In 601 Augustine received his pall from Rome, died on the 26th of May,
605, and was buried in St. Augustine’s Abbey, near the high altar. He
was not of the Benedictine order of monks, but followed the order of
Pope Gregory in the cloister which he had founded in Canterbury.[13] In
602 he laid the foundation of his cathedral church in Canterbury. In
604 he ordained Mellitus, one of his companions, bishop of London; and
Justus, another companion, bishop of Rochester. King Ethelbert granted
them London and Rochester respectively as their episcopal sees.[14] These
bishops and their clergy were then but missionaries among the heathen
Saxons in the country, and being monks, had lived together close to their
cathedral churches, from which they proceeded as itinerant preachers to
the neighbouring localities. The bishop’s church was at first the only
one in his diocese, hence it was called _mater ecclesia_. Subsequently it
was called the _Cathedral Church_, because the bishop’s cathedra, sedes,
stool or chair was in the choir and on the same level with the seats of
other members of the choir. But now there are only two cathedral churches
in England in which the bishop’s seat or _throne_ is in the choir, and
that in a raised position. In all the other cathedrals, the _throne_ is
placed outside the choir in a conspicuous part of the church.
The bishop’s circuit or diocese was the parish. It will hereafter
be shown that the origin of parishes was erroneously traced back to
the episcopal division of dioceses, when “parish” and “diocese” were
synonymous.
The bishop was originally both bishop and rector of the parish or
diocese, and the episcopi clerici were his curates.
Augustine, Mellitus, and Justus, and their respective clergy were
supported by the offerings and oblations of their flocks, which were
brought to the bishop’s house, and put into a common fund, which was
disposed of by the bishop himself. Canon law gave the bishop the right
over all these collections.
Augustine asked Pope Gregory, “Into how many portions ought the oblations
given by the faithful to the altar to be divided?” “De his quæ fidelium
oblationibus accedunt altari, quantæ debeant fieri portiones?” He
answered, “That all emoluments which accrue ought to be divided into
four portions, namely, one for the bishop and his family, because of
hospitality and entertainments; another for the clergy; a third for the
poor; and the fourth for the repair of churches.” “Ut in omni stipendio,
quod accedit, quatuor debeant fieri portiones; una, videlicet, episcopo
et familiæ propter hospitalitatem atque susceptionem, alia clero, tertia
pauperibus, quarta ecclesiis reparandis.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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