“We shall hardly,” says Mr. Kemble, “be saying too much if we affirm that the introduction of Christianity was at least ratified by a solemn act of the Witan.”[12]
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.”
The pope added, “But because your brotherhood has been brought up under monastic rules, you ought not to live apart from your clergy in the English Church, which, by God’s assistance, has been lately brought to the faith; you ought to follow that course of life which our forefathers did in the time of the primitive Church, when none of them said anything that he possessed was his own, but all things were in common among them.” “Sed quia tua fraternitas monasterii regulis erudita, seorsum fieri non debet a clericis suis in ecclesia Anglorum, quæ, auctore Deo nuper adhuc ad fidem adducta est, hanc debet conversationem instituere, quæ initio nascentis ecclesiæ fuit patribus nostris; in quibus nullus eorum ex his, quæ possidebant, aliquid suum esse dicebat, sed erant eis omnia communia.”
He further adds, “But as for those who live in common, why need we say anything of making portions?” “Communi autem vita viventibus jam de faciendis portionibus, nobis quid erit loquendum.”[15]