Coifi facts for kids
Coifi (sometimes spelled Cofi) was a very important priest in the old pagan religion of the Kingdom of Northumbria around the year 627. He was the chief priest at a temple in a place called Goodmanham.
The famous historian Bede wrote about Coifi. Bede said that Coifi was the main priest. This suggests there was an organized group of priests at that time. We don't know much about Coifi's daily life. But Bede tells us some rules he had to follow. For example, as a priest, Coifi was not allowed to carry weapons. He also couldn't ride a male horse, called a stallion.
King Edwin of Northumbria asked Coifi for his advice. The King was thinking about becoming a Christian. A man named Paulinus, who was the chaplain to the Christian queen Ethelburga, was teaching about Christianity. Coifi was part of the king's special council, called the witan. This council helped the king make big decisions.
Coifi told the king that the pagan religion he had followed for so long didn't seem to help much. He felt he had followed it without truly understanding. After the meeting, Coifi did something very surprising. He rode a stallion from the king's council meeting place (which some say was at Londsborough). He rode all the way to the pagan temple at Goodmanham. There, he threw a spear into the altar. Then, as people watched, he set the building on fire. This was a huge step in Northumbria becoming Christian.
Coifi and King Edwin's Choice
King Edwin held a meeting with his wise advisors. He asked each person what they thought about the new Christian teachings.
Coifi, the chief priest, spoke first. He said, "O King, think about what is being taught to us now. I truly believe that the religion we have followed has no real power. I have worked harder than anyone to worship our gods. Yet, many others get more favors from you. They are more successful than I am. If our gods were truly powerful, they would help me more."
Coifi continued, "So, if you look closely and find these new teachings better and more effective, we should accept them right away."
Another important advisor of the king agreed with Coifi. He added a famous story: "O King, our life on Earth seems like a sparrow flying quickly through a warm room. You are sitting at supper in winter with a fire burning. Outside, a storm of rain and snow is raging. The sparrow flies in one door and immediately out another. While it is inside, it is safe from the storm. But after a short time, it vanishes back into the dark winter it came from. Our life is like that short flight. We don't know what came before or what comes after. So, if this new teaching offers more certainty, it should be followed."
Other elders and advisors agreed. Coifi then said he wanted to hear more from Paulinus about the God he preached. Paulinus spoke more, and Coifi listened carefully.
Coifi then cried out, "I have known for a long time that there was nothing in what we worshipped. The more I searched for truth in that worship, the less I found. But now, I truly believe that this new teaching shows clear truth. It can give us life, salvation, and lasting happiness. Because of this, I advise, O King, that we immediately reject and burn those temples and altars we built without getting any benefits from them."
The king then publicly allowed Paulinus to preach Christianity. He gave up his old religion and accepted the Christian faith. The king asked who should be the first to destroy the altars and temples of the old gods. Coifi answered, "I will! Who can better destroy what I worshipped in ignorance? I will do it as an example to everyone, using the wisdom given to me by the true God."
This story comes from the writings of the Venerable Bede, in his book Ecclesiastical History of the English People.
