成人快手

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• 1. Alcuin of York (c.735-804)
• 2. An ambassador and scholar
• 3. Divine retribution
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An ambassador and scholar

Alcuin was not himself a great or innovative thinker, but he was a superb teacher and scholar. He had the ability to guide others through what he saw as 'golden whirlpools of spiritual meaning', and to inspire them to rise to even greater intellectual heights. He wrote educational manuals, poetry and copied classical texts, and above all he was a copious writer of letters.

At Charlemagne's court he acted almost as an English ambassador. He provided a link with the English royal court and exchanged information and ideas on a regular basis, not just with secular and ecclesiastical leaders but with personal friends. He must have had a special gift for making and keeping friends and he wrote to them at length.

'... a preacher of piety, not an exactor of tithes ... '

His correspondence was clearly appreciated, for it was collected and copied for distribution to centres of learning, such as Salzburg, as early as 798. Many of his letters read like exhortations, for he was concerned over social and educational issues as well as Church reform. A missionary friend was recommended to be 'a preacher of piety, not an exactor of tithes', to guide people into good living rather than taking taxes for the benefit of the Church. In a letter to the monks of Jarrow and Monkwearmouth in Northumbria, he encouraged them to ...

'... consider the splendour of your churches, the beauty of your buildings, your way of life according to the Rule ... Let the boys be present with praises of the heavenly king, and not be digging foxes out of holes or following the fleeting courses of hares ... he who does not learn when he is young, does not teach when he is old.'

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Published: 2004-11-08