating Easter.

² This change was influenced by Adamnan, a priest and abbot of the monks on the island of Iona. He had been sent by his people on a mission to Aldfrith, king of the English, and during his stay in that land, he observed the Church’s canonical practices. Many of the more learned men urged him not to persist in following customs that were contrary to the universal discipline of the Church—whether in the observance of Easter or in any other matter—especially when he and his few followers lived in such a remote corner of the world.

³ As a result, he had a complete change of heart, readily preferring the practices he had seen and heard in the English churches over the traditions he and his people had previously followed. For he was a good and wise man, well-versed in the knowledge of the Scriptures.

⁴ Upon returning home, he sought to lead his own people—the monks of Iona and those under the authority of that monastery—into the way of truth, which he had embraced with all his heart. But he was unable to persuade them.

⁵ He then traveled to Ireland, where he preached to the people, exhorting them with wisdom and reason to observe the correct time for Easter. His efforts bore great fruit, for he led many—indeed, nearly all those who were not under the rule of Iona—away from the errors of their ancestors and into unity with the Catholic Church, teaching them to celebrate Easter at its proper time.

⁶ After celebrating the canonical Easter in Ireland, Adamnan returned to his island and continued to preach the Catholic observance of Easter within his monastery. Yet despite his persistence, he was unable to bring about the change he desired.

⁷ As it happened, he passed from this life before the following year came around. By God’s providence, he was spared from facing even greater discord with those who refused to follow him into the truth. For he was a man devoted to peace and unity, and the Divine goodness saw fit to call him to eternal life before he would have to endure further division over the return of the Easter season.

⁸ This same man, Adamnan, wrote a book about the holy places, which proved greatly beneficial to many readers. His primary source was the teaching and firsthand account of Arculf, a bishop from Gaul, who had traveled to Jerusalem to visit the sacred sites. Arculf had journeyed throughout the Promised Land and had also visited Damascus, Constantinople, Alexandria, and various islands.

⁹ On his return voyage, however, a great storm drove his ship off course, and he was cast ashore on the western coast of Britain. After enduring many hardships, he eventually arrived at the dwelling of the servant of Christ, Adamnan. Recognizing Arculf’s knowledge of Scripture and his familiarity with the holy places, Adamnan received him with great joy and listened to him eagerly. Whatever Arculf recounted about the sacred sites—if it was deemed worthy of remembrance—Adamnan immediately set to writing.

¹⁰ Thus, he composed a valuable work, especially for those who lived far from the lands where the patriarchs and apostles had walked and knew of them only through reading. Adamnan presented this book to King Aldfrith, and through the king’s generosity, it became accessible even to common people. In gratitude, the king rewarded the author with many gifts and sent him back to his homeland.

¹¹ I believe it will benefit our readers if we include some passages from his writings in this history.

Chapter 16 #

¹ He wrote about the place of our Lord’s Nativity in this way: “Bethlehem, the city of David, stands upon a narrow ridge, surrounded on all sides by valleys. It stretches a mile from west to east and is enclosed by a low wall without towers, built along the edge of the level summit.

² In its eastern corner lies a natural half-cave. The outer part is said to be the place where our Lord was born, while the inner part is known as the manger of our Lord. The interior of this cave is entirely covered with rich marble, and above the exact spot where our Lord is believed to have been born stands the great Church of St. Mary.”

³ He also wrote about the place of our Lord’s Passion and Resurrection in this way: “Entering the city of Jerusalem from the north, the first site to be visited, according to the arrangement of the streets, is the Church of Constantine, known as the Martyrium. This church was built by Emperor Constantine in a grand and magnificent style, because it was here that his mother, Helena, was said to have discovered the Cross of our Lord.

⁴ From there, to the west, stands the Church of Golgotha, which contains the very rock that once bore the Cross to which our Lord’s body was nailed. Now, in its place, a great silver cross stands, supported by the rock, with a large bronze wheel hanging above it, from which numerous lamps are suspended.

⁵ Beneath the site of our Lord’s Cross, a crypt has been carved out of the rock, where the Sacrifice is offered on an altar for the souls of the honored dead, while their bodies remain outside in the street.

⁶ To the west of this church stands the round Church of the Anastasis, or the Resurrection of our Lord. It is enclosed by three walls and supported by twelve columns. Between each of these walls runs a broad passage, and within the middle wall, there are three altars positioned at different points—to the south, the north, and the west.

⁷ The church has eight entrances, aligned in a straight line through all three walls: four facing the southeast and four facing the east. At its center is the round tomb of our Lord, cut from the rock. The ceiling is low enough that a man standing inside can touch it with his hand. On the eastern side is the entrance, against which the great stone was set.

⁸ To this day, the tomb still bears the marks of the iron tools inside, but the exterior is entirely covered with marble up to the very top of the roof, which is adorned with gold and bears a large golden cross. In the northern part of the tomb, the sepulchre of our Lord is carved out of the same rock, measuring seven feet in length and three handbreadths above the floor. The entrance is on the south side, where twelve lamps burn day and night—four inside the sepulchre and eight above, on the edge of the right side. The stone that was placed at the entrance of the tomb is now split in two; however, the smaller portion stands as an altar of hewn stone before the tomb’s entrance, while the larger part has been set up as another four-cornered altar at the eastern end of the same church and is covered with linen cloths. The color of the tomb and sepulchre is a mixture of white and red.

Chapter 17 #

¹ The aforementioned author writes as follows concerning the place of our Lord’s Ascension: “The Mount of Olives is equal in height to Mount Sion but surpasses it in breadth and length. It has few trees apart from vines and olives, yet it is fruitful in wheat and barley, for the nature of the soil is not suited to thickets but instead produces grass and flowers. At its very summit, where our Lord ascended into heaven, stands a large round church, surrounded by three chapels with vaulted roofs. The inner building could not be vaulted or roofed due to the passage of our Lord’s Body, but there is an altar on the east side, sheltered by a narrow roof.

² In the center of the site, the last Footprints of our Lord are visible, the place of His Ascension being open to the sky. Though believers carry away earth from the spot daily, it miraculously remains unchanged, still bearing the impression of His Feet. Around this sacred place lies a brazen wheel, as high as a man’s neck, with an entrance from the west. Above it, a great lamp hangs on a pulley, burning night and day. In the western part of the church, there are eight windows, and as many lamps, suspended by cords, shine through the glass, their light said to reach as far as Jerusalem and to stir the hearts of those who see it with deep devotion and compunction. Each year, on the day of our Lord’s Ascension, after Mass is concluded, a strong blast of wind is known to descend and cast all those in the church to the ground.”

³ He writes as follows concerning the location of Hebron and the tombs of the patriarchs: “Hebron, once a thriving habitation and the chief city of David’s kingdom, now stands in ruins, revealing only a shadow of its former greatness. One furlong to the east lies a double cave in the valley, where the sepulchres of the patriarchs are enclosed within a four-sided wall, with their heads facing north. Each tomb is covered with a single stone, hewn like those used in church buildings and of a white color, marking the resting places of the three patriarchs. Adam’s tomb, however, is of humbler and simpler workmanship and is situated farther from them, at the farthest end of the northern section of the wall. There are also smaller and less elaborate monuments for the three women. The hill of Mamre, located a mile from these tombs, is covered with grass and flowers, with a level plain at its summit. In its northern part, the trunk of Abraham’s oak, standing twice the height of a man, is enclosed within a church.”

⁴ Having gathered this much from the works of the aforementioned writer, we have included it in our History in a more concise form, preserving the sense of his words for the benefit of our readers. Whoever wishes to learn more about the contents of that book may consult either the book itself or the abridgment we have recently made from it.

Chapter 18: 705 A.D. #

¹ In the year of our Lord 705, Aldfrid, king of the Northumbrians, died before completing the twentieth year of his reign. His son Osred, a boy of about eight years old, succeeded him to the throne and ruled for eleven years. At the beginning of his reign, Haedde, bishop of the West Saxons, departed to eternal life. He was a good and just man, whose life and teaching as a bishop were guided more by his natural love of virtue than by what he had learned from books. The most reverend bishop Pechthelm, whom we shall mention later in the appropriate place, and who, while still a deacon or monk, spent a long time with Haedde’s successor, Aldhelm, used to recount that many miracles of healing had occurred at the place of Haedde’s death through the merit of his sanctity. The people of that province would take dust from the site and mix it with water, and either drinking it or sprinkling it upon the sick—whether people or animals—would bring about healing. So much of the holy dust was taken away that a great hole was formed there.

² Upon his death, the bishopric of that province was divided into two dioceses. One was entrusted to Daniel, who governs it to this day, and the other to Aldhelm, who presided over it with great zeal for four years. Both were well-versed in matters concerning the Church as well as in the knowledge of the Scriptures. Before becoming a bishop, while still a priest and abbot of the monastery known as the city of Maildufus, Aldhelm was commissioned by a synod of his nation to write a notable book against the error of the Britons, who did not observe Easter at the proper time and practiced various other customs contrary to the purity of doctrine and the peace of the Church. Through the reading of this book, many of the Britons who were under the rule of the West Saxons were led by him to adopt the Catholic celebration of our Lord’s Paschal Feast.

