Ithamar (bishop)

Ithamar
Bishop of Rochester
Term ended	between 655 and 664
Predecessor	Paulinus of York
Successor	Damianus
Orders
Consecration	before 655
Personal details
Died	between 655 and 664 Rochester
Denomination	Catholic
Sainthood
Feast day	10 June

Ithamar (sometimes Ythamar^[1]) was the first bishop in England to be Saxon-born rather than consecrated by the Irish or from among Augustine's Roman missionaries. He was also the first Saxon bishop of Rochester.

Life

Ithamar was consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Honorius, and was said by Bede to be "of the Kentish nation, but not inferior to his [episcopal] predecessors for learning and conduct of life.".^[2]

Upon consecration as bishop, Ithamar took his new name from Ithamar, a son of Aaron, from the Old Testament.^[3] Although a number of new Anglo-Saxon bishops had taken new names upon either entering religious life or upon consecration as bishops, these names were usually taken from church history.^[4] The practice of taking a new name from the Old Testament was extremely rare in the Roman tradition, but did occur more often in the Celtic Church.^[3]

As bishop, Ithamar consecrated Deusdedit as the first Saxon archbishop of Canterbury on 26 March 655.^[5]

Ithamar died between 655 and 664,^[6] probably close to 656, at Rochester.^[7]

After Ithamar's death he was considered a saint and given a shrine at Rochester Cathedral. His feast day is 10 June.^[7] There is no written Life detailing his biography, but a short work giving his miracles was composed in the 12th century. At that time, his remains were translated to a new larger shrine in Rochester Cathedral. The work on his miracles survives in one manuscript, MS Corpus Christi College Cambridge 161.^[5]

Citations

↑ Farmer Oxford Dictionary of Saints p. 266
↑ Bede, Ecclesiastical History, 3.14
1 2 Sharpe "Naming of Bishop Ithamar" English Historical Review pp. 892–894
↑ Sharpe "Naming of Bishop Ithamar" English Historical Review pp. 890–891
1 2 Bethell "Miracles of St. Ithamar" Analecta Bollandiana pp. 421–423
↑ Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 221
1 2 Walsh A New Dictionary of Saints p. 287

References

Bethell, D. T. (1971). "The Miracles of St Ithamar". Analecta Bollandiana 89: 421–437.
Farmer, David Hugh (2004). Oxford Dictionary of Saints (Fifth ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-860949-0.
Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1996). Handbook of British Chronology (Third revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
Sharpe, R. (September 2002). "The Naming of Bishop Ithamar". The English Historical Review 117 (473): 889–894. doi:10.1093/ehr/117.473.889.
Walsh, Michael J. (2007). A New Dictionary of Saints: East and West. London: Burns & Oats. ISBN 0-86012-438-X.

External links

Ithamar 1 at Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England – listing of most contemporary and close to contemporary mentions of Ithamar in the primary sources.

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Paulinus of York	Bishop of Rochester 644–c. 660	Succeeded by Damianus

Bishops of Rochester

Pre-Conquest	Justus Romanus Paulinus of York Ithamar Damianus Putta Cwichelm Gebmund Tobias Aldwulf Dunn Eardwulf Diora Waermund (I) Beornmod Tatnoth Badenoth Waermund (II) Cuthwulf Swithwulf Ceolmund Cyneferth Burgric Beorhtsige Ælfstan Godwine (I) Godwine (II) Siward

Conquest–Reformation	Arnost Gundulf Ralph d'Escures Ernulf John (I) John (II) Ascelin Walter Waleran Gilbert Glanvill Benedict of Sausetun Henry Sandford Richard Wendene Lawrence of St Martin Walter de Merton John Bradfield John Kirkby Thomas Ingoldsthorpe Thomas Wouldham Hamo Hethe John Sheppey William Whittlesey Thomas Trilleck Thomas Brinton William Bottlesham John Bottlesham Richard Young John Kemp John Langdon Thomas Brunce William Wells John Low Thomas Rotherham John Alcock John Russell Edmund Audley Thomas Savage Richard FitzJames John Fisher

Post-Reformation	John Hilsey Nicholas Heath Henry Holbeach Nicholas Ridley John Ponet John Scory Maurice Griffith Edmund Allen Edmund Gheast Edmund Freke John Piers John Young William Barlow Richard Neile John Buckeridge Walter Curle John Bowle John Warner John Dolben Francis Turner Thomas Sprat Francis Atterbury Samuel Bradford Joseph Wilcocks Zachary Pearce John Thomas Samuel Horsley Thomas Dampier Walker King Hon Hugh Percy George Murray Joseph Wigram Thomas Claughton Anthony Thorold Randall Davidson Edward Talbot John Harmer Linton Smith Christopher Chavasse David Say Michael Turnbull Michael Nazir-Ali James Langstaff

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