British and English Churches in Late-Seventh-Century Wessex: Who was Peripheral?
Late-seventh-century texts from south-western Britain, especially a letter addressed by Abbot Aldhelm of Malmesbury to a British king and his clergy, offer a different perspective on relations between the British and English churches to that provided by eighth-century Northumbrian authors. The writi...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2025
|
| In: |
Studies in church history
Year: 2025, Volume: 61, Pages: 48-70 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | Late-seventh-century texts from south-western Britain, especially a letter addressed by Abbot Aldhelm of Malmesbury to a British king and his clergy, offer a different perspective on relations between the British and English churches to that provided by eighth-century Northumbrian authors. The writings of Bede and Stephen of Ripon have cast a long shadow by suggesting that hostility between British and English Christians was the norm. The 660s have been interpreted as a turning-point, with the arrival of Theodore of Tarsus as archbishop of Canterbury leading to the Britons being branded as heretics and impeding any interaction between British and English churches. This article argues that, in the South-West, relations remained warm until the final years of the seventh century, notwithstanding differences over the date of Easter and the tonsure. Dumnonia's political decline was principally responsible for British Christianity's ultimate marginalization. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2059-0644 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Studies in church history
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1017/stc.2024.31 |