³ He also wrote a renowned book on Virginity, which, following the example of Sedulius, he composed in two forms—both in hexameter verse and in prose. In addition to this, he wrote several other works, being a man of great learning in every respect. His style was refined, and, as I have mentioned, he possessed extraordinary knowledge in both liberal and ecclesiastical studies. Upon his death, Forthere was appointed as his successor and continues to serve as bishop to this day, being likewise a man well-versed in the Holy Scriptures.

⁴ While they governed their respective bishoprics, a synodal decree was issued, determining that the province of the South Saxons, which until then had belonged to the diocese of Winchester—where Daniel was presiding—should have its own episcopal see and bishop. Eadbert, who was then abbot of the monastery of Bishop Wilfrid, of blessed memory, at Selaeseu, was consecrated as their first bishop. Upon his death, Eolla succeeded him in the office, but he too passed away several years ago, and the bishopric has remained vacant to this day.

Chapter 19: 709 A.D. #

¹ In the fourth year of Osred’s reign, Coenred, who had for some time ruled the kingdom of the Mercians with great honor, renounced his throne in an even more noble manner. He journeyed to Rome, and there, during the pontificate of Pope Constantine, received the tonsure and became a monk. To his last hour, he remained at the threshold of the Apostles, devoted to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. He was succeeded on the throne by Ceolred, the son of Ethelred, who had ruled the kingdom before Coenred.

² Accompanying him was Offa, the son of Sighere, the former king of the East Saxons, whom we have mentioned before. Offa was a young man of great beauty and at an age most pleasing to behold, and he was greatly desired by his people to rule over them. Yet, with the same devotion as Coenred, he renounced his wife, land, kin, and country for the sake of Christ and the Gospel, that he might “receive a hundredfold in this life, and in the world to come, life everlasting”. When they arrived at the holy places in Rome, he too received the tonsure, and, having ended his days in the monastic habit, attained the vision of the blessed Apostles in Heaven, as he had long desired.

³ In the same year that Coenred and Offa departed from Britain, the great bishop Wilfrid passed away in the province called Inundalum, after serving as a bishop for forty-five years. His body was placed in a coffin and carried to his monastery, known as Inhrypum, where it was buried in the church of the blessed Apostle Peter with the honor befitting so great a prelate. Let us now turn back and briefly recall the events of his life. From his youth, he showed a noble disposition and was virtuous beyond his years. He conducted himself with such modesty and wisdom in all things that he was deservedly loved, respected, and cherished by his elders as one of their own.

⁴ At the age of fourteen, he chose the monastic life over a secular one. When he informed his father—his mother having already passed away—his father readily approved of his godly desire and encouraged him to remain steadfast in his holy purpose.

⁵ Thus, he journeyed to the island of Lindisfarne, where he dedicated himself to serving the monks. With diligence, he sought to learn and practice the disciplines of monastic purity and piety. Being quick-witted, he soon memorized the Psalms and other sacred texts, though he had not yet received the tonsure. Nevertheless, he was already distinguished by the virtues of humility and obedience, which are of greater worth than the outward sign of the tonsure. Because of this, he was deeply loved by both his elders and his peers.

⁶ After serving God for several years in the monastery and growing in wisdom, he came to recognize that the way of virtue taught by the Scots was not entirely complete. Desiring to witness firsthand the ecclesiastical and monastic practices of the Apostolic See, he resolved to travel to Rome. When he shared his intention with the brethren, they commended his decision and encouraged him to fulfill his purpose.

⁷ He immediately sought out Queen Eanfled, who was well acquainted with him, as it was through her counsel and support that he had been admitted to the monastery. He told her of his desire to visit the threshold of the blessed Apostles. Pleased with the young man’s noble intention, she sent him to Kent, to King Earconbert, her cousin, requesting that he arrange for him to travel to Rome with due honor.

⁸ At that time, Honorius, one of the disciples of the blessed Pope Gregory and a man of great learning in ecclesiastical matters, was serving as Archbishop of Canterbury. The young traveler remained in Kent for a time, and, being of an eager and active spirit, diligently applied himself to learning all that he encountered.

⁹ While he was there, another young man arrived—Biscop, surnamed Benedict—who was of noble English birth and likewise wished to journey to Rome. We have already made mention of him before.

¹⁰ The king appointed Wilfrid as a companion for Benedict and instructed him to escort him to Rome. When they reached Lyons, Wilfrid was detained there by Dalfinus, the bishop of that city, while Benedict continued on his journey to Rome.

¹¹ The bishop was greatly impressed by Wilfrid’s wise speech, his graceful and handsome appearance, his eager energy, and the consistency and maturity of his thoughts. Because of this, he generously provided for Wilfrid and his companions, supplying them with everything they needed for their stay. Furthermore, he even offered Wilfrid an esteemed position, proposing to entrust him with the governance of a considerable part of Gaul. He also offered him the hand of his brother’s daughter in marriage and promised to treat him always as his adopted son.

¹² However, Wilfrid, grateful for the bishop’s kindness toward a foreigner, humbly declined the offer. He explained that he had already chosen a different path in life, which was the very reason he had left his homeland and set out for Rome.

¹³ The bishop then sent Wilfrid on his way to Rome, providing him with a guide and ample provisions for his journey. He also earnestly requested that Wilfrid visit him again when he returned to his homeland.

¹⁴ Upon arriving in Rome, Wilfrid devoted himself daily to prayer and the study of ecclesiastical matters, just as he had intended. During this time, he gained the friendship of the most holy and learned Boniface, the archdeacon and counselor to the Apostolic Pope. Under Boniface’s instruction, Wilfrid learned the proper order of the four Gospels, the correct computation of Easter, and many other aspects of ecclesiastical discipline that he had been unable to learn in his own country.

¹⁵ After spending several months there in successful study, Wilfrid returned to Gaul, to Dalfinus. He remained with him for three years, during which time Dalfinus gave him the tonsure. Dalfinus held Wilfrid in such high regard and love that he even considered making him his heir. However, this plan was cut short by the bishop’s brutal death, while Wilfrid was preserved for a different purpose—to become a bishop of his own people, the English nation.

¹⁶ Queen Baldhild sent soldiers with orders to execute the bishop. Wilfrid, as his clerk, accompanied him to the place of execution, determined—despite the bishop’s firm opposition—to die alongside him. However, the executioners, upon realizing that Wilfrid was a foreigner and an Englishman, spared his life and refused to kill him along with his bishop.

¹⁷ Upon returning to Britain, Wilfrid gained the friendship of King Alchfrid, who had learned to follow and love the Catholic traditions of the Church. Recognizing that Wilfrid was a faithful Catholic, the king immediately granted him land sufficient for ten families at a place called Stanford. Not long after, he also gave him a monastery, along with land for thirty families, at a place called Inhrypum.

¹⁸ This land had previously been given to followers of the Scottish tradition to establish a monastery. However, when they were given the choice, they preferred to abandon the site rather than adopt the Catholic date for Easter and other canonical practices in accordance with the customs of the Roman Apostolic Church. As a result, the king granted the land to Wilfrid, whom he recognized as being better instructed in proper discipline and sound traditions.

¹⁹ At the same time, by order of King Alchfrid, Wilfrid was ordained a priest in the same monastery by Agilbert, the aforementioned bishop of the Gewissae. The king wished for a man of such great learning and piety to remain with him as his personal priest and teacher.

²⁰ Not long after, when the influence of the Scottish tradition had been challenged and rejected, as previously mentioned, Alchfrid, with the advice and approval of his father, King Oswy, sent Wilfrid to Gaul to be consecrated as his bishop. At the time, Wilfrid was about thirty years old, and Agilbert had become the bishop of Paris. Eleven other bishops gathered for the consecration, making the occasion highly dignified and honorable.

²¹ While Wilfrid remained overseas, the holy man Ceadda was appointed bishop of York by order of King Oswy, as previously noted. After leading the church there with distinction for three years, Ceadda withdrew to oversee his monastery at Laestingaeu, and Wilfrid was then appointed bishop over the entire province of the Northumbrians.

²² Later, during the reign of King Egfrid, Wilfrid was expelled from his bishopric, and others were consecrated in his place, as mentioned earlier.

²³ Determined to take his case to Rome and appeal before the Apostolic Pope, he set sail, but a west wind drove his ship to Frisland. There, he was received with honor by the local people and their king, Aldgils. Wilfrid preached Christ to them, instructing many thousands in the Word of Truth and baptizing them in the font of salvation, cleansing them from their sins. Thus, he laid the foundation for the Gospel mission in that land, a work later brought to completion with great devotion by the most reverend bishop of Christ, Willibrord.

