A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

664 A Source Book for Ancient Church History[606]or France asserting that the Scots kept Easter Sunday contrary tothe custom of the universal Church. Among them was a mostzealous defender of the true Easter, whose name was Ronan, aScot by nation, but instructed in ecclesiastical truth, either inFrance or Italy, who disputed with Finan, 257 and convincedmany, or at least induced them, to make a stricter inquiry afterthe truth; yet he could not prevail upon Finan … James, formerlythe deacon of the venerable archbishop Paulinus … kept the trueand Catholic Easter, with all those that he could persuade toadopt the right way. Queen Eanfleda [wife of Oswy, king ofNorthumbria] and her attendants also observed the same as shehad seen practised in Kent, having with her a Kentish priest thatfollowed the Catholic mode, whose name was Romanus. Thus itis said to have happened in those times that Easter was kept twicein one year; 258 and that when the king, having ended the time offasting, kept his Easter, the queen and her attendants were stillfasting and celebrating Palm Sunday.…After the death of Finan [662] … when Colman, who was alsosent out of Scotland, came to be bishop, a great controversy aroseabout the observance of Easter, and the rules of ecclesiasticallife.… This reached the ears of King Oswy and his son Alfrid;for Oswy, having been instructed and baptized by the Scots, andbeing very perfectly skilled in their language, thought nothingbetter than what they taught. But Alfrid, having been instructedin Christianity by Wilfrid, a most learned man, who had firstgone to Rome to learn the ecclesiastical doctrine, and spent muchtime at Lyons with Dalfinus, archbishop of France, from whomhe had received the ecclesiastical tonsure, rightly thought thisman's doctrine ought to be preferred to all the traditions of theScots.…The controversy having been started concerning Easter, thetonsure, and other ecclesiastical matters, it was agreed that a257 Bishop of Lindisfarne, 652-662.258 In 645, 647, 648, 651. It would occur again in 665.