Archbishop Theodore Hardcover - 1995

First line

Until quite recently, our knowledge of the career of Archbishop Theodore has depended almost entirely on the information conveyed by Bede in his Historia ecclesiastica, which may be summarized as follows: Theodore died on 19 September 690, aged 88 (HE V.8), and hence was born in 602; according to Bede he was a native of Tarsus in Cilicia, was well instructed in secular and Christian literature both Greek and Latin (HE IV.1) and was latterly living as a monk in Rome when he came to the attention of Pope Vitalian (657-72), through the recommendation of Hadrian, then abbot of a monastery near Naples but subsequently to become Theodore's companion during his English appointment; and after being consecrated archbishop of Canterbury in Rome on 26 March 668, Theodore arrived in England a year later, on 27 May 669, then aged 67, to begin his twenty-two-year archbishopric, a period described by Bede as the happiest since the English first came to Britain.

From the rear cover

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 he has remained a shadowy figure, whose early career in the Near East and at Rome has been wholly unknown. The recent publication of previously unprinted biblical commentaries from Theodore's Canterbury school has helped to clarify the picture. Building on these commentaries, this new book presents a detailed investigation of the now available evidence and establishes Theodore's cultural and spiritual background and the formation of his learning. It draws on the expertise of scholars across a wide range of disciplines to provide a fresh account of Theodore's career and writings on such diverse subjects as canon law, penitential literature, liturgy and Latin rhythmical verse - revealing a unique personality who brought to Anglo-Saxon England the cultural heritage of Syria, Byzantium and Rome.