²⁴ After spending the winter successfully among this newly converted people, Wilfrid resumed his journey to Rome. When his case was brought before Pope Agatho and a council of bishops, he was unanimously acquitted of all accusations and declared worthy to be restored to his bishopric.

²⁵ At the same time, Pope Agatho convened a synod in Rome, gathering 125 bishops to oppose those who claimed that there was only one will and one operation in our Lord and Savior. Wilfrid was summoned to take part in the council, where he was invited to sit among the bishops and declare both his own faith and that of the province or island from which he came.

²⁶ Upon examination, Wilfrid and his people were found to be orthodox in their faith. It was therefore deemed fitting to record this in the official acts of the synod, which stated:

²⁷ “Wilfrid, beloved of God, bishop of the city of York, having appealed to the Apostolic See and been acquitted by its authority of all charges, whether specified or not, was appointed to sit in judgment alongside 125 other bishops in the synod. He made a confession of the true and Catholic faith and confirmed it with his subscription on behalf of all the northern part of Britain and Ireland, as well as the islands inhabited by the English and Britons, along with the Scots and Picts.”

²⁸ After this, Wilfrid returned to Britain and converted the province of the South Saxons from idolatry to the Christian faith. He also sent ministers of the Word to the Isle of Wight.

²⁹ In the second year of Aldfrid’s reign, following the death of King Egfrid, Wilfrid was invited by the new king to return to his see and bishopric. However, five years later, he was once again accused and deprived of his position by the same king and certain bishops.

³⁰ Wilfrid then traveled to Rome, where he was given the opportunity to defend himself before a gathering of bishops and the Apostolic Pope John, in the presence of his accusers. After careful examination, it was determined that some of the accusations against him were false. As a result, Pope John wrote to the English kings, Ethelred and Aldfrid, instructing them to restore Wilfrid to his bishopric, as he had been unjustly condemned.

³¹ His acquittal was greatly aided by the reading of the acts of the synod of Pope Agatho, of blessed memory, which had been previously held when Wilfrid was in Rome and sat in council among the bishops, as mentioned earlier. For when the acts of that synod were read, as the situation required, by order of the Apostolic Pope before the nobility and a large assembly of people over several days, they reached the passage where it was written: “Wilfrid, the beloved of God, bishop of the city of York, appealing to the Apostolic See, and being by that authority acquitted of everything, whether specified against him or not,” along with the rest as previously stated.

³² When this was read, the listeners were astonished, and as the reader fell silent, they began asking one another who this Bishop Wilfrid was. Then Boniface, the Pope’s counselor, along with many others who had seen him there in the days of Pope Agatho, said that he was the same bishop who had recently come to Rome to be judged by the Apostolic See after being accused by his people. “He,” they said, “had come here long ago under similar accusations, and after both sides were heard and their case examined, Pope Agatho, of blessed memory, found that he had been wrongfully expelled from his bishopric. He was held in such high regard by the Pope that he was commanded to sit in the council of bishops that had been assembled, as a man of untainted faith and upright character.” Upon hearing this, the Pope and all those present declared that a man of such great authority, who had held the office of bishop for nearly forty years, ought by no means to be condemned. Instead, having been fully cleared of the charges against him, he should return home with honor.

³³ As he journeyed through Gaul on his way back to Britain, he suddenly fell ill. His sickness grew worse until he became so weak that he could no longer ride, and his servants had to carry him in his bed. When he reached the city of Maeldum in Gaul, he lay as if dead for four days and nights, showing signs of life only through faint breathing. For those four days, he took no food or drink and neither spoke nor heard anything.

³⁴ At last, on the fifth day, at daybreak, as if awakening from a deep sleep, he raised himself up, sat upright, and opened his eyes. Seeing a gathering of brethren around him, singing psalms and weeping, he sighed gently and asked where Acca, the priest, was. Acca was immediately summoned, and when he entered and saw the bishop somewhat recovered and able to speak, he knelt down and, along with all the brethren present, gave thanks to God.

³⁵ After they had sat together for a while, speaking with great reverence about the judgments of heaven, the bishop asked the others to leave for a time and then spoke privately to the priest Acca in this manner:

³⁶ “A fearful vision has just appeared to me, which I wish you to hear and keep secret until I know what God intends to do with me. A certain figure, glorious in white raiment, stood beside me and told me that he was Michael, the Archangel. He said, ‘I am sent to call you back from death, for the Lord has granted you life through the prayers and tears of your disciples and brethren, and through the intercession of His Blessed Mother Mary, ever-virgin. Therefore, I tell you that you shall now recover from this sickness; but be prepared, for I will return and visit you at the end of four years. And when you return to your homeland, you shall regain most of the possessions that have been taken from you and shall end your days in peace and quiet.’”

³⁷ The bishop indeed recovered, and all rejoiced and gave thanks to God. Resuming his journey, he made his way back to Britain.

³⁸ Having read the letters he brought from the Apostolic Pope, Archbishop Bertwald and Ethelred—who had once been king but was now an abbot—readily took his side. Ethelred, calling to him Coenred, whom he had appointed king in his place, urged him to be reconciled with Wilfrid, and he succeeded in his request. However, Aldfrid, king of the Northumbrians, refused to receive him.

³⁹ Not long after, Aldfrid died, and during the reign of his son Osred, a synod was soon assembled by the river Nidd. After some debate between both sides, it was finally agreed by all that Wilfrid should be restored to the governance of his church. He then lived in peace for four years until the day of his death.

⁴⁰ He passed away in his monastery in the province of Undalum, under the care of Abbot Cuthbald. The brethren carried his body to his first monastery, called Inhrypum, where he was buried in the church of the blessed Apostle Peter, near the altar on the south side, as previously mentioned. Over his grave, the following epitaph was inscribed:

⁴¹ “Here rests the body of the great Bishop Wilfrid, who, for love of piety, built these sacred courts and consecrated them with the noble name of Peter, to whom Christ, the Judge of all the earth, gave the keys of Heaven. With devout care, he adorned them with gold and Tyrian purple, and he set up here the trophy of the Cross, fashioned from shining ore and lifted high. Moreover, he caused the four books of the Gospel to be written in gold, in their proper order, and provided for them a fitting case of radiant gold.

⁴² He also restored the observance of the holy season of Easter to accord with the true teaching of the Catholic rule established by the Fathers, banishing all doubt and error and granting his nation sure guidance in their worship. In this place, he gathered a great company of monks and diligently upheld the precepts enjoined by the rule of the Fathers.

⁴³ Long afflicted by many trials both at home and abroad, after holding the office of bishop for forty-five years, he departed from this life and, rejoicing, entered the heavenly kingdom. Grant, O Jesus, that the flock may follow in the path of the shepherd.”

Chapter 20: 709 A.D. #

¹ The year following the death of the aforementioned father, in the fifth year of King Osred’s reign, the most reverend Abbot Hadrian, a fellow laborer in the Word of God with Bishop Theodore of blessed memory, passed away. He was buried in the church of the Blessed Mother of God, within his own monastery. This was the forty-first year since he had been sent by Pope Vitalian alongside Theodore and the thirty-ninth since his arrival in England.

² Among the many proofs of his learning, as well as that of Theodore, is the testimony of his disciple Albinus, who succeeded him as abbot. Albinus was so well trained in literary studies that he possessed considerable knowledge of the Greek language and was as fluent in Latin as in English, his native tongue.

³ Acca, his priest, succeeded Wilfrid as bishop of the church of Hagustald, being likewise a man of great zeal and renowned for noble works in the sight of both God and man. He enriched the structure of his church, which is dedicated in honor of the blessed Apostle Andrew, adorning it with manifold decorations and remarkable craftsmanship.

⁴ With great diligence, as he continues to do to this day, he sought relics of the blessed Apostles and martyrs of Christ from all parts, placing altars in their honor within separate side chapels built for this purpose inside the church walls. In addition, he diligently gathered accounts of their martyrdom, along with other ecclesiastical writings, and established a large and distinguished library there. He also took careful measures to provide holy vessels, lamps, and other sacred furnishings necessary for the adornment of the house of God.

⁵ In the same manner, he invited to him a renowned singer named Maban, who had been trained by the successors of the disciples of the blessed Pope Gregory in Kent, so that both he and his clergy might be instructed. He kept him for twelve years to ensure that they learned Church music in its fullness, restoring anything that had been corrupted over time, either by long use or neglect.

⁶ For Bishop Acca himself was a most skillful singer, deeply learned in Holy Scripture, steadfast in the confession of the Catholic faith, and well-versed in the rules of ecclesiastical custom. He continues in this way even now, until he receives the reward of his pious devotion. From his boyhood, he was brought up and trained among the clergy of the most holy and beloved Bosa, bishop of York. Later, seeking a higher way of life, he joined Bishop Wilfrid and remained in his service until Wilfrid’s death. Traveling with him to Rome, he gained much valuable knowledge concerning the ordinances of the Holy Church, which he could not have acquired in his own land.

