343 (of no other credit than this we now have in hand) is reported to have been the bishop of Rome's legate in Ireland, and is commonly accounted to have been the first bishop of the Church of Leighlin. His principal antagonist at this meeting was one Munna, founder of the monastery which from him was called Teach-munna, that is, the house of Munna (in the bishoprick of Meath,) who would needs bring this question to the same kind of trial here that Austin the monk is said to have done in England. In defence of the Roman order, Bede telleth us that Austin made this motion to the British bishops, for a final conclusion of the business. "Let us beseech God, which maketh men to dwell of one mind together in their father's house; that he will vouchsafe by some heavenly signs to make known unto us, what tradition is to be followed, and by what way we may hasten to the entry of his kingdom. Let some sick man be brought hither, and by whose prayers he shall be cured; let his faith and working be believed to be acceptable unto God, and to be followed by all men." Now Munna, who stood in defence of the order formerly used by the British and Irish, maketh a more liberal proffer in this kind, and leaveth Lasreanus to his choice. "Let us dispute briefly (saith he) but in the name of God let us give judgment. Three things are given to thy choice, Lasreanus. Two books shall be cast into the fire, a book of the old order and of the new; that we may see whether of them both shall be freed from the fire. Or let two monks, one of mine and another of thine, be * Obsecremus Deum, qui habitare fecit unanimes, in domo patris sui, ut ipse nobis insinuare cœlestibus signis dignetur, quæ sequenda traditio, quibus sit viis Adducatur aliquis æger; et per ad ingressum regni illius properandum. cujus preces fuerit curatus, hujus fides et operatio Deo devota atque omnibus sequenda credatur. Bed. lib. 2. hist. cap. 2. y Breviter disputemus: sed in nomine Domini agamus judicium. Tres optiones dantur tibi, Lasreane. Duo libri in ignem mittentur, iiber veteris ordinis Vel duo monachi, unus et novi; ut videamus, quis eorum de igne liberabitur. meus alter tuus, in unam domum recludantur, et domus comburatur: et videbimus, quis ex eis evadat intactus igne. Aut eamus ad sepulchrum mortui justi monachi, et resuscitemus cum; et indicet nobis, quo ordine debemus hoc anno Pascha celebrare. Vit. S. Munnæ. shut up into one house: and let the house be burnt, and we shall see which of them will escape untouched of the fire. Or let us go unto the grave of a just monk that is dead, and raise him up again, and let him tell us, after what order we ought to celebrate Easter this year." But Lasreanus being wiser than so, refused to put so great a matter to that hazard, and therefore returned this grave answer unto Munna, if all be true that is in the legend, "We will not go unto thy judgment, because we know that, for the greatness of thy labour and holiness, if thou shouldest bid that mount Marge should be changed into the place of the White field, and the White field into the place of mount Marge, God would presently do this for thy sake." So prodigal do some make God to be of miracles, and in a manner careless how they should fall; as if in the dispensing of them, he did respect the gracing of persons rather than of causes. In what year this council of the White field was held, is not certainly known: nor yet whether St. Munna be that whited wall, of whom we heard Cummianus complain. The synod of Strenshal (before mentioned) was assembled long after, at Whitby (called by the Saxons Streanesheale) in Yorkshire, the year of our Lord DCLXIV. for the decision of the same question. Concerning which, in the life of Wilfrid, (written by one Æddi an acquaintance of his, surnamed Stephen, at the commandment of Acca, who in the time of Bede was bishop of Hangustald or Hexham, in Northumberland) we read thus: "Upon a certain time in the days of Colman, metro z Non ibimus ad judicium tuum, quoniam scimus quod, pro magnitudine laboris tui et sanctitatis, si diceres ut mons Marge commutaretur in locum Campi albi et Campus albus in locum montis Marge; hoc propter te Deus statim faceVit. S. Munnæ. ret. a Bed. lib. 3. hist. cap. 26. b Quodam tempore in diebus Colmanni Eboracæ civitatis episcopi metropolitani, regnantibus Oswi et Alhfrido filio ejus, abbates et presbyteri omnesque ecclesiastica disciplinæ gradus simul in unum convenientes, in cœnobio quæ Streaneshel dicitur; præsente sanctimoniale matre piissima Hilde, præsentibus quoque regibus et duobus Colmanno et Ægilberhto episcopis, de Paschali ratione conquirebant, quid esset rectissimum, utrum more Britonum et Scotorum omnisque politan bishop of the city of York, Oswi and Alfred his son being kings, the abbots and priests, and all the degrees of ecclesiastical orders meeting together at the monastery which is called Streaneshel, in the presence of Hilde the most godly mother of that abbey, in presence also of the kings and the two bishops, Colman and Ægelberht, inquiry was made touching the observation of Easter, what was most right to be held: whether Easter should be kept according to the custom of the Britons and the Scots, and all the northern part, upon the