Science  People  Locations  Timeline
Index: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Home > Synod of Whitby


The Synod of Whitby was an important alleged synod which led to the unification of the church in England. Summoned by King Oswiu of Northumbria in 663 AD, the synod was held in 664 at Whitby Abbey, which was Saint Hilda's double monastery of Streonshalh , at Whitby.

Among prelates in attendance was Saint Wilfrid (634-710), who was chief spokesman for the southern, Roman, church. It is his biography, written long after the events it purports to describe, that is the only surviving source for the Synod.

The synod of Whitby constituted a milestone in the history of the church in Britain, since delegates from the North and the South came together to debate the future of the church in Northumbria. The actual matters in dispute were fairly minor, the main controversies being over how to calculate the date of Easter, and what style of tonsure clerics should wear. However whichever side was acknowledged as having authority to rule on these matters, would also decide whether the Celtic or the Roman church would have ascendency over the whole North of England. The matter came to a head one spring when the king, who followed the Celtic practice, was feasting at Easter, while the Queen, who followed Roman practice, was still fasting for LentIn Western Christianity, Lent is the period preceding the Christian holy day of Easter. Eastern Christianity calls this period Great Lent, to distinguish it from the Winter Lent (or Advent) that precedes Christmas. The remainder of this article will discu.

Final judgement went to the Roman Church, whose practices were then adopted by the Northumbrians. Supporters of the Celtic traditions withdrew to ScotlandScotland or in Scottish Gaelic, Alba is a country and former independent kingdom of northwest Europe, and one of the four nations comprising the United Kingdom. Scotland occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Scotland took part in a p.

The Venerable BedeBede commonly known as the Venerable Bede (c. 672 May 25, 735) was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Wearmouth (today part of Sunderland), and of its daughter monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow. He is well known as an author an in his History of the ChurchThe Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (in English: Ecclesiastical History of the English People is a work in Latin by the Venerable Bede on the history of the Christian church in England, and of England generally. It is considered to one of the most, described the proceedings in detail, but he did not write his account until seventy years after the events he describes. The Anglo-Saxon ChronicleThe Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of (mainly) secondary source documents narrating the history of the Anglo-Saxons and their settlement in Britain. Much of the information in these documents consists of rumors of events that happened elsewhere and, however, makes no mention at all of the synod.

See also

North YorkshireNorth Yorkshire is a county within the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. It is divided into the districts of Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby. Contained within its boundaries are the North York Moors History of Catholicism in Britain History of England

Read more »

Non User