Christian Schools and Scholars: or, Sketches of Education from the Christian Era to the Council of TrentDrane, Augusta Theodosia
History
Christian Schools and Scholars: or, Sketches of Education from the Christian Era to the Council of Trent
Drane, Augusta Theodosia
Church and education; Education -- Europe -- History; Renaissance; Scholasticism
St. Benedict of Anian, the cupbearer of Charlemagne, and afterwards
the great reformer of the Benedictine order, was almost as zealous
in restoring studies as in bringing back regular discipline.
“Everywhere,” says his disciple St. Ardo, “he appointed cantors,
taught readers, established grammar-masters, and those skilled in
sacred letters; also he collected a great multitude of books.”
Nor must we omit to notice the labours of Leidrade, the emperor’s
librarian, and one of the “missi dominici,” who, being appointed
Archbishop of Lyons, addressed a curious letter to his imperial
master, in which he describes the result of his various labours. He
has, by God’s grace, established regular psalmody in his church;
he has schools of singers, and schools of readers, who cannot only
read the Scriptures correctly, but who understand the spiritual
sense of the gospels and the prophecies; some even have attained
to the mystical signification of the books of Solomon and of Job.
He has also done what in him lay to promote the copying of books,
and has built, repaired, and decorated an incredible number of
churches and monasteries. Besides these there was Angilbert, the
favourite minister both of Pepin and Charlemagne, who retiring from
court became abbot of St. Riquier and founder of a noble library;
and Adalhard, the emperor’s cousin, created by him count of the
royal palace, who, out of a holy fear of offending God, and losing
His grace in the seductions of a court atmosphere, took refuge in
the abbey of Corby, where he was eventually chosen abbot. In this
capacity he greatly raised the reputation of the Corby schools.
Paschasius, who wrote his life, says that Adalhard was a most elegant
scholar, having been carefully educated in the Palatine school, and
that he was equally eloquent in the Tudesque and Romanesque dialects
as in Latin, and instructed the common people in their own barbarous
tongues. His literary friends gave him the double surname of Antony
Augustine--Antony from his love of that saint, and Augustine, because
like him he studied to imitate the virtues of all those around him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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