Ecgbert (died 19 November 766) was an 8th-century cleric who established the
archdiocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
of
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...
in 735. In 737, Ecgbert's brother became king of
Northumbria
la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria
, common_name = Northumbria
, status = State
, status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
and the two siblings worked together on ecclesiastical issues. Ecgbert was a correspondent of
Bede
Bede ( ; ang, Bǣda , ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, The Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable ( la, Beda Venerabilis), was an English monk at the monastery of St Peter and its companion monastery of St Paul in the Kingdom ...
and
Boniface
Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictines, 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 ...
and the author of a legal code for his clergy. Other works have been ascribed to him, although the attribution is doubted by modern scholars.
Early life and career
Ecgbert was the son of Eata, who was descended from the founder of the kingdom of
Bernicia
Bernicia ( ang, Bernice, Bryneich, Beornice; la, Bernicia) was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom established by Anglian settlers of the 6th century in what is now southeastern Scotland and North East England.
The Anglian territory of Bernicia was appr ...
. His brother
Eadberht was king of
Northumbria
la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria
, common_name = Northumbria
, status = State
, status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
from 737 to 758. Ecgbert went to Rome with another brother, and was ordained
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...
while still there.
[Mayr-Harting "Ecgberht" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''] Ecgbert has been claimed to have been a student of
Bede
Bede ( ; ang, Bǣda , ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, The Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable ( la, Beda Venerabilis), was an English monk at the monastery of St Peter and its companion monastery of St Paul in the Kingdom ...
, who much later visited with Ecgbert in 733 at York,
[Blair ''World of Bede'' p. 305] but this statement may simply mean that Ecgbert was a student of Bede's writings, and not that he was formally taught by him.
[
]
Archbishop
Ecgbert was named to the see of York
York is a cathedral city with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many hist ...
around 732[Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 224] (other sources date the appointment to 734)[Yorke ''Kings and Kingdoms'' p. 188 footnote 107] by his cousin Ceolwulf, the king of Northumbria.[ Pope Gregory III gave him a ]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 metropoli ...
, the symbol of an archbishop's authority, in 735.[ After Eadberht became king, the brothers worked together, and were forbidden by the ]papacy
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
to transfer church lands to secular control.[Yorke ''Kings and Kingdoms'' p. 91] They also worked together to deal with problems that had developed in the relationship between the church and royal government.[Yorke ''Kings and Kingdoms'' p. 98] An example of the brothers' co-operation is the fact that some of Eadberht's coins feature Ecbert's image on the opposite face.[Wood "Thrymas" ''Two Decades'' p. 28]
Ecgbert's problems with the monasteries in his diocese came from the secular practice of families setting up monasteries that were totally under their control as a way of making the family lands book-land
Bookland ( ang, bocland) was a type of land tenure under Anglo-Saxon law and referred to land that was vested by a charter. Land held without a charter was known as ''folkland'' ( ang, folcland).
The distinction in meaning between these terms is ...
and free from secular service. Book-land was at first an exclusive right of ecclesiastical property. By transferring land to a family-controlled monastery, the family would retain the use of the land without having to perform any services to the king for the land.[Mayr-Harting ''Coming of Christianity'' pp. 252–253]
Educational activities
The school Ecgbert founded at York is held by the modern historian Peter Hunter Blair to have equalled or surpassed the famous monasteries at Wearmouth and Jarrow
Jarrow ( or ) is a town in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is situated on the south bank of the River Tyne, about from the east coast. It is home to the southern portal of the ...
.[Blair ''World of Bede'' p. 225] The school educated not just the cathedral clergy but also the offspring of nobles.[Blair ''Introduction to Anglo-Saxon England'' p. 328] Blair also calls the library that was established at York "a library whose contents were unequalled in the western Europe of its day".[Blair ''Introduction to Anglo-Saxon England'' p. 144] Among the students at the school was Alcuin
Alcuin of York (; la, Flaccus Albinus Alcuinus; 735 – 19 May 804) – also called Ealhwine, Alhwin, or Alchoin – was a scholar, clergyman, poet, and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student o ...
, who was placed by his family with Ecgbert.[Hindley ''Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons'' p. 85] Both Liudger, later the first Bishop of Munster
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
, and Aluberht, another bishop in Germany, also studied at the school in York.[Stenton ''Anglo Saxon England'' p. 175]
Correspondents
Bede wrote Ecgbert a letter dealing with monastic issues as well as the problems of large dioceses.[ The letter, written in 734, became known as the ''Epistola ad Ecgberhtum episcopum''.][Rumble "Introduction" ''Leaders of the Anglo-Saxon Church'' p. 5] Bede urged Ecgbert to study Gregory the Great
Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregori ...
's ''Pastoral Care'',[ and held up ]Aidan
Aidan or Aiden is a modern version of a number of Celtic language names, including the Irish male given name ''Aodhán'', the Scottish Gaelic given name Aodhan and the Welsh name Aeddan. Phonetic variants, such as spelled with an "e" instead of ...
and Cuthbert
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Hiberno-Scottish mission, Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monastery, monasterie ...
as examples of model bishops.[Yorke ''Conversion of Britain'' p. 149] The main thrust of Bede's letter was to urge Ecgbert to reform his church to more closely resemble Gregory the Great's original plan for it.[Blair ''Introduction to Anglo-Saxon England'' p. 131] Bede's admonition to divide up dioceses fell on deaf ears, as Egbert did not break up his large diocese.[Mayr-Harting ''Coming of Christianity'' pp. 241–243] The suffragans continued to be limited to the bishops of Hexham
Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden nearby, and close to Hadrian's Wall. Hexham was the administ ...
, Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne, also called Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th century AD; it was an important ...
