Theodore of Tarsus

This blog has covered many men and women from the past who, at a young age, decided to take on a religious lifestyle, whether in a monastery or as a hermit or a parish priest. Some of them to greater prominence as leaders of orders or monasteries, usually in their home countries. Theodore of Tarsus probably experienced a more radical shift from his origin to his ultimate career than anyone.

He was born in 602CE in Tarsus, a town (now part of Turkey) on the Cydnus River (now Berdan) on the far eastern coast of the Mediterranean. He was of Greek descent, and grew up speaking Greek, the language most common in Tarsus. The Byzantine Empire at the time was frequently warring with the Sassanid Empire (of Iran), and Tarsus suffered for it. Persian forces captured Tarsus in 613-614; later evidence suggests that Theodore was familiar with Persian culture. He probably studied at Antioch, several days' journey around a bay. 

The Persian occupation at the eastern end of the Mediterranean was still amenable to Greeks, but in 637 Tarsus and the area was conquered by Muslims. Theodore went to Constantinople, where he studied astronomy, astrology, medicine, Roman civil law, Greek rhetoric and philosophy, and how to calculate the date of Easter.

At some point in his 50s, he took the long trip to Rome and stayed with a community of monks, during which time he added Latin language and literature to his repertoire. When the See of Canterbury fell unexpectedly vacant in 667, Theodore was chosen to become the new archbishop by his new friend, Pope Vitalian. Theodore was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury in Rome on 26 March 668, and sent to England, arriving on 27 May 669.

Before we get to his career in England, however, I want to talk briefly about his election and his predecessor. For Theodore, it may have been an example of being in the right place at the right time. See you tomorrow.