The meeting of St. Augustine with the British bishops

• St. Augustine attempted to achieve the christian unity and increase his missionary activities.
• St. Augustine was acting on the instruction received from Pope Gregory, as we can deduce from the Answers.
• He tried to  make contact with the Celtic (Welsh, British) Bishops. This was rather difficult task because of the bitter animosity they showed against the Saxon race.
• It seemed that St. Augustine succeeded to summon the bishops and teachers of the neighbouring British kingdoms to a conference in AD 602 or 603 at a place which is still called in English Augustinses Ac, that is Augustine's Oak, on the borders of the Hwiccas (or Huicii; our present Worcestershire)  and the West Saxons (Wessex). This was traditionally identified with Aust on the Severn near the Bristol Channel. Others argued that the spot was in Down Ampney, near Cricklade which would be on the border line of the  Hwiccas and Wessex. The meeting site  was far from Canterbury, and it seemed that St. Augustine and his companions had to travel long distance for this purpose. This reflected the feeling of the British prelates and their doubts for their safety in the Saxon land. But in Hwiccas lived a Saxon people who were allied with the Welsh against the West Saxons.
• The main purpose of this first conference was to persuade the British bishops to the following:

1. Preserve catholic peace with him and
2. Help in evangelizing the heathen.
3. Keep Easter Sunday at the proper time according to the Roman tradition( fourteenth to the twentieth day of the lunar month; this reckoning is based on an 84-year cycle)
4. keep many other practices of the Roman Church, in particular the rite of baptism. Also probably issue of the clergy appearance like the Tonsure.

• After a long dispute they were unwilling to follow St. Augustine and his companions and  to give their assent, preferring their own traditions.
• St. Augustine brought the long and wearisome struggle to an end by saying:
  'Let us pray God who makes men to be of one mind in his Father's house o show us by heavenly signs which tradition is to be followed and by what paths we must hasten to enter his kingdom. Let some sick man be brought, and let the faith and practice of him by   whose prayers he is healed be considered as in accordance with God's will and proper for us all to follow.'
• All participants agreed  unwillingly and blind Englishman was brought forward.
• He was presented to the British bishops, but they could not heal him from their ministry.
• Then Augustine, bowing his knees and prayed that he would restore the sight to the blind man. At once the blind man's sight was restored and all acknowledged St. Augustine to be a true herald of the heavenly light.
• Then the Britons confessed that they realized that it was the true way of righteousness which St. Augustine preached but that they could not disown their former customs without the consent and approval of their own people.
• This story was told by Bede. it was obviously the tradition at that time.
• Despite that the British Bishops could not agree and asked that a conference should be held for a second time to give them time for consultation and that more should attend (it seemed that not all the British Bishops could attend the first conference and that those attended wanted to consult with the other Bishops).

The Second Conference

• When this had been decided upon, it is related that seven British bishops and many learned men came, chiefly from their most famous monastery which the English call Bangorbury (Bangor Iscoed, 10-12 miles south of Chester). At that time it is said to have been ruled over by Abbot Dinoot (Welsh Dunawd, or Latin Donatus). This indicate the importance of the issue raised and the willingness to negotiate.
• As they were about to set out for the conference, they went first to a holy and prudent man who lived as a hermit among them to consult him as to whether they ought to forsake their own traditions  for the preaching of St. Augustine.
• He advised them to follow him if he is a man of God,
  They  asked, 'But how can we tell?
  The hermit answered, 'The Lord said: Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart(Matt 11:29). If this Augustine is meek and lowly of heart, we may well supposed that he bears the yoke of Christ himself and is offering it to you to bear; but if he is harsh and proud, it follows that he is not from God and we have no need to regard what he says'
  Once more they said,' But how can we know even this?'
  He said, 'Make sure that he and his followers arrive first at the meeting place and, if he on your approach, he will rise to meet you  you will know that he is a servant of Christ and will listen to him obediently; but if he despises you and is not willing to rise in your presence, even though your are the larger party, you should despise him in return.'
• They did as he had said. It happened that St. Augustine remained seated while they were coming in; when they saw this, they became angry noting him as a proud man, and they argued against every thing he said.
• Then he said to them, 'There are many things on which act contrary to the customs of the universal Church; nevertheless, if you will follow my advice in three points, we will tolerate all else that you do, even though it is contrary to our customs. The three points are:

1. to keep Easter at the proper time;
2. to perform the sacrament of baptism, according to the rites of the holy Roman and Apostolic Church. We have one good reference here of the nature of dispute. In a letter for Pope Zachary to Boniface of Mentz in AD 748 mentioned that from the time of Augustine it was declared in England that baptism without the invocation of the HolyTrinity was not valid; and that the omission of the name of any one of the Tree Persons was fatal to the validity of the rite. It seemed that the British Christianity employed a single immersion only
3. and to preach the word of he Lord to the English people.'

• They replied that they would do none of these things nor would they accept him as their archbishop.
• It was unlikely that St. Augustine behaviour was the reason for disagreement, as Bede tried to show it. The matters might due to deeper cultural, ecclesiastical as well as political influence.
• St. Augustine anger was probably a reflection of the refusal of the British bishops to join him in his missionary activities.
• St. Augustine, according to Bede, uttered threatening prophecy that if they refused to accept peace from their brethrens, they would have to accept war from their enemies; and if they would not preach the faith to the English nation, they would one day suffer the vengeance of death at their hands. This, prophecy according to Bede  was in every point fulfilled.
• The conference ended in complete failure.
• It was after St. Augustine death that his successor attempted for the second time to reconcile with British (Celtic) church.

See further articles about Celtic Christianity

Celtic Christianity

Celtic Christianity and the Celtic Church

Celtic Studies online bibliography.

Mark Allan's Celtic Christianity Page

Stuart Joseph's Celtic Christianity Page

The Most Rev. Ivan Mackillop's (OCC) Culdee Church Page

New Celtic Christian Links!

1. St.David's
2. Llandaff
3. Llanbadarn Vawer
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