What happened at the Synod of Whitby? What happened at the Synod of Whitby? The Celtic missionaries won the debate. Roman missionaries insisted that Easter was a pagan holiday that Christians should not celebrate. Celtic missionaries based their argument on the doctrine of Petrine Supremacy. They argued about providing the date of Easter correctly.
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer:
They argued about providing the date of Easter correctly.
Explanation (300 words):
The Synod of Whitby, held in 664 AD in Northumbria (modern-day England), was a significant meeting that resolved religious disagreements between Roman and Celtic Christian practices in the early English Church. The central issue was the correct date for celebrating Easter.
At that time, Celtic Christians, mainly from Irish missionary traditions, calculated Easter differently than the Roman Christians. This difference in calculation sometimes resulted in members of the same royal household celebrating Easter on different dates—causing confusion and division. For instance, King Oswiu of Northumbria followed the Celtic method, while his wife, Queen Eanfled, followed the Roman tradition.
To resolve the dispute, King Oswiu convened the Synod at Whitby Abbey, where both sides presented their arguments. The Celtic missionaries based their tradition on the practices they inherited from St. Columba and other early Irish Christians. However, they did not base their arguments on Petrine Supremacy—a doctrine asserting the primacy of the Pope based on Saint Peter’s authority.
The Roman missionaries, represented by Wilfrid, argued that their calculation method was aligned with the wider Christian world, especially the Church in Rome. Wilfrid emphasized Petrine Supremacy, claiming that Saint Peter was given the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven by Christ and that Rome, as Peter’s seat, held ultimate authority.
Ultimately, King Oswiu sided with the Roman practice, mainly due to the argument about Peter’s authority and the desire for unity with the universal Church. This decision led to the standardization of Roman practices in England, including the Roman calculation of Easter.
In summary, the main debate was over the correct method for determining the date of Easter, and the Roman position prevailed—not because Easter was considered pagan, nor because the Celtic side won.