Metaphysics Course

This blog is a collection of essays and lesson comments from several of the Universal Life Church courses on Metaphysics. We have a Spirit Quest Course and one on A Course In Miracles.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Spirituality


Final Essay on the course for Dr. of Spirituality: Rev. Loretta Siani
By Rev. Adam Rocke

Now usually one writes about the content of a course and what one learns. But my personal experience while taking this course showed me its value to me and what I learned became reality. I share this personal experience as my essay on the power of this thought and what I was able to see in my own case. I hope it shows what I have learned and how it worked through my saga.

So I start by saying I have had an interesting time during the passage of time of taking this course. The lessons learned were complex and I am still dwelling on the elements placed in front of me in the course on Spirituality. For during this time, my personal life has been challenged in my heart. I have lost the life of my hero, my father, who succumbed at 87 years old and my mother was injured in the family home while my dad was fighting for his known life in the hospital. My dad lived long enough at, I hope my urging, to celebrate his 87th birthday and then when at the sickest moment he lived to see in my parent's 65th wedding anniversary one month later.

Now one could ask me what happened during this time and how this course worked for me? Well, an hour before their anniversary day came to be I was with my father at 11:03 p.m. Dad coded and there was a DNR note. However, due to some confusion in the directive, they revived him. I prayed like never before in my life for him to pull through to be able to be alive for he and mom to reach such a huge day of value and meaning for them. Dad was on a ventilator, suffering the beginning of renal failure and he was a victim of pneumonia, heart failure, renal shutting down and blood septicemia, just to mention the most important issues.

Although he was in what was a drug induced state, I held his hand and told him it was okay and that if he wanted to God would let him live long enough to reach such a huge momentous occasion of 65 years of wedded bliss.

Well, I need not tell anyone who has taken this course that I opened my soul to God and told my dad to do the same. The nurses told me they knew he could hear me and he did it,  although never opening his eyes. I cleared myself of all self interest and just prayed. And so the miracle was given to me and my parents. Something no one else probably understood or even cared about, but I was granted such through the grace of the Almighty for opening myself to pure love and affection to the most important person in my life and my hero to boot. I did not ask for me, I asked that God give my dad this one gift and miracle when all the odds were against it and he was basically going to leave his human form. Somehow, it happened and he celebrated his anniversary with just me in the room. My mom was in a rehab facility with a broken vertebra as she slipped while alone in their home and dad was in the hospital. So she could not be there to share in this blessed event. With open heart and all love I had, I let God guide my words to my father to hang in to make it to the day he married my mom.  There was no reason why this happened. I just prayed and gave myself to God's hand.

Three days later I again was alone in my father's hospital room and he was now in renal shut down and going to die naturally. It was about 2:10 p.m. that I felt something inside while visiting my mother. I told her I had to go and see dad. So I drove the few miles to his room and once again I saw that this was his time to join the life in God's arms. I went to his side and told him to fear not as he was in God's hands now and that he had met his mission of life here on earth and it was okay as he had succeeded at everything he had wanted and it was time for him to find his peace. Of course, this was in prayer, but it was prayer aloud for him to hear and for me again to give of myself and let my dad be given continuing life with God as his holder. I could see that his body was giving up and he took two breaths as I spoke to him and asked him to let God enter his heart to guide him further in everlasting life. Well, there was no fear, no pain and no tears, but he calmly took those two breaths and turned his head a bit and then he was on his way to what stood in front of him forever.

I sat in his room for two and a half hours and the nurses cleaned him up and removed all of the tubes and such. They combed his hair and placed his hands and arms across his abdomen with his wedding ring finger on top of his other hand. I should note that this is so hard to write through my tears as I complete this essay. I was trying to think of how to show what I found out of this course. But, while taking it, the contents found me and provided me with what I needed to handle this process of loosing the most revered person I have ever known.

