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Saint Germanus and the British Missions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2010

Anthony A. Barrett
Anthony A. Barrett
Affiliation:
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge; Universität Heidelberg; University of British Columbia, Vancouver, [email protected]
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Abstract

Constantius' biography of Saint Germanus, written c. A.D. 480, includes accounts of two missions undertaken to counter the spread of Pelagianism in Britain. Germanus' frst mission is also mentioned in the chronicle of Prosper, dated to A.D. 429. The second mission is undated, and is almost certainly a fantasy. Germanus' supposed initial victory by persuasion is implausible. Also, Prosper's account of Pope Celestine I's anti-Pelagian campaigns demonstrates that the heresy was suppressed in Britain in the frst mission. The chronology of Tibatto's rebellion precludes a second mission, and its chronological anomalies arise from the need to accommodate just such a second mission.

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Information
Britannia , Volume 40 , November 2009 , pp. 197 - 217
Copyright
Copyright © Anthony A. Barrett 2009. Exclusive Licence to Publish: The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies

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References

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