The Synod of Whitby: How a Date Changed English Christianity

In 664, at Whitby Abbey in Northumbria, a conference was held that would determine the future of Christianity in England. The Synod of Whitby pitted the Roman method of calculating Easter against the Celtic tradition brought by Irish missionaries. King Oswiu of Northumbria presided, listening to arguments from the Romanist Wilfrid and the Columban Colmán. This episode looks at what was at stake: not just a date on the calendar, but questions of authority, unity, and identity. We examine the key figures—Oswiu, Hilda of Whitby, Bishop Colmán, and the fiery Wilfrid—and the political and ecclesiastical pressures that shaped the outcome. The decision to adopt Roman practice aligned England with the Continent and set the stage for the unification of the English Church under Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury. We also touch on the legend vs. history of the synod as recorded by Bede in his Ecclesiastical History, and what it meant for the rivalry between Lindisfarne and Rome. #SynodOfWhitby #Bede #Northumbria #Oswiu #Wilfrid #Colmán #HildaOfWhitby #EasterControversy #CelticChristianity #RomanChristianity #IrishMonks #Lindisfarne #WhitbyAbbey #EnglishChurch #TheodoreOfCanterbury #7thCentury #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo