Stephen of Ripon facts for kids
Stephen of Ripon wrote a book called Vita Sancti Wilfrithi. This means "Life of Saint Wilfrid". It was written in the 700s. It tells the story of Saint Wilfrid. People used to call Stephen by other names, like Eddius Stephanus. But today, historians usually just call him Stephen.
Contents
Who Was Stephen of Ripon?
We do not know much about Stephen of Ripon's life. The person who wrote Vita Sancti Wilfrithi said he was "Stephen, a priest." A famous historian named Bede wrote about a singing teacher. This teacher was called Ædde Stephanus. He came from Kent to Ripon in the year 669. He taught people how to sing church songs.
For a long time, people thought this singing teacher was the same person as Stephen the priest. But there is no strong proof. If they were the same, Stephen would have been over 60 when Wilfrid died in 709.
Stephen seemed to be a follower of Wilfrid. He talked to people who knew Wilfrid. This helped him write the book. He wrote it for the monks in Ripon. Many of them had known Wilfrid too.
Stephen's Writings
The Book: Vita Sancti Wilfrithi
Stephen's book, Vita Sancti Wilfrithi, is very important. It is one of the main stories we have about Saint Wilfrid. The other main story is from Bede's book, Ecclesiastical History of the English People. Stephen wrote his book soon after Wilfrid died in 709.
A follower of Wilfrid, named Acca of Hexham, asked Stephen to write the book. Acca later became a bishop. He took over Wilfrid's role at Hexham Abbey. Stephen probably knew Wilfrid. He also talked to others who knew him. He used other old writings too. He even copied a few lines from another book. This book was about Saint Cuthbert.
Many old books about saints just listed miracles. But Stephen's book is different. It tells Wilfrid's story in order, like a timeline. It also includes real names and events.
Why Did Stephen Write It?
We do not know exactly why Stephen wrote Vita Sancti Wilfrithi. But experts have some ideas. Some think Stephen wanted to show that Wilfrid was more important than Cuthbert. But he only copied a few lines from Cuthbert's story. These lines are only at the start of the book. So, this idea might not be true.
Stephen's book clearly supports Wilfrid. It compares Wilfrid to important people from the Bible. Stephen said that the people in his community asked him to write the book. So, he might have just wanted to share how holy Wilfrid was. He wanted to show how good Wilfrid's life was.
Why Is This Book Important?
Stephen's Vita Sancti Wilfrithi was one of the first history books written in Anglo-Saxon England. It is the oldest one that we still have today. Bede used it to help write parts of his own history book. But Bede did not say where he got the information.
Stephen's book also gives us a look at events from Wilfrid's time. For example, it tells about the Synod of Whitby. This was a big meeting where church leaders made important decisions. Stephen's story of the Synod is different from Bede's. Stephen's writing has been questioned more than Bede's. But Stephen's book shows that politics might have played a role in the Synod. Bede's book mainly talks about religious disagreements.
Stephen in Stories
Stephen appears as a character named Eddi in two stories by Rudyard Kipling:
- "Eddi's Service" in the book Rewards and Fairies [1]
- "The Conversion of St Wilfrid" in the book Rewards and Fairies [2]
Old Copies of the Book
Many old books were copied by hand. Here are some of the oldest copies of Stephen's book:
- London, British Library, Cotton Vespasian D. vi. This copy probably came from Yorkshire.
- Pages 2-77: Made in the 800s, with more added in the 1000s.
- Pages 78-125: Made in the 1000s, with more added in the 1100s.
- Oxford, Bodleian Library, Fell vol. III 34a-56b. This copy was made in the late 1000s or early 1100s.
