The Life of St Wilfrid by Edmer of Canterbury

The Life of St Wilfrid by Edmer of Canterbury is an important text for the understanding of the complicated ecclesiastical politics of seventh- to eighth-century Anglo-Saxon England. Edmer (or Eadmer) was the secretary and companion of St Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury in the early twelfth century. In his writings Edmer is keen to celebrate the accomplishments of eminent Anglo-Saxons while not offending his Norman masters. Wilfrid was a controversial bishop of Northumbria, twice expelled by power-hungry and envious kings; he was arguably the richest, i.e. most powerful, figure of his times. He oversaw the monastic activities of Northumbria and on one occasion severely censured Bede for heretical leanings. The text can be read to advantage in the context of an 'Introduction to Old English' (A & B, 106-024 and 106-029).

Reviews

"The editors' introduction not only describes the two works [the Vita and the Breviloquium] and their manuscript witnesses, but also sorts out the scholarly controversies in which these texts have become involved." [Old English Newsletter, 33.3 (2000): 108.]

"…Suit un excellent "commentary" où sont indiqués les emprunts d'Eadmer aux sources, les allusions à tel ou tel événement et les références scriptuaires…" [J. van der Straeten, Analecta Bollandiana, 118 (2000): 189-90.]