Dagan (bishop)
Encyclopedia
Dagan was an Irish bishop in Britain during the early part of the 7th century.
Dagan is known from a letter written by Archbishop Laurence of Canterbury
to the Irish bishops and abbots, in which Laurence attempted to persuade the Irish clergy to accept the Roman method of calculating the date of Easter. Dagan is mentioned in the letter as having recently arrived in Kent. Laurence mentions that Dagan had refused to either share a roof with the Roman missionaries or to eat with them. The full mention of Dagan is "But we have learned from bishop Dagan who came to the above-mentioned island [Britannia] and from abbot Columbanus in Gaul, that they [the Irish clergy] do not differ from the Britons in their way of life. For when Bishop Dagan came to us he refused to take food, not only with us but even in the very house where we took meals." The letter is preserved in Bede
's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
, but as it is recorded there it lacks any closing formulas, so dating it is difficult. Although a date of shortly after 610 has been put forward by Paul Grossjean, the letter could have been written at any time between around 605, when Laurence became archbishop and around 616, when King Æthelberht of Kent died and a pagan reaction against the missionaries set in.
The letter provides no sure dating for when the missionaries met with Dagan, as it does not specify that the meeting took place during Laurence's tenure of Canterbury, merely that it had occurred prior to the letter being sent. This gives a possibility of between the missionaries arrival and Laurence's death. The Gregorian mission
arrived in Kent in 597, and it known that Augustine of Canterbury
, the leader of the mission, met with native British bishops at least once, although the meeting did not go well.
Besides the letter, which is the only contemporary mention of Dagan, there are mentions of him in Irish annals and in an episcopal list preserved in the Book of Leinster
, but none of these other mentions are contemporary to Dagan's lifetime. Nor is there a hagiography
on his life. He should not be confused with Daig mac Cairill, the patron saint of Inis Cain, who died around 587. Occasionally Dagan has been claimed as a monk of Bangor, but this appears to stem from confusion with Daig mac Cairill, who was a monk there. The other mentions of Dagan give him a death date of around 640. Later scholars, including John Bale
, attributed a letter entitled ad Brytannorum ecclesias, but this is mistaken. Further late records have Dagan moving to Scotland, where he settled at Whithorn
and became "ruling cleric" there.
The Stowe Missal
as well as the Martyrology of Tallaght
, both of which were composed about 830, show that Dagan was revered as a saint at that point. The Martyrology of Tallaght gives a feast date of 12 March for him, and states that the date is his death date. Other maryrologies
give a feast date of 13 September, which may mean that there were two different Dagan's who early writers confused.
The historian Roy Flechner has pointed out that it was possible that Dagan's refusal to share a meal or a roof with the Gregorian missionaries was a form of excommunication
that is described in some Irish legal books.
Some historians have identified this Bishop Dagan with Dagan of Inber Doile, who died around 640, and was either a bishop or priest at Inber Doile. Objections to this identification include the fact that in order to have been consecrated a bishop at the canonically minimum age of 30, he would have been quite old at his death in 640 or so. Another objection is that many of the documents mentioning Dagan of Inber Doile do not style him a bishop, although a few do. Definitive proof of whether or not the Dagan the bishop of Laurence's letter is the same as Dagan of Inber Doile is lacking.
Flechner has also pointed out that a letter of Columbanus
mentions Dagon
, the Philistine fertility god. However, according to Flechner, Columbanus was fond of puns dealing with proper names and may have also intended the reference to Dagon to also refer to Dagan, the Irish bishop mentioned by Laurence.
Dagan is known from a letter written by Archbishop Laurence of Canterbury
Laurence of Canterbury
Laurence was the second Archbishop of Canterbury from about 604 to 619. He was a member of the Gregorian mission sent from Italy to England to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism, although the date of his arrival is disputed...
to the Irish bishops and abbots, in which Laurence attempted to persuade the Irish clergy to accept the Roman method of calculating the date of Easter. Dagan is mentioned in the letter as having recently arrived in Kent. Laurence mentions that Dagan had refused to either share a roof with the Roman missionaries or to eat with them. The full mention of Dagan is "But we have learned from bishop Dagan who came to the above-mentioned island [Britannia] and from abbot Columbanus in Gaul, that they [the Irish clergy] do not differ from the Britons in their way of life. For when Bishop Dagan came to us he refused to take food, not only with us but even in the very house where we took meals." The letter is preserved in Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
The Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum is a work in Latin by Bede on the history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the conflict between Roman and Celtic Christianity.It is considered to be one of the most important original references on...
, but as it is recorded there it lacks any closing formulas, so dating it is difficult. Although a date of shortly after 610 has been put forward by Paul Grossjean, the letter could have been written at any time between around 605, when Laurence became archbishop and around 616, when King Æthelberht of Kent died and a pagan reaction against the missionaries set in.
