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Life of St Wilfrid

Eddius Stephanus, tr. Colgrave, 1927

46. Of the Atswinapathe Council

So, during the reign of Aldfrith, a synod was held in a place called Ouestraefelda, which was attended by the holy Archbishop Berhtwald and the bishops of nearly all Britain. They sent a deputation into the presence of St Wilfrid the bishop, humbly praying him to deign to be present with them, and promised by their messengers that they would take account of the canonical decrees concerning his former wrongs if he did not refuse to come to their gathering.

What more shall I say? After he had come to the place where the discussion of the synod was to be, what had been promised did not take place. But many questions and great altercations arose among them, especially among those bishops of the churches who, being impelled by avarice, by no means desired to keep the peace among the churches of God; nor is there any doubt that they did it at the desire of King Aldfrith and with the consent of some of the abbots. They raised many false objections which they could not prove by any semblance of truth; in addition they affirmed that our holy bishop was to be judged according to the decrees and commands of Archbishop Theodore.

When St Wilfrid heard what they had asserted, he replied with all humility, declaring that he consented to their decisions, and he assured them that he was willing to obey his decrees gladly in all things which were in accordance with canon law. Then, with many sharp words, he rebuked their enduring obstinacy, with which for twenty-two years they had not feared to resist contentiously the Apostolic authority; and he asked them how with such effrontery they dared to choose in preference to the Apostolic decrees, delivered to Britain for the good of men’s souls by the most holy popes, the holy Agatho, the elect Benedict and the blessed Sergius, the judgments of Archbishop Theodore, which he made, as we have said, in a time of discord.