The Construction of Episcopal Sanctity in Early Anglo‐Saxon England: the Impact of Venantius Fortunatus*

Abstract

This article examines the manner in which early Anglo‐Saxon episcopal sanctity was shaped by the writings of Venantius Fortunatus, the prolific, and yet sometimes neglected, Italian hagiographer and poet who was to end his days as bishop of Poitiers. Firstly, the manner in which Fortunatus's works shaped the literary form of Anglo‐Saxon episcopal hagiography is examined. Secondly, the debt which the various Vitae of Cuthbert owed to Fortunatus is explored. Here it is emphasized that Bede's two Vitae differed from the earlier anonymous Life by their heavier use of Fortunatus's writings promoting the cult of St. Martin of Tours. It is also shown how Fortunatus's re‐shaping of the Martinian cult in the light of his own classical background as a hagiographer bears marked similarities to the manner in which Bede reshaped the Cuthbert cult in line with his own concerns. The article then turns to the much more developed use of Fortunatus's writings as a guide to the construction of episcopal sanctity which was made by Alcuin. It shows how Alcuin's strong emphasis on the urban background of the bishops of York was derived from the Gallic tradition. The article concludes by stressing that although knowledge of Fortunatus's works in early Anglo‐Saxon England is difficult to trace, they could have been known from Ireland where Fortunatus in particular had helped to shape the hymnody of the early Irish Church. However, given Alcuin's more extensive knowledge of the works, it is more likely that his own time on the continent ensured his richer knowledge of Fortunatus's works.