I prayed continuously for dad to fight when needed and he did so and then I prayed for God to enter his body and cure him of his earthly illness and take him with open arms to his new life. I found the fear I had of seeing him go was nothing. I had prayed for God to help and guide me through the process I was experiencing. I asked for nothing but for God within me to guide my heart and soul/mind to accept this happening. I guess I can say without reservation that the element of the course were not coincidental to my needs for love and to let that miraculously happen. And so it did! I do not know how I was given such strength and guidance, but it came and it came through prayer as the course so indicates and I was given the gift of such. Now it is a month past and I still wonder how I was given such a course and what brought me to take it at the time I did. I did not know in advance hat was waiting for me. I read the course lessons earnestly and took all I could and as things unveiled in front of me I tried my best to use them so I could handle what was given to me. I guess God just decided I needed my miracle and provided me a vehicle to read to help me understand how to find it.

Now I had to speak at one of my dearest friend's funerals back in January when I first started taking the course.  I thought I did good for the family of my departed friend and colleague and was given various accolades for such a meaningful tribute to a man who I cared about like a brother. But, I had not yet reached the spot of using it for more and now I find I can give so much more to those in need by prayer and the gift of God's graces within.

So that is my story about this course. I was going to delineate all of the various lines and sections as I found them relevant, but they found their way into my reality and I hope this summary of events in my life, shows the value I found in this course and its contents. I found things about me I did not know existed within and I do believe that miracles can happen through prayer and love… and God gave them to my father, who by the way was not a particularly religious man. But, as these events unfolded, I kept telling him to realize the God and Great Spirit within himself. And, I found the love and miracles in my heart that were there with God within me….

Amen and thank you for this course!

Sincerely,

Adam Rocke, Reverend

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Friday, April 24, 2009

Comparative Religion


Gaining a Global Perspective
Final Essay for the Master of Comparative Religion Course
By Rev. Daniel L. Moore

            The world is changing.  The United States is becoming less and less a "Christian" nation.  Neighborhoods that used to be predominantly Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish are now receiving those who are Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu.  Further, there has been an increase in interest in older religions such as Wiccan and various types of paganism.
            As a minister, I believe we must be able to work with those of other faiths.  We can easily go into our own religious or denomination corner with the idea of separation for "purity" sake or we can actively engage all we come into contact with.  Religions that emphasize conversion require its followers to "go into the world and make disciples of all nations."  But to do so does require some knowledge of the other religions. 
            This course is an absolute necessity for any minister of any faith.  As the communities and work places become more mixed, we need to be aware of the differences and similarities between the various religions.  Further, as a part-time Protestant chaplain I encounter people seeking guidance who are not Christian.  So this course comes to me as a welcome addition to my education.
            One of the strengths of this course was the wealth of resources I was directed to.  I was able to find many of the various sacred texts needed to study.  I have been studying these other texts in between lessons to help me gain a broader understanding of the world's religions.
            This course was very in-depth in content.  I realize that this was a very challenging task for the course developer to take on.  The material and the scope of this subject are such that it is possible to make two courses to cover a total of 40 weeks between the two.  I must congratulate Rev. Kythera Ann for her ability to put together such comprehensive course and avoid the temptation of just skimming a topic here and there.
            The illustrations given in each lesson were very helpful.  They added "flavor" to the lessons.  Along with the illustrations were the many scholarly quotes and footnotes that I found useful as well.  The charts were all helpful.  For me, I like to see things as part of my learning style.  Having a chart gives me something to evaluation in a simple, direct fashion.  The chart in lesson 20 was real illuminating to me.
            One criticism I have of this course is the occasional website links provided were broken.  This is not the fault of the course developer.  The Internet is dynamic place with new sights being posted, old ones being updated, and some being deleted.  The one recommendation I would have is that this course's links be reviewed quarterly.  Also, I would recommend the first lesson include some administrative instructions about notifying ULC about links that are broken or no longer active.  This is the only criticism I have.
            I highly recommend this course to any minister of any religion.  I would also encourage Rev. Kythera Ann to develop other courses and would be happy to study the material.  Blessings to all who take this course.
           
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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Metaphysical Healing

          Master of Metaphysical Healing
          From the introduction phase of metaphysical healing to the ending lesson of this course has been knowledgeable to me. I will begin by saying that learning the techniques that go hand in hand and the step by step of the physical works before studying the esoteric physiology, have given me an extended insight of what and how metaphysical healing came about and how it is interpreted.

