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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 in 735. In 737, Ecgbert's brother became king of Northumbria and the two siblings worked together on ecclesiastical issues. Ecgbert was a correspondent of
Bede Bede ( ; ang, BÇ£da , ; 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 o ...
and Boniface 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. His brother Eadberht was king of Northumbria from 737 to 758. Ecgbert went to Rome with another brother, and was ordained deacon while still there.Mayr-Harting "Ecgberht" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' Ecgbert has been claimed to have been a student of
Bede Bede ( ; ang, BÇ£da , ; 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 o ...
, 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 See or SEE may refer to: * Sight - seeing Arts, entertainment, and media * Music: ** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals *** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See'' ** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho * Television * ...
of York around 732Fryde, 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 Ceolwulf, occasionally spelt Ceolwulph, may refer to: * Ceolwulf I of Mercia, King of Mercia *Ceolwulf II of Mercia, King of Mercia *Ceolwulf of Northumbria (Saint Ceolwulf), King of Northumbria *Ceolwulf of Wessex Ceolwulf (died 611) was a Kin ...
, the king of Northumbria. Pope Gregory III gave him a pallium, the symbol of an
archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
'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 Tyne ...
.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, 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'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-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Nor ...
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 parishes in England, 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, Northumberland, Warden nearby, and ...
,
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.Cubitt "Finding the Forger" ''English Historical Journal'' p. 1222 Boniface wrote to Ecgbert, asking for support against Æthelbald of Mercia. 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 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 A penitential is a book or set of church rules concerning the Christianity, Christian sacrament of penance, a "new manner of reconciliation with God in Christianity, God" that was first developed by Celtic monks in Ireland in the sixth century A ...
and a pontifical.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 A penitential is a book or set of church ...
'', 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 Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
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 and the Eastern Orthodox Church on 19 November.


Notes


Citations


References

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External links

* {{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