Chapter 21: 710 A.D. #

¹ At that time, Naiton, king of the Picts, who dwelled in the northern regions of Britain, was led by frequent meditation on ecclesiastical writings to renounce the error in which he and his people had long been held concerning the observance of Easter. He brought both himself and his entire nation to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at the proper time according to the Catholic tradition.

² To accomplish this more effectively and with greater authority, he sought assistance from the English, knowing that they had long conformed their faith to the example of the holy Roman Apostolic Church.

³ Accordingly, he sent messengers to the venerable Ceolfrid, abbot of the monastery of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, which stands at the mouth of the River Wear and near the River Tyne, at the place called Ingyruum. Ceolfrid had gloriously governed the monastery after Benedict, whom we have mentioned before. He requested that Ceolfrid send him a letter of exhortation to help him better refute those who insisted on keeping Easter at the wrong time, as well as guidance on the form and manner of tonsure by which the clergy should be distinguished, even though he himself had considerable knowledge of these matters. He also asked for master builders to be sent to construct a stone church in his nation according to the Roman style, promising to dedicate it in honor of the blessed chief of the Apostles. Furthermore, he affirmed that he and his people would always follow the customs of the holy Roman Apostolic Church, as far as those so distant from the language and nation of the Romans could learn them. The most reverend Abbot Ceolfrid, favorably receiving his godly requests, sent the desired builders along with the following letter:

⁴ “To the most excellent lord and glorious King Naiton, Abbot Ceolfrid sends greetings in the Lord. We most readily and willingly strive, in accordance with your request, to make known to you the Catholic observance of holy Easter, as we have learned from the Apostolic See, since you, most devout king, in your godly zeal, have sought this knowledge from us. For we know that whenever the rulers of this world labor to learn, teach, and uphold the truth, it is a gift of God to His holy Church. A certain secular writer has most truly said that the world would be happiest if either kings were philosophers or philosophers were kings. Now, if a man of this world could rightly judge the philosophy of this life and make a correct choice concerning worldly affairs, how much more should it be desired and earnestly prayed for by those who are citizens of the heavenly country, strangers and pilgrims in this world, that the more powerful a person is in this life, the more they should strive to heed the commands of Him who is the Supreme Judge, and by their example and authority teach those entrusted to their care to do the same, along with themselves.

⁵ There are three rules given in the Sacred Writings that determine the proper time for keeping Easter, which may in no way be altered by any human authority. Two of these are divinely established in the Law of Moses, while the third is added in the Gospel in light of the Passion and Resurrection of our Lord. The Law commands that the Passover be observed in the first month of the year, during the third week of that month—that is, from the fifteenth to the twenty-first day. Furthermore, by Apostolic institution, based on the Gospel, we are to wait for the Lord’s Day within that third week and begin the Paschal season accordingly. Whoever faithfully observes this threefold rule will never err in determining the date of Easter.

⁶ But if you wish to be more clearly and fully informed on these matters, it is written in Exodus, where the people of Israel, about to be delivered from Egypt, are commanded to keep the first Passover: ‘The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ‘This month shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month, every man shall take a lamb according to his father’s house, a lamb for a household’.

⁷ And a little after, it is written: ‘And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening’. By these words, it is plainly evident that although the fourteenth day is mentioned in the observance of the Passover, it is not commanded that the feast be kept on that day itself. Rather, it is on the evening of the fourteenth day—when the fifteenth moon, marking the beginning of the third week, appears in the sky—that the lamb is to be slain. It was on the night of this fifteenth moon that the Egyptians were struck down and Israel was redeemed from long captivity.

⁸ He also says: ‘Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread’. By these words, the entire third week of that first month is appointed as a solemn feast. But in case anyone should think that these seven days are to be counted from the fourteenth to the twentieth, He immediately adds: ‘On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel’. And further, He declares: ‘For on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt’. Thus, He calls that the first day of unleavened bread on which He was to bring their army out of Egypt.

⁹ Now, it is evident that they were not brought out of Egypt on the fourteenth day, in the evening of which the lamb was slain—this day being properly called the Passover or Phase—but rather on the fifteenth day, as is most clearly written in the book of Numbers: ‘And they set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the day after the Passover, the people of Israel went out triumphantly in the sight of all the Egyptians’.

¹⁰ Thus, the seven days of unleavened bread, beginning with the day on which the people of the Lord were brought out of Egypt, are to be counted from the start of the third week—that is, from the fifteenth day of the first month—until the end of the twenty-first day of the same month, as has been stated.

¹¹ But the fourteenth day is set apart from this number under the title of the Passover, as is clearly shown in what follows in Exodus. After it is said, ‘For on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt’, it is immediately added, ‘And you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a statute forever. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses’.

¹² Now, who does not see that from the fourteenth to the twenty-first day, there are not merely seven days, but rather eight, if the fourteenth is included in the count? But if, as diligent study of the Scriptures confirms, we reckon from the evening of the fourteenth day to the evening of the twenty-first, we shall find that while the Paschal feast begins on the evening of the fourteenth, the entire sacred observance lasts no more than seven nights and as many days.

¹³ Therefore, the rule we have established is shown to be true—that the Paschal season must be celebrated in the first month of the year, during its third week. For it is truly the third week, since it begins on the evening of the fourteenth day and ends on the evening of the twenty-first.

¹⁴ But since Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed and has made the Lord’s Day—formerly called the first day of the week—a solemn day for us in the joy of His Resurrection, Apostolic tradition has included it in the Paschal festival. Yet it has also decreed that the time of the legal Passover must not be anticipated or shortened. Rather, it commands that, in accordance with the Law, the first month of the year, the fourteenth day of that month, and its evening must be awaited. And when this day happens to fall on a Saturday, every man should take a lamb according to his father’s house, a lamb for a household, and kill it in the evening. That is to say, all the Churches throughout the world, forming one Catholic Church, should prepare Bread and Wine for the Mystery of the Flesh and Blood of the spotless Lamb, ‘who takes away the sins of the world’. Then, after a fitting solemn service of lessons, prayers, and Paschal ceremonies, they should offer these to the Lord in hope of the redemption to come.

¹⁵ For this is the very night in which the people of Israel were delivered from Egypt by the blood of the lamb; this is the same night in which all the people of God were set free from eternal death by Christ’s Resurrection. Then, in the morning, when the Lord’s Day dawns, they should celebrate the first day of the Paschal festival, for on this day our Lord revealed the glory of His Resurrection to His disciples, filling them with abundant joy at His merciful manifestation.

¹⁶ This is also the first day of unleavened bread, concerning which it is plainly written in Leviticus: ‘On the fourteenth day of the first month, at evening, is the Lord’s Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall have a holy assembly’.

¹⁷ If, therefore, it were possible for the Lord’s Day always to fall on the fifteenth day of the first month—that is, on the fifteenth moon—we could always celebrate the Passover at the same time as the ancient people of God, though the nature of the mystery differs, since we observe it with the same faith. However, since the days of the week do not align precisely with the cycle of the moon, the Apostolic tradition—preached at Rome by the blessed Peter and confirmed at Alexandria by Mark the Evangelist, his interpreter—ordained that when the first month arrives, and with it the evening of the fourteenth day, we must also wait for the Lord’s Day, falling between the fifteenth and the twenty-first day of the same month.

¹⁸ For whenever within that period the Lord’s Day occurs, Easter is rightly observed, since it falls on one of the seven days during which the Feast of Unleavened Bread is commanded to be kept. Thus, our Easter never falls before or after the third week of the first month but always includes either the entirety of it—namely, the seven days of unleavened bread prescribed by the Law—or at least a portion of it. Even if it includes only one of those days, specifically the seventh, which Scripture particularly honors, saying, ‘But the seventh day will be a more holy assembly; you shall do no regular work’, no one can rightfully accuse us of failing to observe Easter Sunday properly. For we have received it from the Gospel and observe it within the third week of the first month, as the Law prescribes.

¹⁹ The Catholic rationale for this observance having been thus explained, the unreasonable error of those who, without any necessity, presume either to anticipate or to extend the time beyond that appointed by the Law is clearly evident. For those who believe Easter Sunday should be observed from the fourteenth day of the first month until the twentieth moon anticipate the time prescribed in the Law without any just cause. When they begin the vigil of the holy night on the evening of the thirteenth day, it is clear that they are making that day the start of their Easter, despite there being no mention of it in the commandment of the Law.

²⁰ Likewise, when they avoid celebrating our Lord’s Easter on the twenty-first day of the month, it is evident that they entirely exclude that day from their solemnity, even though the Law repeatedly commands that it be observed as a greater festival than the others. By distorting the proper order, they sometimes end up celebrating Easter entirely within the second week and never placing it on the seventh day of the third week.

²¹ Likewise, those who believe that Easter should be observed from the sixteenth to the twenty-second day of the first month fall into error no less than the former, though in the opposite direction. In striving to avoid one mistake, they, like sailors escaping shipwreck on Scylla, plunge instead into the whirlpool of Charybdis and are lost. For when they claim that Easter should begin with the rising of the sixteenth moon of the first month—that is, on the evening of the fifteenth day—they entirely exclude from their solemnity the fourteenth day, which the Law first and foremost commands to be observed.

