11. SAINTS AIDAN, FINAN, EDBERT, EDFRITH AND ETHILWALD, BISHOPS OF LINDISFARNE

The Venerable Bede writes: «As soon as he became king of Northumbria, the holy martyr-king, Oswald greatly wished that all the people whom he ruled should be imbued with the grace of the Christian Faith, of which he had received such signal proof in his victory over the heathen. So he sent to the Scottish elders among whom he and his companions had received the sacrament of Baptism when in exile, asking them to send him a bishop by whose teaching and ministry the English people over whom he ruled might receive the blessings of the Christian Faith and the sacraments. His request was granted without delay, and they sent him Bishop Aidan, a man of outstanding gentleness, holiness, and moderation. He had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge, in that he kept Pascha in accordance with the customs of his own nation... For the northern province of the Scots and all the Picts still observed these customs, believing that they were following the teachings of the holy and praiseworthy father Anatolius, although the true facts are evident to any scholar. But the Scots in the south of Ireland had already conformed to the injunctions of the Bishop of the apostolic see, and learnt to observe Pascha at the canonical time.

«On Aidan's arrival, the king appointed the island of Lindisfarne to be his see at his own request. As the tide ebbs and flows, this place is surrounded by sea twice a day like an island, and twice a day the sand dries and joins it to the mainland. The king always listened humbly and readily to Aidan's advice and diligently set himself to establish and extend the Church of Christ throughout his kingdom. And while the bishop, who was not fluent in the English language, preached the Gospel, it was most delightful to see the king himself interpreting the word of God to his ealdormen and thanes; for he himself had obtained perfect command of the Scottish tongue during his long exile. Henceforward many Scots arrived day by day in Britain and proclaimed the word of God with great devotion in all the provinces under Oswald's rule, while those of them who were in priest's orders ministered the grace of Baptism to those who believed, Churches were built in several places, and the people flocked gladly to hear the word of God, while the king of his bounty gave lands; endowments were made to establish monasteries, and the English, both noble and simple, were instructed by their Scottish teachers to observe the monastic life.

«For most of those who came to preach were monks. Aidan himself being a monk sent from the island of Hii [Iona], whose monastery was for a long time the principal monastery of nearly all the northern Irish and all the Picts and exercised a widespread authority. The island itself belongs to Britain, and is separated from the mainland only by a narrow strait; but the Picts living in that part of Britain gave it to the Irish monks long ago, because they received the Faith of Christ through their preaching.

«It was from this island and from this community of monks. that Aidan was sent, when he had been made bishop, to preach the Faith of Christ to a province of the English. Among other evidences of holy life, he gave his clergy an inspiring example of self-discipline and continence, and the highest recommendation of his teaching to all was that he and his followers lived as they taught. He never sought or cared for any worldly possessions, and loved to give away to the poor who chanced to meet him whatever he received from kings or wealthy folk. Whether in town or country, he always travelled on foot unless compelled by necessity to ride; and whatever people he met on his walks, whether high or low, he stopped and spoke to them. If they were heathen, he urged them to be baptized; and if they were Christian  he strengthened their faith, and inspired them by word and deed to live a good life and to be generous to others.

«His life is in marked contrast to the apathy of our own times, for all who walked with him, whether monks or layfolk, were required to meditate, that is, either to read the Scriptures or to learn the Psalms. This was their daily occupation wherever they went; and if, on rare occasions, he was invited to dine with the king, he went with one or two clerics, and when he had eaten sparingly, he left as soon as possible to read or pray with them. Many devout men and women of that day were inspired to follow his example, and adopted the practice of fasting until the Ninth Hour on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout the year, except during the fifty days after Pascha. If wealthy people did wrong, he never kept silent out of respect or fear, but corrected them outspokenly. Nor would he offer money to influential people, although he offered them food whenever he entertained them as host. But, if the wealthy ever gave him gifts of money, he either distributed it for the needs of the poor, as I have mentioned, or else used it ransom any who had been unjustly sold as slaves. Many of those whom he had ransomed in this way later became his disciples; and when they had been instructed and trained he ordained, them to the priesthood.

