Gervase of Chichester facts for kids
Gervase of Chichester was an English church leader and writer who lived in the late 1100s. He was known for his work with important people like King Henry II and Archbishop Thomas Becket.
Gervase's Life and Work
Gervase was a student of Hilary, who was the bishop (a high-ranking church leader) of Chichester. Around 1158, Gervase worked as a clerk (a kind of secretary) for King Henry II. At the same time, he also worked for the king's top advisor, Thomas Becket, who was the Lord Chancellor (a very important government official).
The king and Becket helped Gervase get jobs at two churches, Basing and Shelbourne. These jobs were arranged by Robert de Torigni, who was the abbot (leader of a monastery) of Mont St Michel.
When Thomas Becket became the archbishop of Canterbury (the most important church leader in England), Gervase followed him there. A writer named Herbert of Bosham said that Gervase was one of 17 "scholars" who worked for Becket. These scholars were experts in church law and teachings. Gervase was often called "master," but we don't know why.
In 1164, Becket had a big disagreement with the king, known as the Becket controversy. Becket had to leave England, but Gervase did not go with him. Instead, Gervase went back to Chichester to work for Bishop Hilary again.
Records show that Gervase was a canon (a type of priest) at Chichester Cathedral between 1174 and 1180. His last mention in a document was between 1187 and 1192. We don't know his exact death date, but the person who took his job at Shelbourne started on August 13, 1197.
Gervase's Writings
Gervase was a writer in the late 1100s. Two of his works are still around today. One is called Editio super Malachiam de ordinis sacerdotalis instructione. This book is a commentary (an explanation) on the Bible's Book of Malachi.
His other surviving works are a collection of homilies, which are sermons he gave. These sermons were delivered at Chichester on the second and third anniversaries of Becket's death. In these sermons, Gervase compared Becket to two figures from the Bible, Phineas and Abel.
A historian named John Leland once saw a commentary on the Bible's Book of Psalms at Walsingham Priory. He thought it might have been written by a Gervase. However, it's not clear if it was Gervase of Chichester or another person with the same name. Another historian, Richard Sharpe, thinks it's unlikely that Gervase of Chichester wrote it.
There are two other works that might have been written by Gervase. These are found in the same book as his homilies. One is about Ezekiel (another Bible figure), and the other is about the birth of John the Baptist. But we are not sure if Gervase wrote these.