²² As a result, they barely acknowledge the evening of the fifteenth day, the very night on which the people of God were delivered from Egyptian bondage, and on which our Lord, by His Blood, redeemed the world from the darkness of sin. It was also on this night, when He was buried, that He granted us the hope of a blessed rest after death.

²³ And these people, by receiving in themselves the consequences of their mistake, openly transgress and distort the proper time of Easter as established by the Law when they set Easter Sunday on the twenty-second day of the month. They begin Easter on the evening of the very day that the Law commanded it to be completed and brought to an end. They designate as the first day of Easter a day that is never mentioned anywhere in the Law—namely, the first day of the fourth week.

²⁴ Both groups are in error, not only in determining and calculating the moon’s age but also at times in identifying the first month correctly. However, this controversy is too lengthy to be fully addressed in this letter. I will only say this: by using the vernal equinox, one can always determine—without risk of error—which month should be counted as the first of the year according to the lunar calendar, and which should be the last.

²⁵ But according to the consensus of all the Eastern nations—and especially the Egyptians, who surpass all other scholars in their calculations—the equinox falls on the twenty-first day of March, as we also confirm through horological observation.

²⁶ Therefore, any full moon that occurs before the equinox, whether on the fourteenth or fifteenth day, belongs to the last month of the previous year and is not suitable for the celebration of Easter. Instead, the full moon that falls after the equinox, or precisely at the time of the equinox, marks the first month. Without a doubt, it was on that day that the ancients observed the Passover, and we likewise ought to celebrate Easter when the Sunday following it arrives. And there is a compelling reason why this must be so.

²⁷ It is written in Genesis: ‘And God made two great lights—the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night’. Another version renders it: ‘The greater light to begin the day, and the lesser to begin the night.’

²⁸ Just as the sun, rising from the middle of the east, established the vernal equinox by its appearance, and the full moon, following at sunset, likewise rose from the middle of the east, so too must the first lunar month each year follow the same pattern. Its full moon must not occur before the equinox but should fall either on the very day of the equinox, as it did in the beginning, or after it has passed.

²⁹ If, however, the full moon occurs even one day before the equinox, the reasoning stated above makes it clear that this moon belongs to the last month of the preceding year rather than the first month of the new year. Consequently, it is not suitable for the celebration of the Paschal feast.

³⁰ Now, if you would also like to hear the mystical meaning behind this, we are commanded to celebrate Easter in the first month of the year, which is also called the ‘month of new things,’ because we ought to commemorate the mysteries of our Lord’s Resurrection and our deliverance with minds renewed in the love of heavenly things.

³¹ We are instructed to observe it in the third week of this month because Christ Himself, who was foretold both before the Law and under the Law, came in the third age of the world to be sacrificed as our Passover. Rising from the dead on the third day after His Passion, He willed that this day be called the Lord’s Day and that the Paschal feast of His Resurrection be celebrated yearly on the same. Moreover, we truly honor this sacred festival only if we strive to keep the Passover with Him—that is, to pass from this world to the Father through faith, hope, and love.

³² We are commanded to observe the full moon of the Paschal month after the vernal equinox so that the sun may first make the day longer than the night, and then the moon may reveal her full orb of light to the world. This signifies that first ‘the Sun of Righteousness, with healing in His wings’—that is, our Lord Jesus—dispelled the darkness of death by His victorious Resurrection. Then, ascending into Heaven, He filled His Church—often symbolized by the moon—with the light of His grace by sending down the Holy Spirit upon her.

³³ This order of our salvation was foreseen by the prophet when he declared, ‘The sun was exalted, and the moon stood in her order’.

³⁴ Anyone who argues that the full Paschal moon can occur before the equinox contradicts the teaching of the Holy Scriptures in the observance of the greatest mysteries. Such a person aligns with those who believe they can be saved without the grace of Christ going before them—who arrogantly claim that they could have attained perfect righteousness even if the true Light had never conquered the darkness of the world through His death and Resurrection.

³⁵ Therefore, after the sun has risen at the equinox and the full moon of the first month has followed in its proper order—meaning after the completion of the fourteenth day of that month, as prescribed by the Law—we, as taught in the Gospel, wait until the third week for the Lord’s Day. At last, we celebrate the solemn offering of Easter, not as the ancients did, merely commemorating their liberation from Egyptian slavery, but with devout faith and love, worshiping the Redemption of the whole world.

³⁶ This Redemption was prefigured in the deliverance of God’s people of old but was fully realized in Christ’s Resurrection. By celebrating Easter in this way, we also express our joy in the sure and certain hope of our own resurrection, which we believe will likewise take place on the Lord’s Day.

³⁷ The calculation of Easter, which we present for you to follow, follows a cycle of nineteen years. This method has long been observed in the Church, dating back to the time of the Apostles, particularly in Rome and Egypt, as mentioned earlier. However, through the efforts of Eusebius—who took his surname from the blessed martyr Pamphilus—it was simplified into a clearer system.

³⁸ Previously, the date of Easter had to be determined each year by the Bishop of Alexandria and communicated to all the Churches. But from that time forward, the occurrence of the fourteenth moon was systematically established, making it easily known to everyone.

³⁹ Theophilus, Bishop of Alexandria, prepared this Paschal reckoning for Emperor Theodosius, covering a span of one hundred years. His successor, Cyril, later compiled a sequence of ninety-five years using five cycles of nineteen years.

⁴⁰ After him, Dionysius Exiguus added the same number of cycles in the same manner, extending the calculation down to our own time. These cycles are now nearing their completion, but today there are so many skilled calculators that even in our Churches throughout Britain, many—having studied the ancient methods of the Egyptians—can easily extend the Paschal cycles for any length of time, even up to 532 years if they wish.

⁴¹ At the end of this period, everything concerning the movements of the sun and moon, as well as the sequence of months and weeks, returns to the same order as before. Therefore, we refrain from sending you additional cycles for future years, since you have only asked to understand the reasoning behind the timing of Easter. It is clear that you already possess a sufficient knowledge of the universal Paschal cycles.

⁴² But having now briefly and concisely addressed your request concerning Easter, I also urge you to ensure that the tonsure—about which you likewise asked me to write—is in accordance with the tradition of the Church and the Christian faith.

⁴³ We know that not all the Apostles wore the same style of tonsure, and even today, while the Catholic Church is united in faith, hope, and love toward God, it does not enforce a single uniform tonsure throughout the world.

⁴⁴ Looking back to ancient times—to the days of the patriarchs—we see that Job, the model of patience, shaved his head when tribulation came upon him, which implies that he had let his hair grow in times of prosperity. Likewise, concerning Joseph—who excelled in chastity, humility, piety, and other virtues—we read that he was shorn before being released from bondage. This suggests that during his time of imprisonment, he had allowed his hair to grow uncut.

⁴⁵ See, then, how these men of God differed in their outward appearance, yet were united in the same grace of virtue within. However, while we may readily acknowledge that differences in tonsure are not harmful to those whose faith is pure before God and whose love for their neighbor is sincere, it is worth noting that the Catholic Fathers never engaged in controversy over the matter of tonsure. This stands in contrast to the disputes concerning the proper observance of Easter and matters of faith, which have been subjects of serious contention.

⁴⁶ Nevertheless, among all the forms of tonsure found in the Church or among mankind, I believe none is more fitting for us to follow and adopt than the one worn by that disciple to whom our Lord said after his confession: ‘You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven’.

⁴⁷ Likewise, I believe that no form of tonsure is more rightly to be rejected and detested by all the faithful than that worn by the man to whom this same Peter said: ‘May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this matter’, when he sought to purchase the grace of the Holy Spirit.

⁴⁸ Yet we do not shave our heads in the form of a crown merely because Peter did so, but because Peter bore this tonsure in remembrance of our Lord’s Passion. Therefore, we too, who hope to be saved through that same Passion, bear its sign upon the top of our heads—the highest part of our bodies—as a mark of our faith.

⁴⁹ As the whole Church, having been made a Church through the death of Him who gave it life, customarily bears the sign of His Holy Cross on the forehead—so that, under the constant protection of His banner, it may be defended from the attacks of evil spirits and, by its frequent reminder, be taught to crucify the flesh with its desires and passions—so too, those who have taken monastic vows or hold the rank of a cleric, and must therefore discipline themselves more strictly in continence for the Lord’s sake, ought to bear upon their heads, through the tonsure, the form of the crown of thorns that He bore in His Passion. For He bore that crown to carry away and remove the thorns and thistles of our sins. In this way, they visibly show on their foreheads that they willingly and gladly endure all mockery and reproach for His sake, and they signify that they ever await ’the crown of eternal life, which God has promised to those who love Him’, despising both the hardships and the pleasures of this world for its sake. But as for the tonsure that Simon Magus is said to have used—who among the faithful, I ask, does not at once recoil from it and reject it outright, along with his sorcery? Above the forehead, it may indeed resemble a crown, but when you look at the back of the head, you will find that the crown you thought you saw is incomplete. Thus, you may discern that such a practice rightly belongs not to Christians but to Simoniacs—those who, though in this life they were mistakenly thought worthy of eternal glory by misguided men, in the life to come are not only deprived of all hope of a crown but are also condemned to everlasting punishment.