«It is said that when King Oswald originally asked the Scots to send a bishop to teach the faith of Christ to himself and his people, they sent him another man of a more austere disposition. After some time, meeting with no success in his preaching to the English, who refused to listen to him, he returned home and reported to his superiors that he had been unable to achieve anything by teaching to the nation to whom they had sent him, because they were an ungovernable people of an obstinate and barbarous temperament. The Scots fathers therefore held a great conference to decide- on the wisest course of action; for while they regretted that the preacher whom they had sent had not been acceptable to the English, they still wished to meet their desire for salvation. Then Aidan, who was present at the conference, said to the priest whose efforts had been unsuccessful: "Brother, it seems to me that you were too severe on your ignorant hearers. You should have followed the practice of the apostles, and begun by giving them the milk of simpler teaching, and gradually nourished them with the word of God until they were capable of greater perfection and able to follow the loftier precepts of Christ. At this the faces and eyes of all who were at the conference were turned towards him; and they paid close attention to all he said, and realized that here was a fit person to be made bishop and sent to instruct the ignorant and unbelieving, since he was particularly endowed with the grace of discretion, the mother of virtues. They therefore consecrated him bishop, and sent him to preach. Time was to show that Aidan was remarkable not only for discretion, but for the other virtues as well.»

«Almighty God made known the greatness of Aidan's merits by the evidence of miracles, of which it must suffice to mention three in his memory. A priest named Utta, a truthful and serious man, who on that account was generally respected by all, even by worldly princes, was sent to Kent to bring back Eanfled as wife for King Oswy: she was the daughter of King Edwin and had been taken to Kent when her father was killed. Intending to make the outward journey by land and to return with the princess by sea, he went to Bishop Aidan and asked him to pray for him and his companions as they set out on their long journey. When Aidan had blessed them and commended them to God, he gave them some holy oil, saying: When you set sail, you will encounter a storm and contrary winds. Remember then to pour the oil that I am giving you on to the sea, and the wind will immediately drop, giving you a pleasant, calm voyage and safe return home. Everything happened as the bishop foretold. In a rising gale, the sailors dropped anchor, hoping to ride out the storm. This proved impossible; for the roaring seas broke into the ship from every side, and it began to fill. Everyone felt that his last hour had come, when at last the priest remembered the bishop's words. He took out the flask of oil, and poured some of it over the sea, which immediately ceased its raging as Aidan had foretold. So it came about that the man of God through the spirit of prophecy both foretold the storm and, although absent, calmed its fury. The story of this miracle is no groundless fable; for it was related to me by a most faithful priest of our own church, who had it from the mouth of the priest Utta, on and through whom the miracle was performed,

«Another notable miracle of the same father Aidan is told by those in a position to know the facts. While he was bishop, Penda and his enemy army of Mercians spread ruin far and wide throughout the lands of the Northumbrians and reached the very gates of the royal city, which takes its name from Ebba, a former queen. Unable to enter it either by force or after a siege, Penda attempted to set fire to it. Pulling down all the neighbouring villages, he carried to Bamburgh a vast quantity of beams, rafters, wattled walls, and thatched roofs, piling it high around the city wall on the landward side. Directly the wind became favourable, he set fire to this mass, intending to destroy the city. Now, while all this was happening, the most reverend Bishop Aidan was living on Farne island, which lies nearly two miles from the city and which was his retreat when he wished to pray alone and undisturbed: indeed, his lonely hermitage can be seen there to this day.

«When the saint saw the column of smoke and flame wafted by the winds above the city walls, he is said to have raised his eyes and hands to heaven, saying with tears: "Lord, see what evil Penda does!» No sooner had he spoken than the wind shifted away from the city, and drove back the flames on to those who had kindled them, so injuring some and unnerving all that they abandoned their assault on a city so clearly under God's protection:

«Death came to Aidan when he had completed sixteen years of his episcopate, while he was staying at a royal residence near the capital [in the year 651]. Having a church and lodging there, Aidan often used to go and stay at the place, travelling about the surrounding countryside to preach. This was his practice at all the king's countryseats, for he had no personal possessions except his church and a few fields around it. When he fell ill, a tent was erected for him on the west side of the church, so that the tent was actually attached to the church wall. And so it happened that, as he drew his last breath, he was leaning against a post that buttressed the wall on the outside. He passed away on the last day of August, in the seventeenth year of his episcopate, and his body was soon taken across to Lindisfarne Island and buried in the monks» cemetery. When a larger church, dedicated to the most blessed Prince of the Apostles, was built there some while later, his bones were transferred to it and buried at the right side of the altar in accordance with the honours due to so great a prelate.

