Different ways of calculating the dates for festivals may not seem sufficiently important to cause a rift among the people of God but there is a long tradition of such disagreements doing exactly that – it is one of the things which put the Essene community (primarily known to us today through the Dead Sea Scrolls) at odds with the Jerusalem establishment.
Today we remember Hilda, born in the year 614 into the royal house of Northumbria. She was baptized at the age of twelve and became a Religious at the age of thirty-three. She established monasteries at Hartlepool and Whitby. The latter became a great centre of learning and Hilda is indeed remembered as a great educator which is a reminder that while the wider church remains in disagreement about the ordination of women, even the Roman Catholic church recognises women as church teachers.
Whitby was also the meeting-place for an important Synod in the year 664 at which it was decided to adopt the Roman tradition in preference to Celtic customs. Hilda, herself formed in the Celtic way of living the faith, played a crucial rôle in reconciling others of that tradition to the decision of the Synod. Alongside monastic tonsure (how to cut hair as a sign of religious), controversy about the calculation of Easter was a key element of the Synod of Whitby, as it had been previously in the church.
We may well struggle to understand why agreement about monastic tonsure was felt necessary. Why was it not possible to agree to disagree on this, letting each monastic foundation adopt their own rules? Setting a common date for Easter is more obviously important, if one wants to celebrate together. Still today the (Eastern and Oriental) Orthodox and the (Roman and Reformed) Catholics struggle to mark the festival together because we mark it on different days. This is perhaps a reminder that even some of the less important things are not open to disagreement, if one wants to walk together. It is of course perfectly possible to respect one another, without walking together.
Hilda considered walking together more important than holding on to customs that are of secondary importance. The long term impact of such Celtic submission to Roman tradition was to preserve close links between the church in Britain and the wider church on the continent.
Hilda died on 17 November in the year 680.