⁵⁰ But do not think that I have said all this as if I judged those who use this tonsure to be worthy of condemnation, so long as they uphold Catholic unity through their faith and works. On the contrary, I confidently affirm that many of them have been holy men and faithful servants of God. Among them is Adamnan, the distinguished abbot and priest of the followers of Columba. When he was sent by his people on a mission to King Aldfrid, he wished to visit our monastery. As he showed remarkable wisdom, humility, and piety in both his words and conduct, I said to him in conversation, among other things, ‘I beg you, holy brother, how is it that you, who believe you are striving for the crown of life that has no end, wear upon your head, in a manner unbefitting such a belief, the likeness of a crown that comes to an end? And if you seek the fellowship of the blessed Peter, why do you imitate the form of the tonsure of the one whom St. Peter anathematized? Why not even now show, with all your heart, that you choose the form of him with whom you desire to dwell in eternal bliss?’

⁵¹ He answered, ‘Be assured, my dear brother, that although I wear the tonsure of Simon, according to the custom of my people, I utterly detest and abhor the heresy of Simon with all my soul. And I desire, as far as my small power allows, to follow in the footsteps of the most blessed chief of the Apostles.’

⁵² I replied, ‘I fully believe you; yet it is a true sign that you embrace in your heart all that belongs to the Apostle Peter if you also observe outwardly that which you know to be his. For I believe your wisdom easily understands that it is far better to remove from your countenance, which is consecrated to God, the likeness of the one whose doctrine you abhor and whose loathsome face you would shrink from seeing. On the other hand, it is fitting that you imitate the appearance of the one whom you seek as your advocate before God, just as you desire to follow his actions and teaching.’

⁵³ I said this at that time to Adamnan, who indeed proved how much he had benefited from witnessing the ordinances of our Churches. For when he returned to Scotland, he later led a great number of his people, through his preaching, to the Catholic observance of the Paschal feast. However, he was not yet able to bring the monks of the island of Hii, over whom he presided with the special authority of a superior, to follow the better practice. He would also have sought to correct the tonsure if his influence had extended that far.

⁵⁴ But now I also admonish your wisdom, O King, that together with the nation over which the King of kings and Lord of lords has placed you, you strive to observe in all things what is in accord with the unity of the Catholic and Apostolic Church. In doing so, it shall come to pass that after you have ruled over a temporal kingdom, the blessed chief of the Apostles will gladly open to you and yours, along with all the elect, the gates of the heavenly kingdom. May the grace of the eternal King preserve you in safety, granting you a long reign for the peace of us all, my dearly beloved son in Christ.”

⁵⁵ When this letter was read in the presence of King Naiton and many learned men, and carefully translated into his own language by those who understood it, he is said to have rejoiced greatly at its exhortation. Rising from among the nobles seated around him, he knelt on the ground, giving thanks to God that he had been found worthy to receive such a gift from the land of the English.

⁵⁶ “And indeed,” he said, “I already knew that this was the true celebration of Easter, but now I have learned the reason for observing this time so fully that I realize I knew little about these matters before. Therefore, I publicly declare before all of you here present that I will forever observe this time of Easter, together with my entire nation. Moreover, I decree that this tonsure, which we have now heard to be reasonable, shall be adopted by all clerics in my kingdom.”

⁵⁷ Without delay, he carried out what he had proclaimed by his royal authority. By command of the state, the Paschal cycles of nineteen years were immediately sent throughout all the provinces of the Picts to be transcribed, studied, and observed, while the erroneous cycles of eighty-four years were everywhere abolished. All ministers of the altar and monks were shorn after the manner of the crown. The nation, thus reformed, rejoiced, as they were now newly placed under the guidance of Peter, the most blessed chief of the Apostles, and entrusted to his protection.

Chapter 22: 716 A.D. #

¹ Not long after, by the Lord’s providence, the monks of the Scottish nation who lived on the island of Hii, along with the other monasteries subject to them, were brought into conformity with the canonical observance of Easter and the proper tonsure. For in the year of our Lord 716, when Osred was slain and Coenred assumed the rule of the Northumbrian kingdom, the father and priest Egbert, beloved of God and worthy of all honor—whom we have mentioned often before—came to them from Ireland and was received with great respect and joy.

² Being a most gracious teacher and devout in practicing what he taught, and being gladly heard by all, he, through his pious and diligent exhortations, turned them away from the deeply rooted tradition of their ancestors, of whom the words of the Apostle may be said: “They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge”. He instructed them to celebrate the chief solemnity in the Catholic and Apostolic manner, as has been described, and to wear upon their heads the form of an unending crown.

³ It is evident that this took place through the marvelous dispensation of Divine goodness, so that the same nation which had once generously and without hesitation shared its knowledge of God with the English people should, in turn, through the English, be led to a more perfect rule of life in those matters where it had previously lacked. Conversely, the Britons, who had refused to impart to the English the knowledge they possessed of the Christian faith, now, even when the English believe and are fully instructed in the rule of the Catholic faith, persist in their errors, wavering and straying from the true path. Thus, they go about with their heads left uncrowned and keep the feast of Christ apart from the fellowship of the Church of Christ.

⁴ At the teaching of Egbert, the monks of Hii adopted the Catholic way of life under Abbot Dunchad, about eighty years after they had sent Bishop Aidan to preach to the English nation. The man of God, Egbert, remained on the island for thirteen years, consecrating it anew to Christ, as it were, through a fresh ray of the grace of fellowship and peace within the Church.

⁵ Then, in the year of our Lord 729, when Easter was celebrated on the 24th of April, after he had offered the solemn Mass in remembrance of the Resurrection of our Lord, that same day he departed to the Lord. Thus, he completed his earthly course—or rather, he never ceases, endlessly and in perfect joy, to celebrate with our Lord, the Apostles, and the other citizens of heaven, that greatest festival which he had begun on earth with the brethren he had led into the grace of unity.

⁶ It was a marvelous dispensation of Divine Providence that this venerable man was called from this world to the Father, not only at Easter but also on a day when Easter had never before been celebrated in those parts. The brethren rejoiced in the sure and Catholic knowledge of the proper time for Easter and were glad that their father, who had guided them into the right way, had passed into the presence of the Lord to intercede for them. He, in turn, gave thanks that he had remained in the flesh long enough to see his disciples embrace and observe with him that very Easter day which they had always previously avoided. Thus, the most reverend father, assured of their amendment, rejoiced to see the day of the Lord—and he saw it and was glad.

Chapter 23: 725-731 A.D. #

¹ In the year of our Lord 725, during the seventh year of Osric, King of the Northumbrians, who had succeeded Coenred, Wictred, the son of Egbert and King of Kent, died on the 23rd of April. He left his three sons—Ethelbert, Eadbert, and Alric—as heirs to the kingdom, which he had ruled for thirty-four and a half years.

² The following year, Tobias, Bishop of the Church of Rochester, passed away. He was a most learned man, as has been previously mentioned, having been a disciple of the blessed masters Theodore, the Archbishop, and Abbot Hadrian. As a result, besides his deep knowledge of both ecclesiastical and general letters, he had mastered both the Greek and Latin tongues so perfectly that they were as familiar to him as his native language. He was buried in the chapel of St. Paul the Apostle, which he had built within the Church of St. Andrew as his place of burial. After him, Aldwulf assumed the office of bishop, having been consecrated by Archbishop Bertwald.

³ In the year of our Lord 729, two comets appeared near the sun, striking great terror into those who beheld them. One went before the sun in the morning at its rising, while the other followed it in the evening at its setting, as if foretelling calamities for both the east and the west. Or, without doubt, one heralded disaster for the day and the other for the night, signifying that mortals were threatened with afflictions at all times. Their fiery tails pointed toward the north, as though ready to ignite a great conflagration. They appeared in January and remained visible for nearly two weeks.

⁴ During this time, a grievous scourge struck Gaul, as the Saracens ravaged the land with cruel bloodshed. However, not long after, they suffered the due punishment for their unbelief. That same year, as previously mentioned, the holy man of God, Egbert, departed to the Lord on Easter Day. Shortly after Easter, on the 9th of May, Osric, King of the Northumbrians, passed away after reigning for eleven years. He appointed as his successor Ceolwulf, the brother of Coenred, who had ruled before him. The beginning and course of Ceolwulf’s reign were marked by many great disturbances and conflicts, making it uncertain what might be said of them or what their ultimate outcome would be.

