Byrhtferth

Byrhtferth ("c." 970 – "c." 1020) was a priest and monk who lived at Ramsey Abbey. He had a deep impact on the intellectual life of later Anglo-Saxon England and wrote many computistic, hagiographic, and historical works."The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England", ed. Michael Lapidge (1991)] "Medieval England: An Encyclopedia" / editors: Paul E. Szarmach, M. Teresa Tavormina, Joel T. Rosenthal. New York: Garland Publishing (1998)] He was a leading man of science and best known as the author of many different works (although he may not have written many of them)."The Old English Canon of Byrhtferth of Ramsey", Peter S. Baker. "Speculum", Vol. 55, No. 1. (1980)] Oswald of Worcester, founder of Ramsey Abbey, invited Abbo of Fleury to take up residence there to help teach with his high intellect. Abbo was there from 985-987 and became a large influence on Byhtferth who was interested in the same sort of studies that he was, such as history, logic, astronomy, and mathematics."Who's Who in Roman Britain and Anglo-Saxon England", Richard Fletcher. (2002)]

Works

Byrhtferth's signature appears on only two unpublished works, his Latin and Old English "Manual", and Latin "Preface". He has also been credited with Latin commentaries on Bede's "De natura rerum" and "De temporum ratione" (first attributed to him by John Herwagen) and a "Vita S. Dunstani" signed "B" (first attributed to him by Jean Mabillon). Many scholars argue that these works were not written by Byrhtferth, but instead were a compilation of material by several writers in the late ninth and early tenth centuries. This is argued because of the smooth, polished style of these works in comparison with the styles of the only signed works "Manual" and "Preface". He also composed a Latin life of St. Egwin, compiled a chronicle of Northumbrian history in the 990's, wrote a Latin life of Oswald of Worcester in about the year 1000, and it is suggested that he is responsible for the early sections of the "Historia regum", or "History of the Kings", attributed to writer Simeon of Durham. This is because of the similarity of the style between Simeon and Byrhtferth. The last of Byrhtferth's works is an unsigned fragment of Old English text on computus in the Manuscript BL Cotton Caligula A.xv, fols. MS 142v-143r. It is attributed to him because of the stylistic similarity to the Old English that he wrote in "Manual".

Preface

Oxford, St. John's College MS 17 contains several computistical works by Bede and Helperic, and a computus which includes the Latin "Epilogus", or "Preface", by Byrhtferth. He also constructed a full-page diagram showing the harmony of the universe, and suggesting correspondences among cosmological, numerological, and physiological aspects of the world. Other items in the manuscript may in fact be Byrhtferth, but it cannot be proved. Also, he may have compiled most of these things from works that Abbo of Fleury left behind at Ramsey Abbey after his death.

Manual

Bodl. Ashmole MS 328 preserves Byrhtferth's Latin "Enchiridion", or "Manual". It is written in Latin and Old English and the largest part is that of a computus similar to the one in "Preface". It touches on the belief that the divine order of the universe can be perceived through the study of numbers and can be of great reference for the study of medieval number symbolism.

References