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Gottschalk of Orbais Gottschalk (Latin: Godescalc, Gotteschalchus) of Orbais (c. 808 – 30 October 868 AD) was a Saxon theologian, monk and poet. Gottschalk was an early advocate for the doctrine of two-fold predestination an issue that ripped through both Italy and Francia from 848 into the 850's and 860's. Led by his own interpretation of Augustine's teachings on the matter, he claimed the sinfulness of human nature and the need to turn to God with a humility for salvation. He saw himself as a divine vessel calling all of Christianity to repent for decades of Civil War. His attempts of this new Christianisation of Francia ultimately failed, his doctrine was condemned as heresy at the 848 council of Mainz and 849 council of Quierzy. Following his conviction as a heretic Gottschalk remained stubborn to his ideology disobeying the ecclesiastical hierarchy, making him an "actual heretic in the flesh", for this disobedience Gottschalk was placed in monastic confinement; however the shockwaves his ideology sent around Western Christendom refused to stop reverberating, Gottschalk managed to win over more followers and the threat remained up until his death in 868. [1]
Early Life
Gottschalk was a child oblate at the monastery of [Fulda]under the tutelage of the Abbot Hrabanus Maurus of Mainz, during his time at the monastery he became close friends with Walafrid Strabo and Loup de Ferrières. In June 829, at the synod of Mainz, on the pretext that he had been unduly constrained by his abbot, he sought and obtained his liberty, withdrew first to Corbie. [2]
Priesthood
Predestination Controversy
Gottschalk returned to Francia after a decade of travels throughout the Carolingian Empire, during this time he had gained reputation for his teachings on predestination.[3] The key foundations of this belief being, God had granted grace to a select few while also denying this from those destined for Hell. This being a direct split from theological belief that God viewed humans acts with final judgement being based upon a persons nature and their willingness to repent for sins, with God being able to deduce sinners and unrepentant. [4] Gottschalk strenghtened his ideas throughout the 830's and 40's a period in which the Carolingian Empire was falling continuously into crisis, [5] in this time of uncertainty Gottschalk teachings were clear a true wish for atonement, this message grew from the culture of the 820's-30's that saw [Louis the Pious] perform public penance, also inspired by Augustine. [6] This state of repentance had to be permanent, the daily prayer for sin and confession of sins that was accepted within [monastic] life had clearly not worked, [7]. so a constant state of repentance was needed to keep from enticing Gods wrath.
Gottschalk's heretical teachings went unopposed until the 848 synod of Mainz, here his old abbot Hrabanus presided over events now as Archbishop of Mainz, also present was King Louis the German. Gottschalks libellus to support his theological belief was condemned as heretical. [8] Gottschalk was beaten by those present, before taking an oath never to return to Louis the Germans Kingdom of East Francia.[9] Gottschalk was a priest and monk from the archdiocese of Rheims, so was sent to the Archbishop Hincmar of Rheims for containment. This exposed the diocese of Rheims to the extreme theological issues that Gottschalk's brought with him.
Ninth century heresies had largely been foreigners (Spanish or Greek), creating a great other for Carolingian theologians to use to define faith boundaries, the one exception was Gottschalk who continuously refused to renounce his beliefs. [10] [11]
- ^ Matthew Gillis, ‘Heresy in the flesh: Gottschalk of Orbais and the predestination controversy in the archdiocese of Rheims’, in Stone and West (eds.), Hincmar of Rheims, Life and Work, pp. 247- 267
- ^ Mayke de Jong, In Samuels Image: Child Oblation in the Early Medieval West, (Leiden, 1996), pp. 77-91.
- ^ Gillis, 'Heresy in the Flesh'
- ^ Celia Chazelle, The Crucified God in the Carolingian Era: Theology and Art of Christ's Passion, (Cambridge, 2001), pp. 165-209.
- ^ M. Costambeys , M. Innes and S. Maclean, The Carolingian World, (Cambridge, 2011), pp. 213-223.
- ^ Mayke de Jong, The Penitential State Authority and Atonement in the Age of Louis the Pious, 814-840, (Cambridge, 2011), pp. 228-34.
- ^ M. Driscoll, 'Penance in Transition: Popular Piety and Practice', in L. Larson-Miller, ed. Medieval Liturgy: A Book of Essays, (New York, 1997), pp.121-63
- ^ Gillis, 'Heresy in the Flesh' P 250.
- ^ Timothy Reuter, 'The Text - The Annals of Fulda', Ninth Century Histories,2.
- ^ Mayke de Jone, 'Religion', in R. McKitterick, ed., The Early Middle Ages, Short Oxford History of Europe, (Oxford, 2001), pp. 131-164.
- ^ Matthew Innes, '"Immune from Heresy": defining the boundaries of Carolingian Christianity', in Paul Fouracre and D. Ganz, eds, Frankland: The Franks and the World of the Early Middles Ages, (Manchester, 2008), pp. 101-125.