Ratramnus (died ) a
Frankish
Frankish may refer to:
* Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture
** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages
* Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany
* East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...
monk of the
monastery of Corbie, near
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
in northern France, was a
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...
theologian known best for his writings on the
Eucharist
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...
and
predestination
Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby G ...
. His
Eucharistic
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instituted ...
treatise, ''De corpore et sanguine Domini'' (''On the Body and Blood of the Lord''), was a counterpoint to his abbot
Paschasius Radbertus
Paschasius Radbertus (785–865) was a Carolingian theologian and the abbot of Corbie, a monastery in Picardy founded in 657 or 660 by the queen regent Bathilde with a founding community of monks from Luxeuil Abbey. His most well-known and influe ...
’s realist Eucharistic theology. Ratramnus was also known for his defense of the monk
Gottschalk Gottschalk or Godescalc (Old High German) is a male German name that can be translated literally as " servant of God". Latin forms include ''Godeschalcus'' and ''Godescalcus''.
Given name
* Godescalc of Benevento, 8th-century Lombard duke
*Godescal ...
, whose theology of
double predestination was the center of much controversy in 9th-century
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 ...
and
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. In his own time, Ratramnus was perhaps best known for his ''Against the Objections of the Greeks who Slandered the Roman Church'', a response to the
Photian schism and defense of the
filioque
( ; ) is a Latin term ("and from the Son") added to the original Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (commonly known as the Nicene Creed), and which has been the subject of great controversy between Eastern and Western Christianity. It is a term ...
addition to the
Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed.
The writings of Ratramnus influenced the
Protestant reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
.
Biography
Little is known of Ratramnus’ life, but some have suggested that he became the teaching master at the
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monastery of Corbie in 844, when
Paschasius Radbertus
Paschasius Radbertus (785–865) was a Carolingian theologian and the abbot of Corbie, a monastery in Picardy founded in 657 or 660 by the queen regent Bathilde with a founding community of monks from Luxeuil Abbey. His most well-known and influe ...
was made
abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...
. Additionally, he appears to have had a reasonably close relationship with King
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ser ...
.
The Eucharist
Sometime around 831-33, Paschasius Radbertus, in his role as a teacher in the monastery at Corbie, wrote ''De corpore et sanguine Domini'' (Concerning the Body and Blood of the Lord), articulating the view that in the moment of consecration, the bread and wine on the altar became identical with the
body
Body may refer to:
In science
* Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space
* Body (biology), the physical material of an organism
* Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of anima ...
and
blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...
of
Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
. Paschasius was clear that the body and blood on the altar are precisely the same natural body and blood as Christ’s incarnate body on earth. In his description of the Eucharist, Paschasius drew a distinction between figura (figure) and veritas (truth), which he understood to mean “outward appearance” and “what faith teaches” respectively. No controversy seems to have arisen as a result of Paschasius’ treatise, which he first composed likely as a teaching aid and dedicated to one of his former students. Later, probably in 844, Paschasius also composed a revision of his book on the Eucharist, dedicated to Charles the Bald.
When
Charles the Bald
Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ser ...
visited Corbie in 843, he apparently met Ratramnus and requested an explanation of the Eucharist. It was to the emperor, then, that Ratramnus addressed his work, also entitled ''De corpore et sanguine Domini''. In this book, Ratramnus advocated a spiritual view in which the bread and the wine of the Eucharist represent Christ’s body and blood figuratively and serve as a remembrance of him, but are not truly (perceptible by the senses) Christ’s body and blood.. Ratramnus used the same two terms (''figura'' and ''veritas'') to describe the Eucharist as Paschasius, but used them differently. For him, ''veritas'' meant “perceptible to the senses,” so the Eucharist could not ''truly'' be Christ’s body and blood, as it – according to the senses – did not change in appearance, but remained bread and wine, nor was it literally Christ’s historical incarnate body.
No condemnations were issued as a result of the debate, and neither of the two monks quoted or referred to the other in his work. On account of this, Willemien Otten has challenged the traditional interpretation of Paschasius and Ratramnus’ different positions as a “controversy.”
Predestination
In the 840s and 50s, Ratramnus became involved in the controversy over the teachings of
Gottschalk of Orbais
Gottschalk (Latin: Godescalc, Gotteschalchus) of Orbais (c. 808 – 30 October 868 AD) was a Saxon theologian, monk and poet. Gottschalk was an early advocate for the doctrine of two-fold predestination, an issue that ripped through both Italy an ...
(ca. 803-68). Ratramnus probably first encountered Gottschalk during the wandering teacher’s stay at the monastery of Corbie around 830, and later supported him in his conflict with archbishop
Hincmar of Rheims
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 ...
. Gottschalk taught a form of
double predestination, teaching that God predestined the fates of both the elect and the damned.
