Ithamar (bishop)

Ithamar was consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Honorius, and was said by Bede to be "of the Kentish nation, but not inferior to his [episcopal] predecessors for learning and conduct of life".Bede, Ecclesiastical History, 3.14

Upon consecration as bishop, Ithamar took his new name from Ithamar, a son of Aaron, from the Old Testament. Although a number of new Anglo-Saxon bishops had taken new names upon either entering religious life or upon consecration as bishops, these names were usually taken from church history.Sharpe "Naming of Bishop Ithamar" English Historical Review, pp. 890–891 The practice of taking a new name from the Old Testament was extremely rare in the Roman tradition, but did occur more often in the Celtic Church.Sharpe "Naming of Bishop Ithamar" English Historical Review, pp. 892–894

As bishop, Ithamar consecrated Deusdedit as the first Saxon archbishop of Canterbury on 26 March 655.Bethell "Miracles of St. Ithamar" Analecta Bollandiana pp. 421–423

Ithamar died between 655 and 664,Fryde, et al. Handbook of British Chronology p. 221 probably close to 656, at Rochester.Walsh A New Dictionary of Saints p. 287

After Ithamar's death he was considered a saint and given a shrine at Rochester Cathedral. His feast day is 10 June. There is no written Life detailing his biography, but a short work giving his miracles was composed in the 12th century. At that time, his remains were translated to a new larger shrine in Rochester Cathedral. The work on his miracles survives in one manuscript, MS Corpus Christi College Cambridge 161.

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• {{cite journal |author= Bethell, D. T. |title=The Miracles of St Ithamar |journal=Analecta Bollandiana |volume=89 |year=1971|pages= 421–437}}
• {{cite book| author=Farmer, David Hugh |title=Oxford Dictionary of Saints |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2004 |edition=Fifth |location=Oxford, UK |isbn= 978-0-19-860949-0}}
• {{cite book |author1=Fryde, E. B. |author2=Greenway, D. E. |author3=Porter, S. |author4=Roy, I. |title=Handbook of British Chronology|edition=Third revised |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |year=1996 |isbn=0-521-56350-X }}
• {{cite journal|title= The Naming of Bishop Ithamar |author=Sharpe, R. |journal=The English Historical Review |date=September 2002 |volume= 117 |issue=473 |pages=889–894|doi= 10.1093/ehr/117.473.889}}
• {{cite book |title= A New Dictionary of Saints: East and West |last=Walsh |first=Michael J. |year=2007 |publisher= Burns & Oats |location=London |isbn=0-86012-438-X }}

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• {{PASE|1708|Ithamar 1}} – listing of most contemporary and close to contemporary mentions of Ithamar in the primary sources.
• {{cite book |last1=Hutchinson |first1=John |title=Men of Kent and Kentishmen |date=1892 |publisher=Cross & Jackman |location=Canterbury |page=78 |edition=Subscription |chapter=Ithamar}}

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{{s-rel| Christian titles}}

{{s-bef | before=Paulinus of York}}

{{s-ttl| title=Bishop of Rochester | years=644–c. 660}}

{{s-aft | after=Damianus}}

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{{Bishops of Rochester}}

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{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}

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{{short description|7th-century Bishop of Rochester and saint}}

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Category:Bishops of Rochester

Category:7th-century English bishops

Category:Burials at Rochester Cathedral