Abel (''fl''. 744–747) served as the

Bishop of Reims The Archdiocese of Reims (traditionally spelt "Rheims" in English) ( la, Archidiœcesis Remensis; French: ''Archidiocèse de Reims'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastic territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese ...

Francia Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...

, now modern-day

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

.Costambeys, "Abel (''fl''. 744–747)" He has sometimes been venerated as a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, particularly by the

Bollandists The Bollandist Society ( la, Societas Bollandistarum french: Société des Bollandistes) are an association of scholars, philologists, and historians (originally all Jesuits, but now including non-Jesuits) who since the early seventeenth century h ...

Origins

In the late 10th century,

Folcuin Folcuin ( 935 – 16 September 990) was a monk at the abbey of Saint-Bertin, where he was a deacon and archivist, and later abbot of Lobbes. He wrote histories of the abbots of both his monasteries. The ''Gesta abbatum Sithiensium'' (Deeds of ...

wrote that Abel had been a monk in

Lobbes Abbey Lobbes Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Wallonia in the municipality of Lobbes, Hainaut, Belgium. The abbey played an important role in the religious, political and religious life of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, especially around the year 1 ...

(modern day Belgium) while Bishop Ermino (d. 737) served as abbot, and had been born in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. In contrast

Boniface Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of ...

, in a letter to a priest in the English kingdom of

Mercia la, Merciorum regnum , conventional_long_name=Kingdom of Mercia , common_name=Mercia , status=Kingdom , status_text=Independent kingdom (527–879)Client state of Wessex () , life_span=527–918 , era=Heptarchy , event_start= , date_start= , ye ...

, insisted that Abel had in fact been born and raised in England. The modern historian

Wilhelm Levison Wilhelm Levison (27 May 1876, in Düsseldorf – 17 January 1947, in Durham) was a German medievalist. He was well known as a contributor to ''Monumenta Germaniae Historica'', especially for the vitae from the Merovingian era. He also edited Wi ...

has suggested there were two individuals with the same name, but Eugen Ewig accepts the identification by Boniface as more accurate. If Folcuin's later testimony has any basis in reality, it may be that Abel, like his near contemporary Ecgberht (d. 729), had once visited Ireland and formed a close association.

Bishop of Reims

In March 744,

presided over the Council of Soissons and the conciliar acts record that Abel was elected archbishop (but of an unspecified see). In June,

Pope Zacharias Pope Zachary ( la, Zacharias; 679 – March 752) was the bishop of Rome from 28 November 741 to his death. He was the last pope of the Byzantine Papacy. Zachary built the original church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, forbade the traffic of slav ...

confirmed this decision by sending Abel the

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolit ...

which conferred episcopal authority. Abel is next named in the sources as one of Boniface's 'fellow bishops' who around 746 sent a letter of exhortation to Æthelbald, king of Mercia as part of his wider missionary efforts. It seems that

Milo (bishop of Trier) Milo of Trier (died 762 or 763) was the son of St. Leudwinus and his successor as Archbishop of Trier and Archbishop of Reims. His great-uncle Saint Basinus had preceded his father as Archbishop of Trier. He was the great-grandson of Saint Sigr ...

in effect controlled a number of episcopal sees (despite only being a laymen), while Abel remained in office only as suffragan bishop. In 751, Boniface once more addressed a letter to Pope Zacharias, in which he lamented the injustices of lay control over the church, but his erstwhile ambitions to change this were not realised in his lifetime. It is unknown when Abel gave up his position or died. The 9th-century ''Life of

Saint Remigius Remigius (french: Remi or ; – January 13, 533), was the Bishop of Reims and "Apostle of the Franks". On 25 December 496, he baptised Clovis I, King of the Franks. The baptism, leading to about 3000 additional converts, was an important event ...

'', written by

Hincmar Hincmar (; ; la, Hincmarus; 806 – 21 December 882), archbishop of Reims, was a Frankish jurist and theologian, as well as the friend, advisor and propagandist of Charles the Bald. He belonged to a noble family of northern Francia. Biography Ea ...

, Archbishop of Rheims, claims that Milo had driven Abel out from the see in favour of

Tilpin Tilpin, Latin ''Tilpinus'' (died 794 or 800), also called Tulpin, a name later corrupted as Turpin, was the bishop of Reims from about 748 until his death. He was for many years regarded as the author of the legendary '' Historia Caroli Magni'', ...

. The date given is 748, but it also may be the case that Tilpin only succeeded in 762 or 763 when Able died. It's suggested that Abel may have retired in his later years to Lobbes Abbey to become abbot.

Commemoration

Abel has been recognized at various times as a

pre-congregation In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pass ...

in the

. In the early modern period, Abel's name was inserted in a number of

martyrologies A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs and other saints and beatification, beati arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. Local martyrologies record exclusively the custom of a particular Church. Local lists were ...

, under a variety of dates - despite the fact he was not martyred. Examples are the 17th-century martyrology of

Gabriel Bucelin Gabriel Bucelin (also ''Gabriel Buzlin'', ''Gabriel Bincelint'', or ''Gabriel Bucelinus'') (29 December 1599, Diessenhofen, Thurgau – 9 June 1681, Weingarten) was a Benedictine polymath, Humanist, historical writer and cartographer. Life A ...

, the ''Martyrologium Gallicanum'' (1637) of

André du Saussay André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation o ...

, and

John Mabillon Dom Jean Mabillon, O.S.B., (; 23 November 1632 – 27 December 1707) was a French Benedictine monk and scholar of the Congregation of Saint Maur. He is considered the founder of the disciplines of palaeography and diplomatics. Early life Mabil ...

. The

include a ''Life'' of Abel under 5 August, compiled by John Pinius.O'Hanlon, ''Lives of the Irish saints'', 5 August.

Notes

References

Primary sources

*Acts of the Council of Soissons (744), ed. *Letters of Boniface, ed. ; tr. *Folcuin, ''Gesta abbatum Lobiensium'', ed. *Hincmar, ''Vita Remigii episcopi Remensis'', ed. {{DEFAULTSORT:Abel of Reims Bishops of Reims Belgian Roman Catholic saints 8th-century Frankish bishops 8th-century Irish bishops 8th-century Christian saints Year of birth unknown Irish expatriates in France Year of death uncertain Year of birth uncertain 747 deaths