In 851,
John Scotus Eriugena was commissioned to oppose Gottschalk’s teaching, but his work, ''Treatise on Divine Predestination'', essentially denied any form of
predestination
Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby G ...
whatsoever, a denial which raised the ire of Ratramnus and
Florus of Lyon. In response, Ratramnus composed the two-book work ''On the Predestination of God'' (''De Praedestinatione Dei''), in which he defended double predestination, while objecting to the relation of predestination to sin.
Filioque
Late in Ratramnus’ life, he responded to the
Photian schism of 863-7 between
Eastern and
Western Christianity
Western Christianity is one of two sub-divisions of Christianity ( Eastern Christianity being the other). Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the Old Catholic ...
over the appointment of
Photius
Photios I ( el, Φώτιος, ''Phōtios''; c. 810/820 – 6 February 893), also spelled PhotiusFr. Justin Taylor, essay "Canon Law in the Age of the Fathers" (published in Jordan Hite, T.O.R., & Daniel J. Ward, O.S.B., "Readings, Cases, Materia ...
as
Patriarch of Constantinople
The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...
. This wide-ranging controversy spanned various East-West disagreements, such as the appointment of the patriarch, ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Bulgaria, and the Western addition of ''
filioque
( ; ) is a Latin term ("and from the Son") added to the original Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (commonly known as the Nicene Creed), and which has been the subject of great controversy between Eastern and Western Christianity. It is a term ...
'' to the
Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed. Ratramnus’ defense of Western theology and practice in his ''Against the Objections of the Greeks who Slandered the Roman Church'', is largely occupied with proving the ''filioque'', although the final section of the work deals with other disagreements, such as the monastic
tonsure
Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in ...
and
priestly celibacy
Clerical celibacy is the requirement in certain religions that some or all members of the clergy be unmarried. Clerical celibacy also requires abstention from deliberately indulging in sexual thoughts and behavior outside of marriage, because thes ...
.
Other works
In another show of support for Gottschalk, Ratramnus composed a short collection of
patristic
Patristics or patrology is the study of the early Christian writers who are designated Church Fathers. The names derive from the combined forms of Latin ''pater'' and Greek ''patḗr'' (father). The period is generally considered to run from ...
texts in favor of Gottschalk’s
Trinitarian
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the Fa ...
formulation of ''trina deitas'' against
Hincmar of Rheims
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 ...
’ proposed ''summa deitas''.
Ratramnus also wrote a ''Letter on the Dog-headed Creatures''. This was in response to a question from
Rimbert, then working as a
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
in Scandinavia, who asked whether the
cynocephali
The characteristic of cynocephaly, or cynocephalus (), having the head of a canid, typically that of a dog or jackal, is a widely attested mythical phenomenon existing in many different forms and contexts. The literal meaning of "cynocephaly" is ...
believed to live nearby were human, because if they were Rimbert would be expected to attempt to convert them. Ratramnus argued that because Rimbert’s sources described the cynocephali as living in villages and engaging in agriculture and crafts, they must be rational and therefore human.
Ratramnus wrote another treatise, ''The Birth of Christ'', possibly as a response to Paschasius’ ''De Partu Virginis''. In this work, Ratramnus defended the idea that
Christ’s birth from the
Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
occurred in the natural human way, so as to not detract from Christ’s real human nature.
Ratramnus wrote two treatises on the soul, upholding traditional
Augustinian Augustinian may refer to:
*Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine
*Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs
*Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo
* Canons Regular of Sain ...
psychology. The first, ''On the Soul'', was written against someone named Macarius Scotus, and the second, ''The Book on the Soul'', addressed to bishop
Odo I of Beauvais
Odo I (or Eudes I) was a West Frankish prelate who served as abbot of Corbie in the 850s and as bishop of Beauvais from around 860 until his death in 881. He was a courtier and a diplomat, going on missions to East Francia and the Holy See.
He wr ...
, challenged an idea raised by an anonymous monk of
Fly Abbey – that all human beings participate in a universal soul. In ''The Book on the Soul'', Ratramnus argued that a soul cannot be universal, only individual.
On a whole, Ratramnus’ works have been described by medieval scholar
Giulio D'Onofrio Giulio () is an Italian given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Giulio Alberoni (1664–1752), Italian cardinal and statesman
* Giulio Alenio (1582–1649), Italian Jesuit missionary and scholar
* Giulio Alfieri (1924–2002), Italian ...
as marked by a careful methodological clarity and consistency possibly modeled on
Boethius
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, commonly known as Boethius (; Latin: ''Boetius''; 480 – 524 AD), was a Roman senator, consul, ''magister officiorum'', historian, and philosopher of the Early Middle Ages. He was a central figure in the tr ...
’ ''Answer to Eutyches''.
