Archbishop Theodore

Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury (668–90), was a monk of Greek origin and extraordinary learning, who shaped the English Church into a structure it retained for a millennium. Yet until recently his early career has been unknown. This book builds on the publication of previously unprinted biblical commentaries from Theodore’s Canterbury school, and establishes Theodore’s cultural and spiritual background and the formation of his learning. Scholars provide a fresh account of Theodore’s career and writings on diverse subjects, revealing a unique personality who brought to Anglo-Saxon England the cultural heritage of Syria, Byzantium and Rome.

• An account of the career and writings of an extremely influential figure • Contributes to such diverse fields as canon law, penitential literature, liturgy, Latin rhythmical verse, etc. • Powerful demonstration of the interface between eastern (Greek) and western (Latin) culture

Preface; List of abbreviations; 1. The career of Archbishop Theodore Michael Lapidge; 2. The Syriac background Sebastian P. Brock; 3. Theodore of Tarsus and the Greek culture of his time Guglielmo Cavallo; 4. Rome in the seventh century Thomas F. X. Noble; 5. Theodore, the English church and the monothelete controversy Henry Chadwick; 6. The importation of Mediterranean manuscripts into Theodore’s England David N. Dumville; 7. Theodore and the Latin canon law Martin Brett; 8. The Penitential of Theodore and the Iudicia Theodori Thomas Charles-Edwards; 9. Theodore and the Passio S. Anastasii Carmela Vircillo Franklin; 10. Theodore and the Laterculus Malalianus Jane Barbara Stevenson; 11. Theodore and the liturgy Christopher Hohler; 12. Theodore’s Bible: the Pentateuch Richard Marsden; 13. Theodore’s Bible: the gospels Patrick McGurk; 14. Theodore and Anglo-Latin octosyllabic verse Michael Lapidge; 15. The Canterbury Bible glosses: facts and problems J. D. Pheifer; Index.

‘… to distil from the most difficult and often apparently impenetrable sources such a picture of a major historical character, who brought to Britain the cultural heritage of the rest of Christendom, makes the book an outstanding scholarly event.’ Christopher Brooke