Lord's day that came from the XIV. day of the moon until the XX. or whether it were better that Easter Sunday should be celebrated from the XV. day of the moon until the XXI. after the manner of the see apostolic. Time was given unto bishop Colman in the first place, as it was fit, to deliver his reason in the audience of all. Who with an undaunted mind made his answer, and said: Our fathers and their predecessors, who were manifestly inspired by the holy Ghost, as Columkille was, did ordain that Easter should be celebrated upon the Lord's day that fell upon the XIV. moon; following the example of John the apostle and evangelist, who leaned upon the breast of our Lord at his last supper, and was called the lover of the Lord. He celebrated Easter upon the XIV. day of the moon: and we with the same confidence celebrate the same, as his disciples Polycarpus and others did; neither dare we for our parts, neither will we change this." Aquilonalis partis a XIV. luna Dominica die veniente usque ad XXII. (leg. xx.) Pascha agendum; an melius sit ratione sedis apostolicæ, a xv. luna usque xxi. Paschalem Dominicam celebrandam. Tempus datum est Colmanno episcopo primum, ut dignum erat, audientibus cunctis reddere rationem. Ille autem intrepida mente respondens, dixit. Patres nostri et antecessores eorum manifeste Spiritu sancto inspirati, ut erat Columcille, xiv. luna die Dominica Pascha celebrandum sanxerunt: exemplum tenentes Johannis apostoli et evangelista, qui supra pectus Domini in Cœna recubuit, et amator Domini dicebatur. Ille XIV. luna Pascha celebravit; et nos, sicut discipuli ejus Polycarpus et alii, celebramus: nec hoc audemus pro patribus (fort. partibus) nostris, nec volumus mutare. Stephanus presbyter (qui et Æddi, apud Bedam, lib. 4. hist. cap. 2.) in vita Wilfrid. cap. 10. MS. in bibliotheca Sarisburiensis Ecclesiæ, et D. Roberti Cottoni. Bede relateth his speech thus: "This Easter which I used to observe, I received from my elders, who did send me bishop hither, which all our fathers, men beloved of God, are known to have celebrated after the same manner. Which that it may not seem unto any to be contemned and rejected, it is the same which the blessed evangelist John, the disciple specially beloved by our Lord, with all the Churches which he did oversee, is read to have celebrated." Fridegodus, who wrote the life of Wilfrid at the command of Odo archbishop of Canterbury, expresseth the same verse, after this manner. Nosd seriem patriam, non frivola scripta tenemus, On the contrary side Wilfrid objected unto Colman and his clerks of Ireland, that they with their complices, the Picts and the Britons, "out of the two utmost isles, and those not whole neither, did with a foolish labour fight against the whole world." "And if that Columb of yours (saith he) yea and ours also if he were Christ's, was holy and powerful in virtues, could he be preferred before the most blessed prince of the apostles? unto whom the Lord said: Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; c Pascha hoc quod agere soleo, a majoribus meis accepi, qui me huc episcopum miserunt; quod omnes patres nostri viri Deo dilecti eodem modo celebrasse noscuntur. Quod ne cui contemnendum et reprobandum esse videatur : ipsum est quod beatus Johannes evangelista, discipulus specialiter Domino dilectus, cum omnibus quibus præerat Ecclesiis, celebrasse legitur. Colman. apud Bedam, lib. 3. hist. cap. 25. d Fridegod. vit. Wilfrid. MS. in bibliothec. Cottonian. e i. e. Sancti vel Beati. f Cum quibus de duabus ultimis oceani insulis, his non totis, contra totum orbem stulto labore pugnant. Wilfrid. apud Bed. lib. 3. cap. 25. Et si sanctus erat aut potens virtutibus ille Columba vester, imo et noster si Christi erat: num præferri potuit beatissimo apostolorum principi? cui Dominus ait: Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram ædificabo Ecclesiam meam, et portæ inferi non prævalebunt adversus eam; Et tibi dabo claves regni cœlorum. Ibid. and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven." Which last words wrought much upon the simplicity of king Oswy; who feared, that when he should "come to the doors of the kingdom of heaven, there would be none to open, if he were displeased who was proved to keep the keys;" but prevailed nothing with bishop Colman, who "for the fear of his country," as Stephen in the life of Wilfrid writeth, "condemned the tonsure and the observation of Easter used by the Romans:" and " taking with him such as would follow him, that is to say, such as would not receive the Catholic Easter and the tonsure of the crown (for of that also there was then no small question) returned back again into Scotland." h Ne forte me adveniente ad fores regni cœlorum, non sit qui reseret, averso illo qui claves tenere probatur. Wilfrid. apud Bed. lib. 3. cap. 35. i Tonsuram et Paschæ rationem propter timorem patriæ suæ contempsit. Steph. presbyter, in vit. Wilfrid. cap. 10. * Colman videns spretam suam doctrinam, sectamque esse despectam ; assumptis his qui se sequi voluerunt, id est, qui Pascha Catholicum et tonsuram coronæ (nam et de hoc quæstio non minima erat) recipere nolebant, in Scotiam regressus est. Bed. lib. 3. hist. cap. 26. vide etiam lib. 4. cap. 4. |