The council of Whitby’s’ main aim was to resolve the Easter question, whether it be calculated in the Roman or Celtic manner. This however this was not the only outcome, or agenda of the council. The council was convened by the two kings Oswui and his son Alchfrith, this indicated that the reasons for the council were not wholly religious; the current tensions between Oswui and Alchfrith were the hidden agendas. Alchfrith whose intention was to reinforce his position as the successor to his father Oswui, and cement his tenuous position with the people of his kingdom backfired when his father chose in favour of the Roman church. Oswui on the other hand reinforced his hegemony and sorted many political questions that were fast undermining his authority at the time. The apparent pre drawn conclusion on the Romans side of the debate from Oswui reinforces this, however there were unforseen consequences to this decision.
The correct computation of the date of Easter was the religious issue at stake at the council of Whitby. Easter, being the most important celebration in the Christian calendar was particularly important to Bede(1). Bede devotes two chapters to the council, and blames the difficulty at the court of Oswui, and the factions that were forming in Bernicia, as the driving force to convene the council of Whitby(2). Eanflead the wife Of Oswui, having been brought up in the tradition of the Roman church, and Oswui in the Celtic church, meant that in many years the King was celebrating the Easter feast at the same time the queen was still fasting. Bede’s focuses on mainly the religious and not the political ramifications of the decision.
Alchfrith, the eldest son of Oswui, was not automatically the heir to his father’s throne....
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...the political issues may have forced the convening of the council in 664, none the less the question of how to calculate Easter required resolution, before it escalated into civil unrest and possibly revolution.
The council of Whitby was at face value only about the Easter question. Oswui however, used the unresolved issue to his advantage by squashing his son Alchfriths position. Alchfrith disappears from record shortly after the council of Whitby. He revolts against his father in the latter part of 664 and is not noted again. Presumption that Oswui would chose the Celtic church over the Roman church from Alchfrith led to his downfall.
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Stephens, J.N. ‘Bede’s Ecclesiastical History’ History 62 (1977)25-6
Brown, Raymond. A Crucified Christ in Holy Week: Essays on the Four Gospel Passion Narratives. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1986.
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The religious wars of the 16th Century caused intense strife throughout Europe, economic hardships, personal and emotional questioning of belief. Through the pain of many rose rays of hope from artists and intellectuals to help guide them through their uncertainty (455).
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More particularly, it recognizes the authority of the ecumenical councils at which East and West were represented together. These were the councils of Nicaea I (325), Constantinople (381), Ephesus(431), Chalcedon(451), Constantinople II (553), Constantinople III (680), and Nicaea II (787) (Encarta 1996). The power of teaching and guiding the community is bestowed on certain ministries, particularly that of the bishop of each diocese or is directed through certain institutions, such as councils...
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Grimm, V. (1996). From Feasting to Fasting, the Evolution of a Sin: Attributes to Food in Late Antinquity. New York.
Stead, G. Christopher. The Easter Sermons of Gregory of Nyssa. Edited by Andreas Spira and Christoph Klock. Patristic Monograph Series No. 9. Philadelphia: The Philadelphia Patristic Foundation, Ltd., 1981.
1. "Session 11—4 February 1442 (Bull of union with the Copts)". Eccumenical Council of Florence(1438–1445).EternalWordTelevisionNetwork. http://www.ewtn.com/library/councils/Florence.htm#5.web. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
In midsummer 1680, Pope said the time was now for a revolt. Pope used his mystical powers to summon 3 native Gods to his secret chamber....
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Turner, William. (March 1, 1907) The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume I, online edition. Retrieved February 2, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01713a.htm