          With that in mind I enjoyed every single lesson, the human energy fields which teaches about the chakras and how the aura is an extension of the physical body was absolutely something extremely new and interesting. Getting ready and learning to use the universal energy field and experimenting in with my self was a new experience and enjoyed every minute of it. Learning of other healing methods allowed me to understand why different culture does what they do.
          In all truthfulness there is no lesson in this course that was boring per say or of no interest. Once more I will reiterate that learning the power of energy to heal is an out of the ordinary process that should be learned by every one. I wanted to investigate the techniques for my self and for my own breath of knowledge. I have been healed before by my mother-in-law that have the gift of energy healing with out the proper training or literature. That is more the reason why I was brought to the website which lead me to start the course my self.
          With this course, I must say that I have been educated that in this matchless world that we are in, that illness of countless people lies in the emotional mental field. Metaphysical healing has brought to my attention that we can give attention to illness beyond just the physical symptoms. That the cure is in the hand of the healer beside medical field lays the valuable and unrestricted universe with the energy for all of us to have.
          I am obligated to say that all that is needed is taught in this course; however there is always space for us human being to increase our awareness a bit more than we think.
I have experienced that with self healing motivation one can come out of any illness. Particularly if one has sufficient faith in the energy of the universe which can freely be provided us all without limitation.

Best wishes and May the positive energy of the universe be with you.
 Rev. Rose Palaez

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The Unvarnished Gospels

Rev. Mark A. Weinstein
 
One of the primary and most prominent things as a theological student that I have come to learn is that people interpret the Bible to meet their needs.  This is not to say that they purposely distort gospel for personal benefits, but it can rather be likened to wearing goggles underwater.  What I mean is this; while sight does remain when donning the goggles and going underwater, the vision is cloudy.  So too are people's perceptions when it comes to understanding the true intent of the Bible.  Because we as humans carry with us a large amount of baggage, we often see situations through a fog.  This fog works on everything we see, hear, and learn, and only in its context do we take in new information.  Hence, the word interpret comes into play.  Four letter words are wrong and should never be used in public that is my thought exactly when I hear the word interpret in conjunction with the Bible.
            People will do one of several things to "interpret" the Bible to fit their needs.  First, they simply pick out a word or two that meets their situation, and use it as a foundation for their actions.  Nothing wrong with this mind you, except that the truth is often times lost when this is done.  Secondly, they put off the meaning that they do extract from the text as simply being outdated, or caused by a language barrier.  Again, to each his own, but to play off changing the intent of scripture to an inability to truly comprehend the intended Truth is simply laziness.  If you don't understand the intent, study and learn.  Finally, we have those who profess that only portions of the text are really God spoken, with some simply being the thoughts, wishes, and direction of the author (not God but the actual writer).  To these I say, "Which brick do you take from a foundation and hope to maintain the integrity of the building?"  How can we decide which of God's words to remove from the Bible and still insure that we have kept its intent?  In the end Christ himself told us that we are either with Him or against Him, nothing in between.
            To that end, I make my segue to the text at hand.  The Unvarnished Gospels (UVG) addresses these aforementioned conditions in a way that I have not seen before.  Many translations of the Bible go a long way in helping one understand the true intent, but this book takes it one step further.  When reading this text there is no difficulty in understanding, a need to dig deep for jewels of content, or struggle to understand outdated contexts.  One can simply sit down, enjoy the content, and truly gain an understanding of the Word of God and He intended.  I am thankful to have read this book and will undoubtedly use this text for reference far into the future.  There were many instances during the reading of this book that I might say was an "AHAA" moment; I will mention just a few.
            One thing that many struggle with is whether Christ came to judge, be judged, or save.  Yes, is the final answer.  Many times in my choice of translations, the KJV, it is difficult to decipher Christ's words due to the language it is written in and with.  The UVG takes away that barrier and in plain, understandable, and infallible, language tells us that Christ came not to judge, but to be judged, yet He will be that by which others will be compared.  We must come to Christ or spend an eternity in Hell, end of point.  There is no argument against this point when read in the plain text put forth here.  Christ came to give us eternal salvation and only through his death and resurrection can that be a possibility. 
            A second point that is often argued is that of eating the Bread of Life.  Some argue that this is symbolic and open to all; others that this is actual and therefore one must be righteous do partake.  This is the first text that I know of that explains Christ's words in a way that makes it indisputable.  Symbolically we take of the sacraments in honoring all that Christ gave for us and in professing our commitment to Him and His ways.  Of course we cannot be righteous prior to accepting, or many times after taking, the Body of Christ, that is exactly the idea.  If we were righteous then there would be no need for Christ to have given His life and suffered in death for us.  Only because this book is so well written can one put to rest this age-old argument. 
            There are so many more things that come to light as one reads this book, more than I can remember.  What I will do is keep this book handy as I prepare my sermons so that this vivid and clear perspective is always available to shed some Light on whatever subject I choose to explore.  I applaud you for a well written book and class; one that I would recommend to others should I be asked.    
           