«Finan, who had also come from the Scottish island and monastery of Iona, succeeded him as bishop and held the office for a considerable time. Some years later, Penda, King of the Mercians, came to these parts with an invading army and destroyed everything that he found with fire and sword; and he burned down the village and the church where Aidan had died. But in a wonderful mariner, the beam against which he was leaning at his death was the only object untouched by the flames which devoured everything around it. This miracle was noticed and a church was soon rebuilt on the same site, with the beam supporting the structure from the outside as before. Sometime later in another fire, caused this time by carelessness, the village and church were again destroyed, but even on this occasion the beam remained undamaged. For, although in a most extraordinary way the flames licked through the very holes of the pins that secured it to the building, they were not permitted to destroy the beam. When the church was rebuilt for the third time, the beam was not employed as an outside support again, but was set up inside the church as a memorial of this miracle, so that those who entered might kneel there and ask God's mercy. Since that day many are known to have obtained the grace of healing at this spot, and many have cut chips of wood from the beam and put them in water, by which means many have been cured of their diseases.»

St. Aidan's body was translated to Lindisfarne. He is commemorated on August 31 and October 8.

Our holy Father Finan was an Irishman trained on Iona who succeeded St. Aidan as bishop of Lindisfarne in 651. A zealous and learned bishop, he worked closely with King Oswy of Northumbria and sponsored the important missions to Mercia and Essex. He reposed in 661 and is commemorated on February 17.

Our holy Father Edbert became bishop of Lindisfarne in 688. A very learned and generous man, he gave a tenth of his livestock, grain, fruit and clothing to the poor every year. Every year, like his predecessor, he would retire for the whole of Great Lent to the island of Farne in the North Sea. During Lent in the year 698, he told the monks to uncover the relics of St. Cuthbert, which were found to be completely incorrupt. Then they brought some of the garments that had clothed the holy body to St. Edbert in Farne, and he, kissing them, said:

«Let the body be put into new garments in place of those you have brought, and so lay it into the coffin you have provided. For I am certain that the place will not long remain empty, having been sanctified with so many miracles of heavenly grace. And how happy is he to whom our Lord, the Author and Giver of all bliss, shall grant the privilege of lying in the same.»

Having said this and much more with many tears and great humility, the bishop told the brothers to depart and do as he had commanded them. And when they had dressed the body in new garments, and laid it in a new coffin, they placed it on the pavement of the sanctuary. Soon after, Bishop Edbert fell ill, and on May 6, 698 he departed to the Lord. And they laid his body in the grave of St. Cuthbert, placing over it the coffin containing the incorrupt relics of that saint. And many miracles testified to the holiness of both saints. In 875 his relics were carried with those of St. Cuthbert through Northumbria until they found rest in Durham in 995. He is commemorated on May 6.

St. Edbert was succeeded as bishop by St. Edfrith, who had studied in Ireland and was an accomplished scribe, artist and calligrapher. It is probably he who wrote the famous Northumbrian Gospels, which are now in the British Museum, in honour of St. Cuthbert. To him was dedicated the Anonymous life of St. Cuthbert, and he it was who invited the Venerable Bede to write his life of the same saint. He restored from the foundations the oratory in which St. Cuthbert had struggled on Farne. He died in 721 and was buried near St. Cuthbert's tomb. His relics, too, were taken round Northumbria together with those of St. Cuthbert and laid to rest in Durham in 995. In 1104 his relics were translated with St. Cuthbert's into the new cathedral in Durham. He is commemorated on June 4 together with all the early bishops of Lindisfarne.

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St. Edfrith was succeeded by St. Ethilwald, a Northumbrian who became a monk, and later prior and abbot, at Melrose. He was a disciple of St. Cuthbert. He caused a stone cross to be made, the top of which was broken off by the pagans when they destroyed the church at Lindisfarne. However, the top was reunited to the rest of the cross with lead, and was later always carried about together with the bodies of St. Cuthbert and his successors, «and honourably regarded by the people of Northumbria out of regard to these two holy men» (Simeon of Durham). St. Ethilwald reposed in 740. In the tenth century his relics were translated to Westminster by King Edgar. He is commemorated on February 12 and April 21.

Holy Fathers Aidan, Finan, Edbert, Edfrith and Ethilwald, pray to God for us!

(Sources: The Venerable Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People, book III Life of St. Cuthbert; Simeon of Durham, History of the Church of Durham; David Farmer, The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1978, p, p. 6–7,117,119,142, 150)