Synod of Oxford explained

right|thumb|1640 Engraving of Osney Abbey ruins, site of the SynodThe Synod of Oxford was held on 9 May 1222, at Osney Abbey,[1] in Oxford, England.[2] It was a council of the (Catholic) church in England, convened by Archbishop Stephen Langton. It is notable for a number of the decisions taken and canon laws set.

During the Synod, "harsh anti-Jewish laws" were enacted: "social relations between Jews and Christians were blocked; church tithes were levied against Jews, and English Jews were forced to wear an identifying badge. The construction of new synagogues was also prevented."[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

For many centuries, it was thought that the decision that Saint George's Day should be celebrated as a holy day in England was made at this Synod.[1] However, since the 1960s, this has been regarded by historians as an invention.[11] [12]

The Synod

Langton's ambition was to reform the English church, especially with regard to monastic law.[13] The Synod also established celebration of the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ on 1 January, building on long-established celebrations of the start of the Julian calendar year.[13]

The Synod also followed and implemented the anti-Jewish decrees laid out by the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215.[7]

Saint George's Day

For many centuries, it was thought that the Synod set the celebration of 23 April as Saint George's Day on a par with other Christian feast days, although it stopped short of declaring St George the patron saint of England, which did not happen until 1347.[14] However, in 1961, historian C. R. Cheney published research in the Bulletin of Historical Research, followed by further published research in 1964,[11] that "conclusively refuted ... [this] misapprehension",[11] based on showing that the earliest surviving manuscripts of the synod's declaration do not mention the feast of St. George.[15] Nonetheless, modern sources sometimes still continue to assert the connection.[1] [12]

Legacy

According to the Diocese of Oxford, these "prejudicial" laws passed at Oxford in 1222 were the precursor to further anti-Jewish statutes,[7] in particular those passed in 1253 and 1275. This increasing intolerance culminated in the expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290.[7]

2022 anniversary

In May 2022, to mark the 800th anniversary of the Synod, a service was held at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.[16] There, representatives of Christians and Jews met. Although the Church of England as currently constituted dates to the 16th-century English Reformation, it claims continuity with the pre-Reformation English church,[17] and Anglican leaders have insisted on the importance of an apology.[2] Archbishop Justin Welby said on Twitter that "it was an opportunity to 'remember, repent and rebuild'."[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Where St George made his name. Oxford Mail. 14 April 2010 . 9 May 2022. 11 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210411040727/https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/8099028.st-george-made-name/. live.
  2. News: Pope . Felix . Church of England apologises for 'shameful actions' against Jews . 9 May 2022 . www.thejc.com . The Jewish Chronicle . 9 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220509223414/https://www.thejc.com/news/news/church-of-england-apologises-for-shameful-actions-against-jews-4FtQ1TRovc2YlSbWz3UxdS . live .
  3. News: Church of England to apologize for 13th century anti-Semitic laws . 9 May 2022 . Ynetnews . i24NEWS . 13 July 2021 . en . 9 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220509223414/https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryxskvj6o . live .
  4. News: Gardner . Charles . Church repents of Antisemitism "I think the Jews of 1222 would have been astonished to hear Hebrew ring out in this cathedral" . 9 May 2022 . Israel Today . 9 May 2022 . 22 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220522222652/https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/church-repents-of-antisemitism/ . live .
  5. News: Phillips . Melanie . The 800-year apology: What is the real challenge to reconciling Christians and Jews . 9 May 2022 . Israel In Sight . 22 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220522222714/https://israelinsightmagazine.com/2021/07/16/the-800-year-apology-what-is-the-real-challenge-to-reconciling-christians-and-jews/ . live .
  6. News: Mayaki . Benedict . Church of England apologizes for anti-Jewish laws, 800 years on . 9 May 2022 . www.vaticannews.cn . Dicasterium pro Communicatione . 9 May 2022 . en . 22 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220522222651/http://www.vaticannews.cn/en/church/news/2022-05/church-england-800-jewish-laws-synod-oxford.html . live .
  7. News: Diocese of Oxford 800th anniversary of the 1222 Synod of Oxford . 9 May 2022 . www.oxford.anglican.org . The Oxford Diocesan Board of Finance . 6 May 2022 . 8 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220508090551/https://www.oxford.anglican.org/training-events/1222-synod.php . live .
  8. News: Abrams . Rebecca . Righting Historic Wrongs – 1222 Synod of Oxford . 9 May 2022 . oxfordjewishheritage.co.uk . Oxford Jewish Heritage . 22 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220522222651/https://oxfordjewishheritage.co.uk/oxford-jewish-heritage/medieval-period-c1075-1290/narrative/338-righting-historic-wrongs . live .
  9. News: staff . T. O. I. . After 800 years, Church of England apologizes to Jews for laws that led to expulsion . 9 May 2022 . Times of Israel . 8 May 2022 . 9 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220509004434/https://www.timesofisrael.com/church-of-england-apologizes-to-jews-800-years-after-laws-that-led-to-expulsion/ . live .
  10. News: Peachey . Paul . Anglican Church apologises over 800-year-old anti-Jewish laws . 9 May 2022 . The National . 9 May 2022 . 9 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220509142620/https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/uk-news/2022/05/09/anglican-church-apologises-over-800-year-old-anti-jewish-laws/ . live .
  11. Book: St George's Chapel, Windsor, in the Fourteenth Century . 56 . Nigel Saul . 2005 . 9781843831174 . Boydell Press . 22 May 2022 . 22 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220522222651/https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/St_George_s_Chapel_Windsor_in_the_Fourte/auSNtufAwnoC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=cheney+1222+st+george%27s+day&pg=PA56&printsec=frontcover . live .
  12. Book: Good, Jonathan David Arthur . Saint George for England  - Sanctity and National Identity, 1272 - 1509 . 94 . University of Minnesota . 2004 . 22 May 2022 . 22 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220522222652/https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Saint_George_for_England/Mp8P27dZbukC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=cheney+1222+st+george%27s+day&dq=cheney+1222+st+george%27s+day&printsec=frontcover . live .
  13. Book: Grant, Alexander H. . The Church Seasons . 77 . 2020 . Salzwasser-Verlag GmbH . 9783846054017 . 12 May 2022 . 22 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220522222652/https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Church_Seasons/o0DnDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=synod+of+oxford+1222&pg=PA77&printsec=frontcover . live .
  14. Book: Symbols and Artifacts . Pasquale Gagliardi . 2017 . 9781351487290 . Taylor & Francis . 12 May 2022 . 22 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220522222652/https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Symbols_and_Artifacts/FCAxDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=synod+of+oxford+1222&pg=PT293&printsec=frontcover . live .
  15. Book: Cheney, C. R.. C. R. Cheney . Councils and Synods and other Documents relating to the English Church Vol. II, Part 1, 1205–1265. 1964. Clarendon Press. Oxford. 101, 104.
  16. News: Oxford holds service of repentance for 800-year-old anti-Semitic rules. The Church Times. 9 May 2022. 13 May 2022. 16 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220516001528/https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/13-may/news/uk/oxford-holds-service-of-repentance-for-800-year-old-anti-semitic-rules. live.
  17. "High Church", New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd ed., vol. 6 (Detroit: Gale, 2003), pp. 823–824.

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