Aldebert, Adalbert, or Adelbert was a preacher in 8th century

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

. He claimed that an

angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

had conferred miraculous powers on him at birth, and that another had brought him

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s of great sanctity from all parts of the earth. He claimed to be able to see the future and read people's thoughts, telling those who came to him that they had no need to confess, since he knew what they had done, and that their sins were forgiven.

Life

Aldebert appeared in the district of

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...

in the 8th century and practised and preached a life of

Apostolic poverty Apostolic poverty is a Christian doctrine professed in the thirteenth century by the newly formed religious orders, known as the mendicant orders, in direct response to calls for reform in the Roman Catholic Church. In this, these orders attempt ...

. He was banned by his bishop from preaching in churches, and worked in the countryside, in the open air and later in churches that his followers (he had acquired many of them) built for him. According to

St Boniface Boniface, OSB (born Wynfreth; 675 –5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of Francia during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of the church i ...

, he erected crucifixes at fields and springs and claimed to have received a letter that

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

had given from heaven to

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, which Aldebert used in his own preachings. He used mystic prayers of his own composition to call on angels who were not accepted by church canon (Uriel, Raguel, Tubuel, Adinus, Tubuas, Sabaoc and Simiel), and who his detractors alleged were demons (some of these names had

gnostic Gnosticism (from Ancient Greek: , romanized: ''gnōstikós'', Koine Greek: �nostiˈkos 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems that coalesced in the late 1st century AD among early Christian sects. These diverse g ...

connections). One of his prayers invoked the angel

Raguel Reuel or Raguel (; ), meaning "God shall pasture" or more specifically " El shall pasture" (as a shepherd does with his flock) is a Hebrew name associated with several biblical and religious figures. Biblical figures Biblical persons with this ...

. His "miracles" gained him the awe of the people, and he began to give away parings from his nails and locks of his hair as

amulet An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word , which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects a perso ...

s. He managed to get 'unlearned' (''indoctri'') bishops to consecrate him a bishop. He erected crosses and built small chapels in the countryside and at springs and ordered public prayers to be offered there. St. Boniface wrote to Rome asking for the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

to help him "lead back the Franks and Gauls to the right path", claiming that Aldebert had seduced the multitudes. St Boniface appealed to the Pope for a

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

, which held in 744 in Soissons, with the help of Carloman. The synod, led by Boniface, decided to take Aldebert into custody. The Synod ordered Aldebert's crosses burned. Aldebert escaped and continued to preach. A German synod the following year, presided over by Boniface and Carloman, excommunicated him along with an Irish preacher named Clement and many others. They continued to preach.

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

held another council in Rome in 745 to deal with him. Boniface's account and biography was personally approved by Aldebert (neither Boniface nor Aldebert was present). Although the decisions of the northern councils that condemned him were upheld by the Roman council, they did not accede to Boniface's wish to have him excommunicated. The Council thought him to be a lunatic (as opposed to a charlatan) and decided he should be given a chance to repent, rather than excommunicated (the Irish preacher's excommunication was upheld). The Synod ordered his writings (his approved biography, his prayer, and his supposed letter from Jesus) burned. He was still active in 746; King Pepin sent an embassy to Rome to report that the heretics were still at large and still preaching.

sent a letter to Boniface in 747, calling for a new council that both Boniface and Aldebert should attend, and that if the council found Aldebert to be a heretic, that Aldebert should then be sent to him so that he could personally judge the case. A century later, the Anonymous of Mainz wrote that Aldebert had been condemned and deposed at a Synod at Mainz (which may have been the council that Pope Zachary had called for), and that afterwards he was imprisoned for

blasphemy Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of Reverence (emotion), reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered Sanctity of life, inviolable. Some religions, especially Abrahamic o ...

in the monastery of

Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the city hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. Histor ...

.Shepard, 1:6-7 The same account noted that he later escaped and was killed by thieves, although he may have died in jail. He wrote an account of his own life, but only a fragment survives. St Boniface also wrote about him, and left the largest extant record.

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aldebert Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 8th-century Christian mystics 8th-century Christians 8th-century Frankish people French Christian mystics Patristic mystics People excommunicated by the Catholic Church