The letter provides no sure dating for when the missionaries met with Dagan, as it does not specify that the meeting took place during Laurence's tenure of Canterbury, merely that it had occurred prior to the letter being sent. This gives a possibility of between the missionaries arrival and Laurence's death. The Gregorian mission
Gregorian mission
The Gregorian mission, sometimes known as the Augustinian mission, was the missionary endeavour sent by Pope Gregory the Great to the Anglo-Saxons in 596 AD. Headed by Augustine of Canterbury, its goal was to convert the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. By the death of the last missionary in 653, they...
arrived in Kent in 597, and it known that Augustine of Canterbury
Augustine of Canterbury
Augustine of Canterbury was a Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597...
, the leader of the mission, met with native British bishops at least once, although the meeting did not go well.
Besides the letter, which is the only contemporary mention of Dagan, there are mentions of him in Irish annals and in an episcopal list preserved in the Book of Leinster
Book of Leinster
The Book of Leinster , is a medieval Irish manuscript compiled ca. 1160 and now kept in Trinity College, Dublin, under the shelfmark MS H 2.18...
, but none of these other mentions are contemporary to Dagan's lifetime. Nor is there a hagiography
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
on his life. He should not be confused with Daig mac Cairill, the patron saint of Inis Cain, who died around 587. Occasionally Dagan has been claimed as a monk of Bangor, but this appears to stem from confusion with Daig mac Cairill, who was a monk there. The other mentions of Dagan give him a death date of around 640. Later scholars, including John Bale
John Bale
John Bale was an English churchman, historian and controversialist, and Bishop of Ossory. He wrote the oldest known historical verse drama in English , and developed and published a very extensive list of the works of British authors down to his own time, just as the monastic libraries were being...
, attributed a letter entitled ad Brytannorum ecclesias, but this is mistaken. Further late records have Dagan moving to Scotland, where he settled at Whithorn
Whithorn
Whithorn is a former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, about ten miles south of Wigtown. The town was the location of the first recorded Christian church in Scotland, Candida Casa : the 'White [or 'Shining'] House', built by Saint Ninian about 397.-Eighth and twelfth centuries:A...
and became "ruling cleric" there.
The Stowe Missal
Stowe Missal
The Stowe Missal, which is strictly speaking a sacramentary rather than a missal, is an Irish illuminated manuscript written mainly in Latin with some Gaelic in about 750. In the mid-11th century it was annotated and some pages rewritten at Lorrha Monastery in County Tipperary, Ireland...
as well as the Martyrology of Tallaght
Martyrology of Tallaght
The Martyrology of Tallaght, which is closely related to the Félire Oengusso or Martyrology of Óengus the Culdee, is an eighth- or ninth-century martyrology, a list of saints and their feast days assembled by Máel Ruain and/or Óengus the Culdee at Tallaght Monastery, near Dublin...
, both of which were composed about 830, show that Dagan was revered as a saint at that point. The Martyrology of Tallaght gives a feast date of 12 March for him, and states that the date is his death date. Other maryrologies
Martyrology
A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs , arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. Local martyrologies record exclusively the custom of a particular Church. Local lists were enriched by names borrowed from neighbouring churches...
give a feast date of 13 September, which may mean that there were two different Dagan's who early writers confused.
The historian Roy Flechner has pointed out that it was possible that Dagan's refusal to share a meal or a roof with the Gregorian missionaries was a form of excommunication
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
that is described in some Irish legal books.
Some historians have identified this Bishop Dagan with Dagan of Inber Doile, who died around 640, and was either a bishop or priest at Inber Doile. Objections to this identification include the fact that in order to have been consecrated a bishop at the canonically minimum age of 30, he would have been quite old at his death in 640 or so. Another objection is that many of the documents mentioning Dagan of Inber Doile do not style him a bishop, although a few do. Definitive proof of whether or not the Dagan the bishop of Laurence's letter is the same as Dagan of Inber Doile is lacking.
Flechner has also pointed out that a letter of Columbanus
Columbanus
Columbanus was an Irish missionary notable for founding a number of monasteries on the European continent from around 590 in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms, most notably Luxeuil and Bobbio , and stands as an exemplar of Irish missionary activity in early medieval Europe.He spread among the...
mentions Dagon
Dagon
Dagon was originally an Assyro-Babylonian fertility god who evolved into a major northwest Semitic god, reportedly of grain and fish and/or fishing...
, the Philistine fertility god. However, according to Flechner, Columbanus was fond of puns dealing with proper names and may have also intended the reference to Dagon to also refer to Dagan, the Irish bishop mentioned by Laurence.