Wigbod ( la, Wigbodus, also known as Wigbald or Wigbold) was a theological writer of the eighth century. Of his works there is extant a Latin commentary on the

Octateuch The Octateuch (, from grc, ἡ ὀκτάτευχος, he oktateuchos, "eight-part book") is a traditional name for the first eight books of the Bible, comprising the Pentateuch, plus the Book of Joshua, the Book of Judges and the Book of Ruth. The ...

called ''Quaestiones in Octateuchum'' that is, on the Five Books of Moses (the

Pentateuch The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the sa ...

), and the books of Josue (Joshua),

Judges A judge is an official who presides over a court. Judge or Judges may also refer to: Roles *Judge, an alternative name for an adjudicator in a competition in theatre, music, sport, etc. *Judge, an alternative name/aviator call sign for a membe ...

and

Ruth Ruth (or its variants) may refer to: Places France * Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France Switzerland * Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny United States * Ruth, Alabama * Ruth, Arka ...

, making eight books in all. He wrote the work, as the full title states, at the command of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

. As Charlemagne is only called "king of the Franks and Lombards" in the work, not Emperor, it must have been written before the year 800. The form of the book is that of a

dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literary and theatrical form that depicts such an exchange. As a philosophical or didactic device, it is c ...

between pupil and teacher. The pupil propounds the difficulties and the teacher gives the solution. Wigbold, however, did not compose these answers himself, but gives verbatim, statements by eight

Church Father The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...

St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afri ...

St. Gregory 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 ...

St. Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is comm ...

St. Ambrose Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promot ...

, St.

Hilary of Poitiers Hilary of Poitiers ( la, Hilarius Pictaviensis; ) was Bishop of Poitiers and a Doctor of the Church. He was sometimes referred to as the "Hammer of the Arians" () and the "Athanasius of the West". His name comes from the Latin word for happy or ...

, St.

Isidore of Seville Isidore of Seville ( la, Isidorus Hispalensis; c. 560 – 4 April 636) was a Spanish scholar, theologian, and archbishop of Seville. He is widely regarded, in the words of 19th-century historian Montalembert, as "the last scholar of ...

St. Eucherius Eucherius (c. 380c. 449) was a high-born and high-ranking ecclesiastic in the Christian church in Roman Gaul. He is remembered for his letters advocating extreme self-abnegation. From 439, he served as Archbishop of Lyon, and Henry Wace ranked h ...

and St. Junilius. For the greater part of Genesis only Jerome and Isidore are drawn on, and later Isidore almost entirely. The two members of the Congregation of Saint-Maur, Martène and Durand, who found the manuscript in the monastery of St. Maximin of Trier, have, therefore, only given the portion to the first three chapters of Genesis in their , IX, (Paris, 1733), 295-366. This portion has been reprinted in P. L., XCVI. 1101-68. The work is chiefly valuable for its preservation of the texts of the Fathers quoted. The commentary is preceded by three Latin poems in hexameter. In the first Wigbold felicitates his book, because it is to be taken into the palace of the king; in the second he praises the king, particularly because Charlemagne has brought together books from many places, and because he knows the Bible well; in the third he treats the seven days of creation. The first two are largely taken from the introductory poems written by

Eugenius II of Toledo Saint Eugenius II (died 13 November 657), sometimes called Eugenius the Younger as the successor of Eugenius I, was Archbishop of Toledo from 647 until his death. He is called ''Eugenius secundus'' (Eugene the second) in the biography of Archbisho ...

to the work of

Dracontius Blossius Aemilius Dracontius () of Carthage was a Christian poet who flourished in Roman Africa during the latter part of the 5th century. He belonged to a family of landowners, and practiced as a lawyer in his native place. After the conquest o ...

, the third is the closing poem to Dracontius (''Monum. German. Histor.: Poet. Latin.'', I, 95-97). The manuscript used by Martène and Durand is now unknown. Two manuscripts without the poems are at

Admont Admont is a town in the Austrian state of Styria. It is historically most notable for Admont Abbey, a monastery founded in 1074. Gesäuse National Park, in which Admont lies, is an area of outstanding beauty. The town is situated in the middle of ...

and Vienna. Nothing certain is known as to the author. Martène and Durand mention Wigbald, who was vice-chancellor under the chancellors Itherius and Rado, and Widbod, who was Count of Périgueux about 778. The last mentioned hardly seems possible.

Sources

* {{authority control 8th-century births 8th-century deaths 8th-century Latin writers Christian theologians 8th-century Frankish writers