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As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. Many have been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and can attest to its ongoing growth and change.


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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Christian History

Christian History - An evaluation of the Synod of Whitby  (AD 664)  with reference to the political and historical context of contemporary Northumbria.


Rev. Graham Louden,  M.A., Dip.Ed. (Oxon), B.A., A.C.P.,  (Hon.) D.D.


It has long been traditional amongst historians of the period to  represent the Synod of

Whitby and its outcome as a momentous event in English history and a  definitive 

turning   point in the identity and allegiance of the English church.   This  inter-

pretation of  the Synod has endured  over   the centuries to the extent that, only

recently,  the historian  Patrick Wormald expressed  his frustration trenchantly in

the  following paragraph  written in 2005,


      'From the days of George Buchanan, supplying the initial propaganda for the

      makers of the Scottish kirk,  until a startlingly recent date,  there was warrant

      for  the anti-Roman,  anti-episcopal and, in the nineteenth century,  anti-

      establishment stance  in the Columban or 'Celtic' church…..The idea that there

      was a 'Celtic  Church'  in something of a post-Reformation sense,  is still

      maddeningly  ineradicable  from the minds of students.'


This enduring interpretation may well be due to the limited scope and intent of the

source material available  and also to the desire of ecclesiastical historians over the

centuries to  give primacy to the overarching theme of the  evolution of the church

universal and its relentless expansion.  Any detailed account of the Synod derives

almost  exclusively from that provided by the Venerable Bede   in his  Historiam

Ecclesiastical  Gentis Anglorum  completed in 731  supplemented by a hagiographical

Life of Wilfred  written by  Eddius Stephanus  (Stephen of Ripon)  around 710.  Both 

of these works were written at some distance although Bede   did have access to  the

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the work by Eddius and is also said to have   known     surviving participants in

the synod such as Acca of Hexham whom he described as the 'dearest of all prelates

upon earth',   It is also possible that Bede's reputation and stature as  an historian, to

an extent the 'father' of history,   has come to overshadow  and repress   informed

scrutiny of the Synod.  Bede's  insistence on  the importance of accurate chronology

wherever possible,  his  elegant and stylish deployment of the Latin language,  his

faithful attribution of sources and his  ability to blend homiletic material seamlessly

into the narrative  all mark him out as  a  biblical scholar and historian of  renown but

his work was  intended as an 'ecclesiastical' history and it would not be surprising if

he had been minded to  give additional prominence to those  events which he 

considered  important staging posts in the advancement of the church.  The  Paschal

controversy was,  indeed, an issue in which Bede, as  a biblical scholar, especially

interested himself  and had addressed in  his works,  De Temporibus  (703) and  De

Temporum  Ratione  (725). 


A corrective to the assumption that Bede's account of the Synod  is accepted as being

an accurate record of the proceedings may be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle,

prepared around  891  in the time of Alfred which, curiously, makes no mention of the

Synod;   instead, both the  Parker Chronicle and the Laud Chronicle  include the same

entry for the year 664, viz.   'Colman with his companions went to his native land' but

provide  no explanation for this happening although interestingly,  the year 671 was

noted as the year of  'the great mortality of birds'!   Given the quantity of material

pertaining to  Northumbrian history that is detailed in the Chronicle,  this omission

does appear odd if the Synod was contemporaneously regarded as a pivotal moment. 


