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= Stephen Langton =
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Introduction
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Stephen Langton (c. 1150 - 9 July 1228) was an English Cardinal of the
Roman Catholic Church and Archbishop of Canterbury between 1207 and
his death in 1228. The dispute between King John of England and Pope
Innocent III over his election was a major factor in the crisis which
produced Magna Carta in 1215. Cardinal Langton is also credited with
having divided the Bible into the standard modern arrangement of
chapters used today.
Early life and career
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His father was Henry Langton, a landowner in Langton by Wragby,
Lincolnshire. Stephen Langton may have been born in a moated farmhouse
in the village, and was probably educated in his local cathedral
school.
Stephen studied at the University of Paris and lectured there on
theology until 1206, when Pope Innocent III, with whom he had formed a
friendship in Paris, called him to Rome and made him cardinal-priest
of San Crisogono, Rome. His piety and learning had already won him
prebends in Paris and York and he was recognised as the foremost
English churchman.
His brother Simon Langton was elected Archbishop of York in 1215, but
that election was quashed by Pope Innocent III. Simon served his
brother Stephen as Archdeacon of Canterbury in 1227. Simon and Stephen
had another brother named Walter, a knight who died childless.
Archbishopric
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On the death of Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1205, the
election of a successor proved problematic: some of the younger canons
of the cathedral chapter elected Reginald, the subprior of Christ
Church, Canterbury, as bishop while another faction under pressure
from King John chose John de Grey, Bishop of Norwich. Both elections
were quashed on appeal to Rome, and sixteen canons of the chapter, who
had gone to Rome empowered to act for the whole chapter, were ordered
to proceed to a new election in presence of the Pope. Langton was
chosen and was consecrated by the Pope at Viterbo on 17 June 1207.
There followed a hard political struggle between John of England and
Pope Innocent III. The King proclaimed as a public enemy anyone who
recognised Stephen as Archbishop. On 15 July 1207, John expelled the
Canterbury chapter, which was now unanimous in support of Stephen. In
March 1208, Pope Innocent III placed England under interdict and at
the close of 1212, after repeated negotiations had failed, he passed
sentence of deposition against John, committing the execution of the
sentence to Philip II of France in January 1213.
In May 1213 King John yielded and thus in July, Stephen (who since his
consecration had lived at Pontigny Abbey in Burgundy) and his fellow
exiles returned to England. His first episcopal act was to absolve the
King, who swore that unjust laws should be repealed and the liberties
granted by Henry I should be observed—an oath which he almost
immediately violated.
Stephen now became a leader in the struggle against King John. At a
council of churchmen at Westminster on 25 August 1213, to which
certain barons were invited, he read the text of the charter of Henry
I and called for its renewal. In the sequel, Stephen's energetic
leadership and the barons' military strength forced John to grant his
seal to 'Magna Carta' (15 June 1215).
Since King John now held his kingdom as a fief of the Holy See the
Pope espoused his cause and excommunicated the barons. For refusing to
publish the excommunication Stephen was suspended from all
ecclesiastical functions by the papal commissioners and on 4 November
this sentence was confirmed by the Pope, although Stephen appealed to
him in person. He was released from suspension the following spring on
condition that he keep out of England until peace was restored, and he
remained abroad till May 1218. Meanwhile, both Pope Innocent and King
John died and all parties in England rallied to the support of Henry
III.
Stephen Langton continued under Henry's reign to work for the
political independence of England. In 1223 he again appeared as the
leader and spokesman of the barons, who demanded that King Henry
confirm the charter. He went to France on Henry's behalf to call on
Louis VIII of France for the restoration of Normandy, and later he
supported Henry against rebellious barons. He obtained a promise from
the new pope, Honorius III, that during his lifetime no resident
legate should be again sent to England, and won other concessions from
the same pontiff favourable to the English Church and exalting the see
of Canterbury.
Of great importance in the ecclesiastical history of England was a
council which Stephen opened at Osney on 17 April 1222; its decrees,
known as the 'Constitutions of Stephen Langton,' are the earliest
provincial canons which are still recognised as binding in English
church courts.
Death
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He died at Slindon, near Chichester, Sussex, on 9 July 1228. He was
buried in some open ground beside the south transept of Canterbury
Cathedral. St Michael's Chapel was later built over this ground (now
the Buffs Regimental Chapel), and the head of his tomb projects into
the east end of this chapel, under its altar, with the foot outside
it.
Works
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Stephen was a prolific writer. Glosses, commentaries, expositions, and
treatises by him on almost all the books of the Old Testament, and
many sermons, are preserved in manuscript at Lambeth Palace, at Oxford
and Cambridge, and in France.
According to F. J. E. Raby, "There is little reason to doubt that
Stephen Langton ... was the author" of the famous sequence 'Veni
Sancte Spiritus'.
The only other of his works which has been printed, besides a few
letters (in 'The Historical Works of Gervase of Canterbury', ed. W.
Stubbs, ii. London, 1880, 'Rolls Series,' no. 71, appendix to preface)
is a 'Tractatus de translatione Beati Thomae' (in J. A. Giles's
'Thomas of Canterbury', Oxford, 1845), which is probably an expansion
of a sermon he preached in 1220, on occasion of the translation of the
relics of Thomas Becket; the ceremony was the most splendid that had
ever been seen in England. He also wrote a life of Richard I, and
other historical works and poems are attributed to him.
Chapters of the Bible
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Classically, scrolls of the books of the Bible have always been
divided by blank spaces at the end ('petuhoth') or middle ('setumoth')
of the lines. However, Langton is believed to be the one who divided
the Bible into the standard modern arrangement of chapters. While
Cardinal Hugo de Sancto Caro is also known to have come up with a
systematic division of the Bible (between 1244 and 1248), it is
Langton's arrangement of the chapters that remains in use today.
External links
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*
[http://magnacarta800th.com/schools/biographies/magna-carta-bishops/stephen-langton/
Ambler, Sophie. "Stephen Langton", Magna Carta 800th Anniversary]
* [http://openn.library.upenn.edu/Data/0023/html/lewis_e_035.html
Lewis E 35 Biblical commentary on the Pentateuch (Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers) at OPenn]
License
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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Langton