Abbess Hilda and Theodore of Tarsus

The Role of Abbess Hilda

• Abbess Hilda (614–680), known affectionately as "Mother Hilda", was the most significant nun of the early Anglo-Saxon period.
• Her role extended far beyond that of a typical monastic recluse.
• She was a powerful administrator, a renowned educator of bishops, and a pivotal figure in the political and religious controversies of her time.
• Head of a "Double Monastery"
• Hilda served as the head of the monastery at Whitby in Yorkshire.
• This was a "mixed community" (or double monastery) housing both men and women, though they lived in separate quarters.
• While she was not a "priestess" and could not perform sacramental duties such as baptism or ordination, she held supreme administrative and spiritual authority over both the monks and the nuns.
• She established a strict pattern of life based on the monastic rule, emphasising the virtues of righteousness, mercy, purity, and peace.
• She enforced the early church practice of holding all goods in common, ensuring that no one in her community was rich or poor.
• Educator of Church Leaders
• Hilda was a formidable spiritual director who required those under her care to study the Scriptures thoroughly and devote themselves to good works.
• Her monastery functioned as a premier theological seminary.
• The church deemed the men trained under her direction to be outstanding in holiness.
• Five of the men trained by Hilda went on to become bishops: Bosa, Aetla, Oftor, John, and Wilfrid.
• Her wisdom was so highly regarded that not only ordinary people but also kings and princes came to Whitby to ask for her advice and obeyed her counsel.
• Patron of the Arts and Literature
• The study of theology and the writing of Christian literature "blossomed fruitfully" under her leadership at Whitby.
• Most notably, she was the patron of Caedmon, a monk at Whitby who is recognised as the first known English poet.
• It was under Hilda's rule that Caedmon composed his famous Anglo-Saxon poems regarding creation, the incarnation, and the resurrection.
• Role in the Synod of Whitby (664)
• Hilda played a central role in the Synod of Whitby, the council called by King Oswy to resolve the conflict between Celtic and Roman customs (specifically regarding the date of Easter).
• She hosted this historic gathering at her monastery.
• Despite the eventual outcome, Hilda was a staunch defender of the Celtic traditions.
• Alongside the Irish bishop Colman, she argued against the Roman party (led by Wilfrid).
• Even though King Oswy decided in favour of Rome, Hilda is remembered as a champion of the native Celtic customs.
• Spiritual Endurance
• In her final years, Hilda served as a model of suffering.
• She was afflicted by a burning fever for the last six years of her life.
• She used this time to instruct her flock that they should serve God faithfully in health and give thanks during times of trouble or bodily weakness.
• Her final words to her community were an exhortation to "maintain the peace of the Gospel with one another and with all."

Theodore of Tarsus and Further Unification of the English Church

• Theodore of Tarsus arrived as Archbishop of Canterbury in 668 (consecrated in Rome in 668, arrived in England in 669).
• He was sent by Pope Vitalian after the previous candidate died.
• Theodore was a learnt Greek-speaking monk from Tarsus (Asia Minor), aged about 66–67 upon arrival.
• He conducted a survey of the English church and appointed bishops to long-vacant sees.
• In 673, he called the Synod of Hertford, the first general synod of the English Church.
• This synod instituted reforms on issues like the proper calculation of Easter, episcopal authority, itinerant monks, regular future synods, marriage rules, and prohibitions of consanguinity.
• He reorganised the church by dividing large dioceses (e.g., subdividing Northumbria) and establishing clear territorial boundaries.
• He enhanced the authority of the See of Canterbury as the central metropolitan see.
• Theodore founded a famous school in Canterbury with Hadrian, teaching Scripture, Roman law, Greek, music, astronomy, and more.
• This school promoted unity between Celtic and Roman traditions and sparked a "golden age" of Anglo-Saxon scholarship.
• Bede described him as "the first archbishop whom all the English church consented to obey."
• His work built on the Synod of Whitby by creating a cohesive, organised diocesan structure across the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.

Endnotes

1. Nick R. Needham, 2,000 Years of Christ’s Power Vol 1: The Age of the Early Church Fathers, pp. 318, 328–329, 410.
2. Everett Ferguson, Church History, Volume One: From Christ to Pre-Reformation, p. 330.
3. Tim Dowley, A Lion Handbook: The History of Christianity, p. 232.
4. Ferguson, p. 331; Dowley, p. 232; Needham, p. 320.
5. Bruce Shelley, Church History in Plain Language, p. 153.