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In general, historical events involve a complex mixture of antecedents,  motivation

and personalities.  The Synod of Whitby needs to be studied and understood against a

background of  political instability in Northumbria and   parallel  uncertainty  in the

sphere  of  shifting   religious allegiance.  The  kingdom of Northumbria had come

into  being  after the victory of Aethelfrith at the Battle of  Degsastan.  After his death,

he was succeeded by Edwin of Deira (a Roman  Christian) and the Bernician dynasty

founded by  Aethelfrith was forced to take refuge in  Pictish and Scottish territory 

where many were baptised into the 'Celtic' Christian  faith  practised by their hosts. 

In 633,  the Bernician prince Oswald regained the throne and turned to Iona for help

with the conversion of his people.  Aidan  and a small band of monks responded and

founded a monastery at Lindisfarne; later they were joined by many more  Scottish

monks and began to extend their missionary activity into Mercia (where the baptism

of Peada in  653 was a signal success)  and  the East Saxon lands.  Their work was

zealous and  effective  and it is well nigh impossible to say  how much of  the 

conversion of the   English was achieved by Roman or Celtic missions.  The pure and

ascetic life style of the Celtic missionaries was greatly admired and contrasted 

strongly with the  organisation and panoply of the Roman church  with its growing

desire for universal authority.  The Celtic church had been largely isolated from Rome

for  150 years and was possibly offended by the assumptions and perceived arrogance

of the papacy as indicated in the attitude of Augustine towards Celtic bishops  whom

Pope Gregory had  described   (probably out of ignorance)  as  'unlearned, weak and

perverse'. 

Nevertheless, by the mid-seventh century,  the Roman church had come to realise the

value of uniformity and of a universal church ruled from Rome  and  felt that the

                                                                4

existence of a powerful group of Christians who did not acknowledge papal                                                                

supremacy could no longer be tolerated    Already, too, some in the Celtic church 

were beginning to realise that they could not ignore indefinitely   the benefits of                                        

closer linkage with Rome and an emergence from their isolation.In addition,   Roman

practices were steadily advancing northwards as a result of the activities of Augustine

of Canterbury.   In 633, the southern Irish  had accepted the Roman method  for

calculating Easter  while  these practices were  often introduced into the Celtic  sphere

of influence  as a result of trade, travel and exile.  A prime example of this was the  

wife of King Oswiu,  Eanfled,   who had been removed to Kent  during the reign

of  Oswald but returned on her marriage to Oswiu with her Roman entourage and

customs.  This precipitated a crisis at court  where it became necessary to celebrate

Easter twice at different times.  By this time, the saintly Aidan was dead and, without

the constraint of his presence,  it seemed appropriate to  resolve this anomaly  by

means of a Synod at which advocates of both  persuasions would argue the case

before the king after which he would  rule on the issue.  The occasion was the

Synod of Whitby in 664   (or 663 according to  Stenton  chronology). 


Bede's account of the proceedings at Whitby suggest a stylised and  highly civilised

debate  which is not altogether convincing given the controversial nature of the

issues and the  heat which such matters could generate.  One has only to study the

records of debates involving Martin Luther at the time of the Reformation to  discern

the passion and  polemic that they could engender.   At Whitby, the Celtic persuasion

was represented by  king Oswiu,  bishop Cedd of the East Saxons,  the Abbess Hild at

whose monastery  at   Streanaeshalch the meeting was held and Colman, bishop of

                                                             5

Lindisfarne who  acted as their spokesman.  The Roman party comprised  Alchfrith                                                         

son of Oswiu and sub-king of  Deira,  Agilberht , bishop of the West Saxons,  James

the  Deacon and Wilfrid of Ripon  who was then ruling a monastic community at

Ripon.   Alchfrith's motives in playing a prominent role in the summons of the synod

are not touched upon but it is,  perhaps,   legitimate to speculate that he wished to

enhance  his power within the kingdom and  considered that closer links with Rome

and the patronage of the ambitious Wilfrid  would  forward his ambitions.


