Megingoz (or Megingod, Megingaud, Megingold, Mengold) was the second

bishop of Würzburg A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

from 753 until his retirement in 768. Three manuscripts emanating from the scriptorium of Würzburg can be dated to his episcopate. At that time, Würzburg was still part of the circle of German monasteries founded by

Saint Boniface Boniface, OSB (born Wynfreth; 675 –5 June 754) was an English Benedictines, 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 ...

. His successor was Berowulf, who brought the diocese into closer relations with the ruling

Carolingian dynasty The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Franks, Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Pippinids, Arnulfi ...

. Megingoz and Boniface's successor,

Lullus Saint Lullus (also known as Lull or Lul, born AD 710 – died 16 October 786) was the first permanent archbishop of Mainz, succeeding Saint Boniface, and first abbot of the Benedictine Hersfeld Abbey. He is historiographically considered the firs ...

Archbishop of Mainz The Elector of Mainz was one of the seven Prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire. As both the Archbishop of Mainz and the ruling prince of the Electorate of Mainz, the Elector of Mainz held a powerful position during the Middle Ages. The Archb ...

, together commissioned

Willibald Willibald (; c. 700 – c.787) was an 8th-century bishop of Eichstätt in Bavaria. Information about his life is largely drawn from the ''Hodoeporicon of Willibald'', a text written in the 8th century by Huneberc, an Anglo-Saxon nun from Hei ...

to write the ''Vita Bonifatii'' ("Life of Boniface"), the earliest biography of the missionary bishop. Willibald claims in his preface to have relied in part on Megingoz's firsthand testimony. Boniface's mentions a deacon named Megingoz in a letter of 737/738 concerning the abbey of

Fritzlar Fritzlar () is a small town (pop. 15,000) in the Schwalm-Eder-Kreis, Schwalm-Eder district in northern Hesse, Germany, north of Frankfurt, with a storied history. The town has a medieval center ringed by a wall with numerous watch towers. high ...

, where Megingoz was probably a monk. Megingoz was also a witness, along with Lullus, of the founding of the

abbey of Fulda The Abbey of Fulda (; ), from 1221 the Princely Abbey of Fulda () and from 1752 the Prince-Bishopric of Fulda (), was a Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine abbey and Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality centered on Fulda, in the present-day Ger ...

. Three letters of Megingoz to Lullus survive. They show him to have been concerned particularly with the permissibility of divorce in cases of adultery or forced marriage. He apparently found

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

and

Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known ...

inconsistent on the matter, but Lullus' response is unknown. In one letter he even asked Lullus to help discourage a relative of his from entering a monastery, because he believed his relative did not have the required constancy (''stabilitas''). In

Liudger Ludger (; also Lüdiger or Liudger) ( – 26 March 809) was a missionary among the Frisians and Saxons, founder of Werden Abbey and the first Bishop of Münster in Westphalia. He has been called the "Apostle of Saxony". Early life to ordina ...

's ''Vita Gregorii'' of ''c.'' 800, Megingoz is described as ''venerabilis pater'', "venerable father".

Notes

Sources

* * * {{Authority control Roman Catholic bishops of Würzburg 8th-century bishops in Bavaria 8th-century writers in Latin 8th-century Frankish writers Letter writers in Latin