Later reception
At some point, Ratramnus’ Eucharistic work ''De corpore et sanguine Domini'' came to be identified as the work of
John Scotus Eriugena. In the 11th century,
Berengar of Tours seized upon “Scotus’” book as a source for his view of the Eucharist in his debate with
Lanfranc of Bec
Lanfranc, OSB (1005 1010 – 24 May 1089) was a celebrated Italian jurist who renounced his career to become a Benedictine monk at Bec in Normandy. He served successively as prior of Bec Abbey and abbot of St Stephen in Normandy and then ...
, and was summarily condemned by the local Council of
Vercelli
Vercelli (; pms, Vërsèj ), is a city and ''comune'' of 46,552 inhabitants (January 1, 2017) in the Province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy. One of the oldest urban sites in northern Italy, it was founded, according to most historians, ...
in 1050. Around 1100, further confusion arose when Ratramnus’ name was mistakenly copied in some works as Bertramus, a mistake which endured even into the 19th century.
[McCracken, ''Early Medieval Theology'', 112-13.]
In the 16th century, Ratramnus’ work once more became the center of controversy. After ''De corpore et sanguine Domini'' was
printed in 1531,
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
reformers seized upon the book as a counterpoint to the Catholic doctrine of
transubstantiation
Transubstantiation (Latin: ''transubstantiatio''; Greek: μετουσίωσις ''metousiosis'') is, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church, "the change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and of th ...
. It was especially influential in England, where
Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Henry' ...
claimed to have been finally convinced against transubstantiation by Ratramnus.
References
Notes
Sources
*Chazelle, C. “Exegesis in the Ninth-Century Eucharistic Controversy.” In ''The Study of the Bible in the Carolingian Era''. Ed. C. Chazelle and B. van Name Edwards. pp. 167–87. Turnhout: Brepols, 2003.
*Chazelle, C. “The Eucharist in Early Medieval Europe,” in ''A Companion to the Eucharist in the Middle Ages,'' ed. Ian Levy, Gary Macy, and Kristen Van Ausdall. Leiden: Brill, 2011, pp. 205–49.
*Dutton, Paul Edward, ed. and trans. "Ratramnus and the Dog-Headed Humans." In ''Carolingian Civilization: A Reader''. 2nd Ed. Readings in Medieval Civilization and Cultures 1. pp. 452–55. Ontario: Broadview Press, 2004.
*Fahey, John J. “The Eucharistic Teaching of Ratramnus of Corbie.” Unpublished PhD diss. (St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, 1951).
*Ginther, James. ''Westminster Handbook to Medieval Theology'', Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009.
*McCracken, G.E., ed. ''Early Medieval Theology'', Library of Christian Classics, vol. 9. Louisville: KY, 1957.
*Otten, Willemien. "Between Augustinian sign and Carolingian reality: the presence of Ambrose and Augustine in the Eucharistic debate between Paschasius Radbertus and Ratramnus of Corbie." ''Nederlands archief voor kerkgeschiedenis'' 80, no. 2 (2000): 137-156.
*Phelan, Owen M. "Horizontal and Vertical Theologies: "Sacraments" in the Works of Paschasius Radbertus and Ratramnus of Corbie" Harvard Theological Review 103:3 (2010) 271-289.
*Ratramnus, ''De corpore et sanguine Domini: texte original et notice bibliographique,'' ed. J. N. Bakhuizen Van Den Brink, 2nd ed. Amsterdam and London: North-Holland, 1974.
*Roberts, Timothy Roland. “A translation and critical edition of Ratramnus of Corbie's ''De Predestinatione dei''. Unpublished PhD diss. (University of Missouri, Columbia, 1977).
*Steel, Karl. ''How to Make a Human: Animals and Violence in the Middle Ages'', Columbia: Ohio State University Press, 2011.
*Tanghe, W.V. “Ratramnus of Corbie’s Use of the Fathers in his Treatise De corpore et sanguine Domini.” ''
Studia Patristica
''Studia Patristica'' is a peer-reviewed, academic book series established in 1957 and focused on the study of patristics.
History
The series is the official publication of the Oxford International Conference on Patristic Studies, which was firs ...
'' 17, no. 1 (1982): 176-80.
*Zirkel, Patricia McCormick. "The Ninth-Century Eucharistic Controversy: A Context for the Beginnings of Eucharistic Doctrine in the West." ''Worship'' 68, no. 1 (1994): 2-23.
External links
The Body And Blood Of The Lordby Ratramnus in English translation.
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{{Authority control
860s deaths
Frankish Benedictines
Year of birth unknown
Corbie Abbey
9th-century Latin writers
Writers from the Carolingian Empire
9th-century people from West Francia
Filioque
9th-century Christian theologians
9th-century French philosophers
Proto-Protestants