Augustine Receives the Pallium
Overview
This letter, found in Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People, not only gives historians insight into Augustine receiving the pallium and confirming his authority, but it also outlines the structure that Pope Gregory I had planned for the Anglo-Saxon church. The letter from Gregory was in response to a plea from Augustine that the “harvest was great and the workers were few.” Written at the beginning of the 7th century, Augustine had already been in Kent for a few years, and his resources were running low. Bede records that, along with the pallium, Gregory sent sacred vessels, altar cloths, church ornaments, vestments, and holy relics. Additionally, a second group of missionaries was sent to assist Augustine’s mission. This group included Mellitus, Justus, Paulinus, and Rufinianus, three of whom would become future archbishops.
The letter reveals Gregory’s strategic vision for the church in England. He aimed to establish a structured ecclesiastical hierarchy, with Augustine at its head. Augustine was granted the authority to ordain twelve bishops in various places, signifying a significant expansion of the Christian mission in England. Gregory also envisioned the establishment of a metropolitan see in York, reflecting his intention to create two primary ecclesiastical centers in England, in London and York. Unbeknownst to him though, Canterbury had already been established as the center of Anglo-Saxon Christendom.
Image: Saint Augustine of Canterbury. Line engraving by A. Lommelin.
Gregory’s support extended beyond ecclesiastical authority and material gifts. By sending additional missionaries, he reinforced the workforce necessary to sustain and expand the mission. The inclusion of future archbishops among these missionaries highlights the importance Gregory placed on leadership and continuity in the church’s hierarchy.
In summary, this letter is a crucial document that not only confirms Augustine’s authority through the grant of the pallium but also delineates Pope Gregory’s comprehensive plan for the organization and expansion of the Anglo-Saxon church. It reflects the challenges faced by Augustine and the significant support provided by Gregory to address these challenges and ensure the success of the Christian mission in England.
Augustine Receives the Pallium
To the most reverend and holy brother Augustine, our fellow bishop, Gregory, servant of the servants of God.
While it is certain that untold rewards in the eternal kingdom are laid up for those who labor for God Almighty, it is necessary that we should bestow rewards and honors among them so that they may be encouraged by this recognition to work even harder in their spiritual endeavors. Because the new church of the English has been brought into the grace of Almighty God, through the Lord’s bounty and your efforts, we grant you the use of the pallium in the church, but only for the performance of the solemn rites of the mass. This allows you to ordain twelve bishops in various places who are to be under your jurisdiction. However, the bishop of London shall always be consecrated by his own synod and receive the honor of the pallium from the holy and apostolic see which, by God’s guidance, I serve.
We wish to send someone to the city of York whom you shall decide to consecrate. If this city and its surrounding areas receive the Word of the Lord, he may also consecrate twelve bishops and enjoy the honorable rank of a metropolitan. It is our intention, God willing, if we live, to give him the pallium too; however, brother, we wish him to be subject to your authority. After your death, he should preside over the bishops he has consecrated, not being subject to the bishop of London. There is to be a distinction in honor between the bishops of London and York: the one who was consecrated first is to be considered senior. They should agree on their actions, taking counsel together and acting out of zeal for Christ. Let them judge rightly and with one mind and carry out their decisions without disagreement.
You, brother, are to have under your authority those bishops whom you have consecrated as well as those consecrated by the bishop of York, and also the bishops of Britain, under the guidance of our Lord God, Jesus Christ. They should see from your words and actions what true faith and good living are like and, fulfilling their office in faith and righteousness, may attain to the heavenly kingdom when it pleases the Lord. May God keep you safe, most reverend brother.
Given the 22nd of June in the nineteenth year of the reign of the most pious Emperor Maurice Tiberius, the eighteenth year after his consulship, and in the fourth indiction.
Related Topics
Further Research & Sources
Bede. Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Translated and edited by Judith McClure and Roger Collins. Oxford, UK. Oxford University Press. 2008.
Deansley, Maragret. The Pre-Conquest Church in England. London, UK: Adam and Charles Black, 1963.
Goulder, Laurance. Church Life in Medieval England: The Parishes. London, UK. 1965.
Moorman, J. R. H. A History of the Church in England. London, UK. Adam and Charles Black. 1963.
Woodcock, Brian. Medieval Ecclesiastical Courts in the Diocese of Canterbury. London, UK. Oxford University Press. 1952.
Photos:
Saint Augustine of Canterbury. Line engraving by A. Lommelin – See page for author, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons. This file comes from Wellcome Images, a website operated by Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation based in the United Kingdom.
Staugustinescanterburygravejustus – Ealdgyth, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
All other photos on this page are Public Domain.