In the course of the debate as contained in Bede's historical narrative,  the two

principal advocates,  Colman and Wilfrid,  both argued forcefully that their method of

calculating Easter was  based upon  worthy precedent.  According to Colman, the

Celtic practice  could be traced back to  the apostle John   to which Wilfrid retorted

that the Roman practice  had been handed down by  both Peter and Paul  and had been

followed from the outset by their churches.  He also argued that, even if it were the

case that John had  used the Celtic practice, this would have been only a provisional

dispensation  to suit a particular   congregation at a particular  period in the evolution

of the church.  From the historical perspective, it is quite clear that both practices had

co-existed for some centuries but that the tide was already turning in favour of the

Roman method.   The calculation of Easter involved a complicated  system intended

to reconcile the solar and lunar years  by means of  a cycle of  years.  At various

times, cycles of  8,  11,  19  and 84 years had been used for this purpose and it seems

probable that the tables based upon an 84-year cycle had been  brought to Britain by

Celtic bishops who had attended the Council of Arles in 314.  In  455,  Rome accepted

and  ordered the use of the 19 year cycle  as advocated by Victorius of Acquitaine and

this was  implemented by  those parts of England controlled by Canterbury and, after

                                                         6

633, by the southern Irish.   Clearly, by the time of the Synod,  there was absolutely                                                               

no possibility that the Celtic tradition could supplant the Roman within the wider

church  and this  was  underlined by Wilfrid in the speech attributed to him when he

stressed the folly of  resisting the authority of St.Peter  and  refusing to follow the

example of all the rest of Christendom.  Although Bede  states that the only point

at issue in the Synod was  date of celebrating Easter  (and the tonsure issue),  the fact

that  he  records Wilfrid as  emphasising this wider context and  significance, 

suggests that he was fully aware of the implications of   any decision on the  Celtic

branch of the church.  Wilfrid's   'triumph'  was based upon two main points:  firstly,

he  referred  to contemporary practice and    pointed out that  even the followers of

the apostle John  now celebrated Easter according to the Roman fashion and,

secondly,  he rebutted Colman's  question as to how such holy men as  Columba

and  Anatolius  could have erred so greatly as claimed over the Easter dating  by

stating that  Peter,  as the rock on which the church is built and the keeper of the

keys,   must  be a superior authority.   Oswiu reportedly  turned to Colman  and

asked whether he could say properly attribute any similar authority  to  Columba;

Colman's   'nihil'  was conclusive and   Oswiu  ruled in favour of the Roman

practice saying that he  would not risk  a hostile reception from Peter himself at

the gates of heaven.   After a brief  visit  to Lindisfarne  to  bid farewell to his

community,   Colman and his fellow monks returned to Ireland where they could

still practice their religion according to their preference.   The 'Roman' victory was

complete.

 The scale of this victory, however, is debatable  as Oswiu's  decision applied only

to Northumbria and  many decades were required for the complete implementation

7

of the Roman ways.  At the centre,  York immediately supplanted  Lindisfarne as                                                             

the episcopal   centre of Northumbria  with Wilfrid as its bishop  (664-78)  but  even

within  the kingdom and  more so beyond the borders, the process of Romanisation

was slow and painstaking.   Britain was a complex patchwork of  shifting kingdoms

(twelve existed around 600 AD)  with   disputed boundaries and   frequent  changes of

ruler.   Strenuous efforts  and reforming zeal were required to extend the Roman

mandate throughout the lands and much of this  work was carried out by Wilfrid,

Theodore of Tarsus  and Benedict Biscop.   Their especial concern was the lack of 

effective leadership  at a time  (669) when only three men were known to have been

in bishop's orders in the whole of England.   The Synod of Hertford, summoned by

Theodore in 672   issued a number of canons relating to the conduct of bishops,  in

particular enjoining them to remain within their sees  and concentrate on their duties.

