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Life of St Wilfrid
Eddius Stephanus, tr. Colgrave, 1927
Of the Strife of St Wilfrid the Priest with Bishop Colman About the Keeping of Easter
On a certain occasion in the days of Colman, Bishop of York and Metropolitan, while Oswiu and Alhfrith his son were reigning, the abbots and priests and men of all ranks in the orders of the Church gathered together in a monastery called Whitby, in the presence of the holy mother and most pious nun Hild, as well as of the kings and two bishops, namely Colman and Agilberht, to consider the question of the proper date for the keeping of Easter—whether in accordance with the British and Scottish manner and that of the whole of the northern district, Easter should be kept on the Sunday between the fourteenth day of the moon and the twenty-second, or whether the plan of the Apostolic See was better, namely to celebrate Easter Sunday between the fifteenth day of the moon and the twenty-first. The opportunity was granted first of all to Bishop Colman, as was proper, to state his case in the presence of all. He boldly spoke in reply as follows: “Our fathers and their predecessors, plainly inspired by the Holy Spirit as was Columba, ordained the celebration of Easter on the fourteenth day of the moon, if it was a Sunday, following the example of the Apostle and Evangelist John ‘who leaned on the breast of the Lord at supper’ and was called the friend of the Lord. He celebrated Easter on the fourteenth day of the moon and we, like his disciples Polycarp and others, celebrate it on his authority; we dare not change it, for our fathers’ sake, nor do we wish to do so. I have expressed the opinion of our party, do you state yours.”
Agilberht the foreign bishop and Agatho his priest bade St Wilfrid, priest and abbot, with his persuasive eloquence explain in his own tongue the system of the Roman Church and of the Apostolic See. With his customary humility he answered in these words:
“This question has already been admirably investigated by the three hundred and eighteen most holy and learned fathers gathered together in Nicaea, a city of Bithynia. They fixed amongst other decisions upon a lunar cycle which recurs every nineteen years. This cycle never shows that Easter is to be kept on the fourteenth day of the moon. This is the fixed rule of the Apostolic See and of almost the whole world and our fathers, after many decrees had been made, uttered these words: ‘he who condemns any one of these let him be accursed.’”
Then, after St Wilfrid the priest had finished his speech, King Oswiu smilingly asked them all, “Tell me which is greater in the Kingdom of Heaven, Columba or the Apostle Peter?” The whole synod answered with one voice and one consent, “The Lord settled this when He declared: ‘Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.’”
The king wisely replied, “He is the porter and keeps the keys. With him I will have no differences nor will I agree with those who have such, nor in any single particular will I gainsay his decisions so long as I live.”
So Bishop Colman was told what he must do, should he reject the tonsure and the Easter rule for fear of his fellow-countrymen, namely, he must retire and leave his see to be taken by another and a better man. Thus indeed he did.