Bartholomew (Exeter)

Bartholomew (also Bartholomaeus Exoniensis ; Bartholomaeus of Exeter ; Bartholomew Iscanus ) (* around 1110; † December 14 or 15, 1184 ) was an Anglo-Norman clergyman. From 1161 he was Bishop of Exeter .

Origin and education

Bartholomew probably came from Millières , a village in the Cotentin in Normandy . It is unclear whether Peter de Melir was his father or his brother. Otherwise almost nothing is known of his family, except that he got his nephews Jordan and Harold as bishops in the Diocese of Exeter . Bartholomew had a good knowledge of the fine arts , theology and law, which suggests studying in Paris or other schools. Possibly he is identical to Master Bartholomew , who, according to Walter Map, taught in Paris around 1140.

Career as a clergyman

There is evidence that Bartholomew lived in the household of Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury from the 1140s , where his friend John of Salisbury also lived from 1148 . Under Bishop Robert of Exeter he became archdeacon of Exeter after 1155 , but also remained in the service of Archbishop Theobald and in contact with John of Salisbury. When Bishop Robert died in 1160, Bartholomew was elected as the new Bishop of Exeter, probably thanks to Theobald's support. His election was possibly also promoted by Chancellor Thomas Becket , while King Henry II actually wanted to reward Henry, the Dean of Mortain and member of the Fitzharding family, with the office. Bartholomew then handed over his office as archdeacon as a sinecure to Henry. He was ordained a bishop on April 18, 1161 by Bishop Walter of Rochester .

Bishop of Exeter

Role in the dispute between Thomas Becket and King Henry II.

As a bishop, Bartholomew quickly won the king's favor. In April 1162 he traveled to Normandy on behalf of Henry II, where he was supposed to ensure that Thomas Becket was elected to succeed the late Theobald as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. On June 3, he took part in the ordination of Becket as archbishop. Together with Becket and other bishops, he took part in the Council of Tours in May 1163 , which Pope Alexander III. had convened. Before the autumn of 1263, however, the bitter dispute between Becket and the king began. As a partisan of the king, Bartholomew was involved in the conflict that severely strained relations between the king and the Church. In October 1163 Bartholomew attended the council meeting at Westminster and in January 1164 at the royal council meeting at Clarendon . In October 1164 he was present in Northampton when Becket was accused of treason, whereupon the archbishop fled into exile in France. Bartholomew belonged to the legation that was given to Pope Alexander III in November 1164. traveled to Sens . There, however, the attempt to persuade the Pope to send papal legates to England to resolve the dispute between the King and Becket failed . After this failure, Bartholomew tried to stay out of the dispute as much as possible. Through his friend John of Salisbury, Bartholomew received news and news from Reims , where Becket was living in exile. But he himself maintained his good relationship with the king. Undoubtedly, like most other English bishops, he generally sympathized with the archbishop, who wanted to defend the freedom of the church against the arbitrary decisions of the king. In a penitential sermon, however, Bartholomew defended the traditional view that clergymen who disregarded justified royal orders were subject to excommunication. In doing so, he criticized Becket's attitude, which did not want even these clergymen to be subject to royal jurisdiction. This shows that, like many other bishops, it was clear to him that Becket was complicit in the escalation of the conflict through his character and poor spiritual training.

Service to the king after Becket's assassination

After the king and the archbishop had officially reconciled in Fréteval in July 1170 , Becket returned to England. Then Bartholomew learned, however, that he and the other bishops who had sworn to observe the Constitution of Clarendon or who had taken part in the coronation of young Henry as co-king, which was contested by Becket on June 14, had been suspended by the Pope as bishop. The papal bull by which the bishops were suspended had been passed on by Becket before his return to England. This led to another break between the archbishop and the king and finally to the assassination of the archbishop by four royal knights at the end of 1170. After the assassination of Becker, Bartholomew received papal absolution , so that on December 21, 1171, he found the cathedral of Canterbury, which was contaminated by the murder could rededicate. In his sermon Bartholomew referred to Psalm 94:19: When my heart was heavy with a thousand worries, You comforted me and made me happy again .

After the king had reconciled with the Pope on May 21, 1172 in Avranches , Bartholomew was able to play a greater role again, both ecclesiastically and politically. He served as both royal and papal judge, often serving as papal judge with Bishop Roger of Worcester, a cousin of the king. From 1171 to 1179 he stayed at the royal court and was very popular with Henry II.

Act as a bishop

Bartholomew was considered a hardworking bishop. As he had been in close contact with his predecessor, Bishop Robert, as archdeacon, he was able to continue his work immediately. His election as bishop, however, had been controversial and had split the cathedral chapter. As a result, Bartholomew did not take over all the members of his predecessor's household, only Baldwin of Exeter and Robert Fitzgille. Baldwin entered the Cistercian monastery of Forde around 1170 and eventually became Archbishop of Canterbury, his successor as Archdeacon of Totnes was Robert Fitzgille. Robert's half-brother, John of Salisbury, retired to Exeter after Becket's murder. He was appointed treasurer of the cathedral in May 1173 before becoming Bishop of Chartres in 1176 .

According to the chronicler Gerald of Wales , Pope Alexander III counted. Bartholomew, along with Roger of Worcester, among the most exemplary bishops in England. Bartholomew wrote several theological treatises, and he and Baldwin of Exeter are said to have dedicated their works to each other. From him are De libero arbitrio or De fatalitate et fato , a treatise on free will and the anti-Jewish polemic Dialogus contra Judaeos known and a collection of sermons. Above all, however, his confessional manual Poenitentiale became known, which was still printed in the late Middle Ages. After his death in late 1184, he was buried in Exeter Cathedral. He bequeathed numerous liturgical vestments and jewelry to the cathedral.

Works

• Bartholomaei Exoniensis Contra fatalitatis errorem . Edited by David N. Bell. Brepols, Turnhout 1996, ISBN 2-503-04571-5
• Bartholomaeus Exoniensis: The Penitential ( Poenitentiale ). In: Adrian Morey: Bartholomew of Exeter, bishop and canonist . University Press, Cambridge 1937, pp. 175-300

literature

• Adrian Morey: Bartholomew of Exeter, bishop and canonist. A study in the twelfth century . University Press, Cambridge 1937

Web links

• Frank Barlow: Bartholomew (d. 1184). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004

predecessor	Office	successor
Robert of Chichester	Bishop of Exeter 1161–1184	John the Chanter