, and Whithorn
Whithorn ( ʍɪthorn 'HWIT-horn'; ''Taigh Mhàrtainn'' in Gaelic), is a royal burgh in the historic county of Wigtownshire in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about south of Wigtown. The town was the location of the first recorded Christia ...
.[Cubitt "Finding the Forger" ''English Historical Journal'' p. 1222]
Boniface
Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictines, 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 ...
wrote to Ecgbert, asking for support against Æthelbald of Mercia
Æthelbald (also spelled Ethelbald or Aethelbald; died 757) was the King of Mercia, in what is now the English Midlands from 716 until he was killed in 757. Æthelbald was the son of Alweo and thus a grandson of King Eowa. Æthelbald came to ...
. Boniface also asked the archbishop for some of Bede's books, and in return sent wine to be drunk "in a merry day with the brethern."[quoted in Hindley ''Brief History of the Anglo-Saxons'' p. 143] On another occasion, Boniface sent the archbishop a cloak and towel.[Blair ''Introduction to Anglo-Saxon England'' p. 165]
Writings
Ecgbert wrote the ''Dialogus ecclesiasticae institutionis Dialogus (Latin for dialogue) can refer to:
* ''Dialogus de oratoribus'' (c. 100 AD), treatise on rhetoric attributed to Tacitus
* ''Dialogus de musica'' (c. 11th c.), music treatise formerly attributed to Odo of Arezzo
* ''Dialogus de Scaccario'' ( ...
'', which was a legal code for the clergy, setting forth the proper procedures for many clerical and ecclesiastical issues including weregild
Weregild (also spelled wergild, wergeld (in archaic/historical usage of English), weregeld, etc.), also known as man price ( blood money), was a precept in some archaic legal codes whereby a monetary value was established for a person's life, to ...
for clerics, entrance to clerical orders, deposition from the clergy, criminal monks, clerics in court, and other matters.[ It survives as one complete manuscript, with a few excerpts in other manuscripts.][ Because Ecgbert was the senior archbishop in England after the death of Nothhelm in 739, it is possible that the ''Dialogus'' was intended not just for the Northumbrian church but for the entire church in England.][Rumble "Introduction" ''Leaders of the Anglo-Saxon Church'' p. 37] The ''Dialogus'' details a code of conduct for the clergy and how the clergy was to behave in society.[Mayr-Harting ''Coming of Christianity'' pp. 251–252] The exact date it was composed is unclear, but it was probably after 735, based on the mention of the archiepiscopal status of Ecgbert in one title as well as the internal evidence of the work.[ The historian Simon Coates saw the ''Dialogus'' as not especially exalting monks above the laity.][Coates "Role of Bishops" ''History'' p. 194]
Other works were attributed to Egbert in the Middle Ages, but they are not regarded by modern scholars as authentic. These include a collection of church canons, as well as a penitential and a pontifical
A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy ...
.[Lapidge "Ecgberht" ''Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England''] The penitential, known as the ''Paenitentiale Ecgberhti
The ''Paenitentiale Ecgberhti'' (also known as the ''Paenitentiale Pseudo-Ecgberhti'', or more commonly as either Ecgberht's penitential or the Ecgberhtine penitential) is an early medieval penitential handbook composed around 740, possibly by ...
'', was ascribed to Ecgbert by the 8th or 9th centuries, but its surviving versions have little or no content that can be reliably traced to Ecgbert. The pontifical, known as the ''Pontificale Egberti
The ''Roman Pontifical'', in Latin ''Pontificale Romanum'', is the pontifical as used by the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. It is the liturgical book that contains the rites and ceremonies usually performed by bishops of the Roman Rite.
T ...
'', is thought to owe its attribution to Ecgbert's authorship to the fact that the penitential ascribed to Ecgbert was included within its contents. Lastly, the collection of church laws known previously as the ''Excerptiones Ecgberhti'' but today as the ''Collectio canonum Wigorniensis
The ''Collectio canonum Wigorniensis'' (also known as the ''Excerptiones Ecgberhti'' or as "Wulfstan's canon law collection") is a medieval canon law collection originating in southern England around the year 1005. It exists in multiple recensi ...
'', has been shown to be the work of a later archbishop of York, Wulfstan, and was not connected with Ecgbert until after the Anglo-Saxon period. Besides these Latin works, an Old English text, known variously as the '' Scriftboc'', ''Confessionale Pseudo-Egberti'' or ''Confessionale Egberti'', was once stated to be a translation from Latin by Ecgbert, but is now known to date from the late 9th or 10th century.[Ryan "Archbishop Ecberht" ''Leaders of the Anglo-Saxon Church'' pp. 44–45]
Death and legacy
Ecgbert died on 19 November 766,[ and was buried in his cathedral at York.][ Ecgbert had a reputation after his death as an expert on canon law and church legislation, both in his native England and on the mainland of Europe.][Ryan "Archbishop Ecgberht" ''Leaders of the Anglo-Saxon Church'' p. 42] Alcuin also claimed that he was known as a teacher of singing.[ The historian D. P. Kirby described him as a "great" archbishop.][Kirby ''Making of Early England'' p. 60] The historian Henry Mayr-Harting stated that Ecgbert "must be regarded as one of the great architects of the English church in the eighth century".[
]
Veneration
Ecgbert is venerated 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 ...
and the Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...
on 19 November.
Notes
Citations
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ecgbert
Ecgbert, Archbishop of York
Archbishops of York
8th-century archbishops
Year of birth unknown
Idings
8th-century English writers
8th-century jurists
8th-century theologians
8th-century Latin writers
Burials at York Minster
8th-century Christian theologians
678 births
English Christian theologians
Eastern Orthodox saints
8th-century Christian saints
Ascetics