⁵ In the year of our Lord 731, Archbishop Bertwald passed away from old age on the 13th of January, having held his see for thirty-seven years, six months, and fourteen days. That same year, Tatwine, a priest from the province of the Mercians, was appointed as his successor. He had served in the monastery called Briudun and was consecrated in the city of Canterbury on Sunday, the 10th of June. The venerable bishops Daniel of Winchester, Ingwald of London, Aldwin of Lichfield, and Aldwulf of Rochester officiated at his consecration. Tatwine was a man renowned for his piety, wisdom, and notable learning in Holy Scripture.

⁶ At the present time, the bishops Tatwine and Aldwulf preside over the churches in Kent. Ingwald serves as bishop in the province of the East Saxons. In the province of the East Angles, the bishops are Aldbert and Hadulac. In the province of the West Saxons, Daniel and Forthere hold office. In the province of the Mercians, the bishop is Aldwin.

⁷ Among the peoples living west of the River Severn, Walhstod serves as bishop. In the province of the Hwiccas, the bishop is Wilfrid. In the province of Lindsey, Bishop Cynibert presides. The bishopric of the Isle of Wight belongs to Daniel, who is also bishop of the city of Winchester. The province of the South Saxons, having been without a bishop for some years, receives episcopal care from the bishop of the West Saxons. All these provinces, along with the other southern territories extending up to the River Humber, along with their respective kings, are under the authority of King Ethelbald.

⁸ In the province of the Northumbrians, where King Ceolwulf reigns, four bishops currently serve: Wilfrid in the church of York, Ethelwald in the church of Lindisfarne, Acca in the church of Hagustald (Hexham), and Pecthelm in the church known as the White House. As the number of the faithful has grown, this place has recently been established as an episcopal see, with Pecthelm as its first bishop.

⁹ At this time, the Pictish people are at peace with the English and rejoice in sharing the Catholic faith and unity with the universal Church. The Scots who dwell in Britain, content with their own lands, do not plot or wage war against the English. The Britons, however, largely remain hostile to the English and, in their stubborn disobedience, refuse to follow the proper date of Easter as observed by the whole Catholic Church. Yet, since both divine and human authority oppose them, they are unable to succeed in their aims. Though some still govern themselves, others have been brought under English rule.

¹⁰ During this peaceful and stable time, many Northumbrians—both nobles and commoners—have laid down their weapons and taken monastic vows, choosing to embrace the tonsure for themselves and their children rather than pursue a life of warfare. What will come of this in the future remains to be seen.

¹¹ Such is the state of Britain at present—285 years after the arrival of the English in this land, in the year of our Lord 731. Let the whole earth rejoice in the kingdom of Christ, which shall have no end. And let Britain, united with the faithful, join in the joy of His truth, so that the multitude of islands may be glad and give thanks in remembrance of His holiness.

Chapter 24 #

¹ I have thought it fitting to briefly summarize the events previously recorded in detail, so that they may be more easily remembered.

² Sixty years before the Incarnation of our Lord, Gaius Julius Caesar became the first Roman to invade Britain. Though he was victorious, he was unable to establish lasting dominion over the land.

³ In the year of our Lord 46, Claudius became the second Roman ruler to campaign in Britain. He secured the submission of a large portion of the island and brought the Orkney Islands under Roman control.

⁴ In the year of our Lord 167, Eleutherius was appointed bishop of Rome and gloriously led the Church for fifteen years. During his tenure, Lucius, king of Britain, sent a letter requesting to become a Christian, and his request was granted.

⁵ In the year of our Lord 189, Severus became emperor and reigned for seventeen years. He reinforced Britain’s defenses by constructing a wall from sea to sea.

⁶ In the year 381, Maximus was proclaimed emperor in Britain. He crossed into Gaul, where he defeated and killed Gratian.

⁷ In the year 409, Rome was overthrown by the Goths, and from that time, the Romans ceased to rule over Britain.

⁸ In the year 430, Pope Celestine sent Palladius to the Scots who had embraced the Christian faith, appointing him as their first bishop.

⁹ In the year 449, Marcian became emperor alongside Valentinian, and they reigned for seven years. During their rule, the English were invited by the Britons to settle in Britain.

¹⁰ In the year 538, a solar eclipse occurred on February 16, lasting from the first hour until the third.

¹¹ In the year 540, another solar eclipse took place on June 20. The stars became visible for nearly half an hour after the third hour of the day.

¹² In the year 547, Ida began his reign. He was the founder of the Northumbrian royal dynasty and ruled for twelve years.

¹³ In the year 565, the priest Columba traveled from Scotland to Britain to preach to the Picts. He established a monastery on the island of Hii (now Iona).

¹⁴ In the year 596, Pope Gregory sent Augustine, along with a group of monks, to Britain to proclaim the Word of God to the English people.

¹⁵ In the year 597, these missionaries arrived in Britain, approximately 150 years after the coming of the English to the island.

¹⁶ In the year 601, Pope Gregory sent the pallium to Augustine, who had already been consecrated as bishop. He also sent several additional ministers of the Word, including Paulinus.

¹⁷ In the year 603, a battle took place at Degsastan.

¹⁸ In the year 604, the East Saxons embraced the Christian faith under King Sabert, with Mellitus serving as their bishop.

¹⁹ In the year 605, Pope Gregory passed away.

²⁰ In the year 616, Ethelbert, king of Kent, died.

²¹ In the year 625, Paulinus was consecrated as bishop of the Northumbrians by Archbishop Justus.

²² In the year 626, Eanfled, daughter of King Edwin, was baptized along with twelve others on the eve of Whitsunday (Pentecost).

²³ In the year 627, King Edwin and his people were baptized at Easter.

²⁴ In the year 633, after the death of King Edwin, Paulinus returned to Kent.

²⁵ In the year 640, Eadbald, king of Kent, died.

²⁶ In the year 642, King Oswald was slain.

²⁷ In the year 644, Paulinus, formerly bishop of York and later bishop of Rochester, departed to the Lord.

²⁸ In the year 651, King Oswin was slain, and Bishop Aidan passed away.

²⁹ In the year 653, the Middle Angles, under their leader Penda, were received into the Christian faith.

³⁰ In the year 655, Penda was killed, and the Mercians converted to Christianity.

³¹ In the year 664, a solar eclipse occurred; Earconbert, king of Kent, died; Colman and the Scots returned to their homeland; a plague broke out; and Ceadda (Chad) and Wilfrid were consecrated as bishops of the Northumbrians.

³² In the year 668, Theodore was ordained as archbishop.

³³ In the year 670, Oswy, king of the Northumbrians, died.

³⁴ In the year 673, Egbert, king of Kent, died, and a synod was convened at Hertford in the presence of King Egfrid, with Archbishop Theodore presiding. The synod was highly beneficial, and its rulings were set forth in ten decrees.

³⁵ In the year 675, Wulfhere, king of the Mercians, died after a reign of seventeen years, leaving the throne to his brother Ethelred.

³⁶ In the year 676, Ethelred launched a raid against Kent.

³⁷ In the year 678, a comet appeared in the sky. Bishop Wilfrid was expelled from his see by King Egfrid, and in his place, Bosa, Eata, and Eadhaed were consecrated as bishops.

³⁸ In the year 679, Aelfwine was slain.

³⁹ In the year 680, a synod was held on the plain of Haethfelth to discuss the Catholic faith, with Archbishop Theodore presiding. John, the Roman abbot, was also present. That same year, Abbess Hilda passed away at Streanaeshalch (Whitby).

⁴⁰ In the year 685, Egfrid, king of the Northumbrians, was killed. That same year, Hlothere, king of Kent, also died.

⁴¹ In the year 688, Caedwald, king of the West Saxons, left Britain and traveled to Rome.

⁴² In the year 690, Archbishop Theodore passed away.

⁴³ In the year 697, Queen Osthryth was murdered by her own nobles, namely the nobles of the Mercians.

⁴⁴ In the year 698, Berctred, an ealdorman of the king of the Northumbrians, was slain by the Picts.

⁴⁵ In the year 704, after ruling over the Mercians for thirty-one years, King Ethelred renounced the throne and became a monk, passing the kingdom to Coenred.

⁴⁶ In the year 705, Aldfrid, king of the Northumbrians, died.

⁴⁷ In the year 709, Coenred, king of the Mercians, abdicated after five years and traveled to Rome.

⁴⁸ In the year 711, the commander Bertfrid engaged in battle with the Picts.

⁴⁹ In the year 716, Osred, king of the Northumbrians, was killed; Ceolred, king of the Mercians, also died; and the holy man Egbert led the monks of Hii (Iona) to adopt the Catholic observance of Easter and the proper ecclesiastical tonsure.

⁵⁰ In the year 725, Wictred, king of Kent, died.

⁵¹ In the year 729, comets appeared in the sky; the holy Egbert passed away; and Osric died.

⁵² In the year 731, Archbishop Bertwald passed away.

⁵³ That same year, Tatwine was consecrated as the ninth archbishop of Canterbury, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Ethelbald, king of the Mercians.

