Life of Saint Wilfrid by Edmer: Vita Sancti Wilfridi Auctore Edmero

This work is an edition of Edmer of Canterbury's 12th-century "Vita Sancti Wilfridi" ("Life of St Wilfrid"); it also includes a critical edition of the Latin text, a translation, historical introduction and commentary, a rhetorical analysis of Edmer's style, and two appendices. The introduction examines the influence of 12th century ecclesiastical politics on the development of the cult of St Wilfrid, and reassesses the prejudices of the early accounts of Wilfrid's life by Stephen (Eddius) and Bede.The edition is based on all known surviving texts of the "vita", including a recently discovered witness in The Ballarat Fine Arts Gallery, Australia. It traces the influence and use of the "vita" during the three centuries after it was written, with specific reference to historical and ecclesiastical compilations and its use as a source for liturgical texts. It also assesses the early printed tradition of the "vita".