After 669,   Theodore  appointed a number of new bishops  (initially to Winchester,

Dunwich and   Rochester and then proceeded to create new sees  at North Elmham,

Worcester,  Hereford and  Lindsey  to supplement the existing ones.   This work was

the key to disseminating the messages of Whitby and Hertford and the broader thrust

of the Roman  establishment.   Paradoxically, it was in  Northumbria  that the task was

most difficult due to the stubborn stance of Wifrid who opposed any  diminution of

his immense power as sole bishop of Northumbria.   A  love of pomp and panoply

which  would not have disgraced  Cardinal Wolsey  centuries later,  did not  endear

him to his contemporaries and he was twice expelled from Northumbria  (in 677 and

691) and only half-heartedly  supported  by the Pope to whom he appealed on both

occasions.    The work of  Romanisation   proceeded, apace despite the distraction

posed by Wilfrid who was often his own worst enemy;   his  first  expulsion, for

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example came about when he persuade the king's beloved wife to retire to a convent,                                                         

a  triumph which, unsurprisingly was not pleasing to  Ecgfrith  !   Nevertheless, by

the second decade of the eighth century, when Nechtan,  king of the Picts  enforced

the  recommended  Easter tables on the Pictish  Church  after consultation with 

Ceolfrith, abbot of  Monkwearmouth and Jarrow   (Bede's home  monastery),  the

authority of Rome was almost universally acknowledged, except for some areas of

the north of Ireland.  Iona, itself, had capitulated  around 716   due to the efforts of

Adamnan and Egbert.


The importance of Whitby, therefore, lies not so much in an immediate  and wide-

spread change of allegiance but in the  clear message that it gave to the Celtic church

that the tide was turning against it  and that it faced a future of isolation and retreat

accompanied by increasing pressure from the Roman church.  Over the next fifty

years,  the Celtic church became more peripheral and, by its very nature,  it was

unable to organise itself with the same flair and  zeal  that was second nature to the

Roman church.   We cannot easily say what was the most important  issue at the

Synod of Whitby;  to some, no doubt, it was the  embarrassing schism  at court, to

others such as Alchfrith, it  involved political manoeuvring,  for many it did focus

upon the  central  issue of the celebration of Easter and, by extension, the  universalist

aspirations of the  Roman pontiff. 


Bede, himself, seems quite clear that the Easter controversy was the  fons et origo of

the Synod  despite the fact that his own account  alludes to  the wider issue of   a

uniform doctrine and  papal authority.  Even his most distinguished  editor,, Charles

Plummer, in the  introduction to his  magisterial  edition of 1896,  professes himself

                                                               9

puzzled by Bede's  insistence on this point and  a degree of unwonted asperity in his                                                           

style.  He writes,


            'And yet we cannot help feeling that the question occupies a place in Bede's

            mind  out of all proportion to its real importance.  It is sad that he should think

            it necessary to pause in the middle of his beautiful sketch of the sweet and

            saintly character of Aidan to say that 'he much detests'  his mode of keeping

            Easter;   it is strange that he should apply to this question the words which

            St. Paul used with reference to   such  infinitely more important matters,

            expressing the fear  lest he 'should run or have run in vain'…..But the holiest

            men   have their limitations, and questions even less important have divided

            Christians  ere now.'



Bede is a wonderful literary and historical source  and starting point for any study

of the Synod of Whitby  but, as ever,  it underlines the need, wherever possible, for

the widest possible array of sources in order to arrive at a balanced   verdict.   The

spread of the early church in Britain followed by the  imposition of the Roman

dispensation  is a long and complex  story  further complicated by the  plethora of

kingdoms,  the  paucity of  source material   and the  fragmented nature of  society

at the time.  Without  Bede, however, we would lack  an introduction to this event,

couched in  impeccable Latin and  underpinned  by  an unwavering desire to  write

truthfully for the benefit of posterity.   At the very least,  his account of the Synod

is  exactly how we would wish the event to have proceeded,  in the spirit of Christian

humility and  informed debate.







   

            Bibliography


Baedae Opera Historica,   Plummer,  Oxford  1896


Anglo-Saxon England,     P. Hunter Blair,  Cambridge  1962


Anglo-Saxon England,      F.M.Stenton,      Oxford  History of England   vol. II


Life of Bishop Wilfrid,       B.  Colgrave,     OUP  1969

Rev. Graham Louden

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