⁵⁴ Thus far, I have written of the ecclesiastical history of Britain, and especially of the English people, as far as I have been able to learn from the writings of the ancients, the tradition of our forefathers, or my own experience. With the Lord’s help, I, Bede, a servant of Christ and priest of the monastery of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul at Wearmouth and Jarrow, have set this forth.

⁵⁵ I was born in the territory of this same monastery, and at the age of seven, through the care of my kinsmen, I was entrusted to the reverend Abbot Benedict for education, and later to Ceolfrid. From that time onward, I have spent my entire life within this monastery, devoting myself wholly to the study of Scripture. While observing the monastic rule and fulfilling the daily duty of singing in the church, I have always taken delight in learning, teaching, and writing.

⁵⁶ At the age of nineteen, I was ordained a deacon, and at thirty, I was ordained a priest—both by the ministry of the most reverend Bishop John, at the command of Abbot Ceolfrid. From the time of my ordination as a priest until my fifty-ninth year, I have dedicated myself to compiling, for my own benefit and that of my brethren, brief commentaries on the Holy Scriptures, drawn from the works of the venerable Fathers, along with some of my own interpretations following their method of explanation.

⁵⁷ On the Beginning of Genesis, up to the birth of Isaac and the casting out of Ishmael—four books.

⁵⁸ On the Tabernacle and its Vessels, as well as the Vestments of the Priests—three books.

⁵⁹ On the first part of Samuel, up to the Death of Saul—three books.

⁶⁰ On the Building of the Temple, including Allegorical Exposition and other matters—two books.

⁶¹ Also, on the Book of Kings—thirty Questions.

⁶² On the Proverbs of Solomon—three books.

⁶³ On the Song of Songs—seven books.

⁶⁴ On Isaiah, Daniel, the Twelve Prophets, and part of Jeremiah—Divisions of Chapters, compiled from the Treatise of the blessed Jerome.

⁶⁵ On Ezra and Nehemiah—three books.

⁶⁶ On the Song of Habakkuk—one book.

⁶⁷ On the Book of the blessed Father Tobias—one book of Allegorical Explanation concerning Christ and the Church.

⁶⁸ Also, Chapters of Readings on:

⁶⁹ The Pentateuch of Moses, Joshua, and Judges;

⁷⁰ The Books of Kings and Chronicles;

⁷¹ The Book of the blessed Father Job;

⁷² The Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs.

⁷³ On the Prophets Isaiah, Ezra, and Nehemiah.

⁷⁴ On the Gospel of Mark—four books.

⁷⁵ On the Gospel of Luke—six books.

⁷⁶ On the Gospel Homilies—two books.

⁷⁷ On the Apostle—whatever I have found in the works of St. Augustine, I have carefully transcribed in order.

⁷⁸ On the Acts of the Apostles—two books.

⁷⁹ On the seven Catholic Epistles—one book on each.

⁸⁰ On the Revelation of St. John—three books.

⁸¹ Likewise, Chapters of Lessons on the entire New Testament, except the Gospel.

⁸² Likewise, a book of Epistles to various individuals, including: one on the Six Ages of the World; one on the Halting-Places of the Children of Israel; one on the words of Isaiah, “And they shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days they will be visited”; one on the Reason for Leap Year; and one on the Equinox, according to Anatolius.

⁸³ Likewise, concerning the Histories of the Saints: I translated the Book of the Life and Passion of St. Felix, Confessor, from the metrical work of Paulinus into prose. The Book of the Life and Passion of St. Anastasius, which had been poorly translated from Greek and even more poorly amended by an unskilled person, I have corrected in meaning as far as I was able. I have also written the Life of the Holy Father Cuthbert, who was both monk and bishop, first in heroic verse and later in prose.

⁸⁴ The History of the Abbots of this monastery, in which I rejoice to serve the Divine Goodness—namely, Benedict, Ceolfrid, and Huaetbert—in two books.

⁸⁵ The Ecclesiastical History of our Island and Nation, in five books.

⁸⁶ The Martyrology of the Festivals of the Holy Martyrs, in which I have carefully sought to record all whom I could find, noting not only the day of their triumph but also the manner of their struggle and under which judge they overcame the world.

⁸⁷ A Book of Hymns in various types of metre or rhythm.

⁸⁸ A Book of Epigrams in heroic or elegiac verse.

⁸⁹ On The Nature of Things and The Times—one book on each; likewise, a larger book on The Times.

⁹⁰ A Book of Orthography arranged in alphabetical order.

⁹¹ Likewise, a Book on the Art of Poetry, to which I have added a smaller book on Figures of Speech or Tropes—that is, on the figures and modes of expression in which the Holy Scriptures are written.

⁹² And I beg You, good Jesus, that to the one whom You have graciously granted to drink sweetly of the words of Your knowledge, You would also, in Your loving-kindness, grant that he may one day come to You, the Fountain of all wisdom, and stand forever before Your face.

Northumbrian Monk (around 766AD)

⁹³ In the year 731, King Ceolwulf was taken prisoner, tonsured, and sent back to his kingdom. Bishop Acca was driven from his see.

⁹⁴ In the year 732, Egbert was made Bishop of York in place of Wilfrid.

⁹⁵ Cynibert, Bishop of Lindsey, died.

⁹⁶ In the year of our Lord 733, Archbishop Tatwine, having received the pallium by Apostolic authority, ordained Alwic and Sigfrid as bishops.

⁹⁷ In the year 733, there was an eclipse of the sun on the 14th of August, about the third hour, so that the entire disk of the sun appeared to be covered with a black and gloomy shield.

⁹⁸ In the year 734, on the 31st of January, at about the time of cockcrow, the moon was colored blood-red for nearly an hour, after which a blackness followed, and then she regained her usual light.

⁹⁹ In the year 734, from the Incarnation of Christ, Bishop Tatwine died.

¹⁰⁰ In the year 735, Nothelm was ordained Archbishop, and Bishop Egbert, having received the pallium from the Apostolic See, became the first to be established as Archbishop after Paulinus. He ordained Frithbert and Frithwald as bishops. In the same year, the priest Bede died.

¹⁰¹ In the year 737, an extreme drought made the land unfruitful, and Ceolwulf, voluntarily receiving the tonsure, relinquished the kingdom to Eadbert.

¹⁰² In the year 739, Edilhart, king of the West Saxons, died, as did Archbishop Nothelm.

¹⁰³ In the year 740, Cuthbert was consecrated in Nothelm’s place. Ethelbald, king of the Mercians, cruelly and unjustly ravaged part of Northumbria while their king, Eadbert, was engaged in war against the Picts. In the same year, Bishop Ethelwald also died, and Conwulf was consecrated in his place. Arnwin and Eadbert were slain.

¹⁰⁴ In the year 741, a great drought came upon the land. Charles, king of the Franks, died, and his sons, Caroloman and Pippin, reigned in his place.

¹⁰⁵ In the year 745, Bishop Wilfrid and Ingwald, Bishop of London, departed to the Lord.

¹⁰⁶ In the year 747, the man of God, Herefrid, died.

¹⁰⁷ In the year 750, Cuthred, king of the West Saxons, rose up against King Ethelbald and Oengus. Theudor and Eanred died, and Eadbert added the plain of Kyle and other regions to his dominions.

¹⁰⁸ In the year 753, in the fifth year of King Eadbert, on the 9th of January, an eclipse of the sun occurred. Later in the same year, on the 24th of January, the moon was also eclipsed, being covered with a dark and gloomy shield, just as the sun had been shortly before.

¹⁰⁹ In the year 754, Boniface, also known as Winfrid, Bishop of the Franks, received the crown of martyrdom along with fifty-three companions. In his place, Pope Stephen consecrated Redger as archbishop.

¹¹⁰ In the year 757, Ethelbald, King of the Mercians, was treacherously and miserably murdered at night by his own guards. Beornred then took the throne. That same year, Cyniwulf, King of the West Saxons, died. Offa, seeking to seize the kingdom of the Mercians through bloodshed, drove Beornred into exile.

¹¹¹ In the year 758, Eadbert, King of the Northumbrians, renounced his throne, receiving the tonsure of St. Peter out of love for God and with the hope of taking the kingdom of heaven by force. He left the rule of his earthly kingdom to his son Oswulf.

¹¹² In the year 755, Oswulf was wickedly murdered by his own thegns. That same year, Ethelwald was chosen by his people and ascended to the throne. In the second year of his reign, a great tribulation arose due to a widespread pestilence, which lasted for nearly two years. Various grievous illnesses raged, but dysentery was especially severe.

¹¹³ In the year 761, Oengus, King of the Picts, died. From the beginning to the end of his reign, he remained a bloodstained and tyrannical butcher. That same year, Oswin was also slain.

¹¹⁴ In the year 765, King Aluchred came to the throne.

¹¹⁵ In the year 766, Archbishop Egbert, of royal lineage and endowed with divine wisdom, departed to the Lord, as did Frithbert—both of them truly faithful bishops.