22 Times, T h u r s d a y,M a rc h 6,2014 Way We Were CAN-EO1-S2 canterburytimes.co.uk Thought for the week IBy Jonny Moore Assistant Minister Emmanuel Church Archbishop paid for SOMETHING strange happened at the University of Kent last week. In fact, something strange has been happening at universities up and down the country. Students have been talking about Jesus. opposition with life And I don’t just mean the ones who are studying theology, or the ‘re l i g i o u s ’ones –they’ve all been at Wa y we we r e it. Last week, hundreds of UKC Richard West students –some from Christian Founder of the backgrounds, many from other Chaucer faiths or with no faith at all –got Education Project together to hear talks and discuss v l e . t c e p . o rg . u k questions like, ‘Isn’t Christianity just a load of boring old rules’? and, ‘Isn’t the Bible just a nice bedtime EIGHT hundred and fifty years ago, story’? and, ‘What does God have on January 30, 1164, the to say about suffering’? Constitutions of Clarendon were Around the country thousands of enacted by King Henry II. The THE SAINT: A stained Glass other students have been doing the constitutions were a set of Window of Thomas Becket in same. legislative procedures which Canterbury Cathedral Even more strange is that Archbishop Thomas Becket was students have not just been talking asked to sign to establish the King’s and Thomas Becket, as the about Jesus –many have also rights. Archbishop resigned his made the life-changing decision to The alternative for Becket would chancellorship soon after taking up follow him: to accept Jesus’offer of be to face political repercussions if his new office. This led to conflict the forgiveness of their sins (and he did not do so. with the king. let’s be honest, we all need that); to The circumstances occurring Attempts by the King to influence hand over control of their lives to after the ultimatum was made to the other bishops against Thomas Jesus (and which of us could say the Archbishop and of his refusal to began in Westminster in October we really do the best job of running sign the Constitutions of Clarendon, 1163, when the King sought our own lives ourselves?); and to began to initiate the events which approval of his traditional rights. trust Jesus with their deaths, that eventually led to Archbishop In due course, this led to the he can get them through it to enjoy Thomas Becket’s murder in SCENE OF CONFLICT: Thomas Becket was murdered at Canterbury Cathedral on the orders of the king Constitutions of Clarendon, the set eternal life (and who else can offer Canterbury Cathedral on December of legislative procedures, enacted us that with any confidence?). 29, 1170 and subsequently of the 1120, on December 21, the feast When he was ten, Thomas was by the King at Clarendon Palace, Of course, there’s nothing to stop penance by King Henry II at the day of St Thomas the Apostle. sent as a student to Merton Priory MARKING THE which Archbishop Thomas Becket the rest of us who aren’t students cathedral to the bishops and monks Thomas was the son of Gilbert and in England and later attended a GREAT WAR refused to sign. from doing the same thing –what of Canterbury on July 12, 1174. Matilda Becket. Gilbert Becket was grammar school in London. As Chancellor, Thomas Becket Jesus demands and offers is the Thomas Becket was born in a wealthy Norman from Rouen who Sometime after he began his IDo you have a family tale from enforced the king’s traditional same for everyone. Cheapside, London, probably in dealt in city rents and properties. schooling, his father suffered the First World War? Tell us by sources of revenue extracted from financially, through it seems the e-mail at newsdesk.times@ all landowners, including churches great fire of 1133 starting in his KRNmedia.co.uk or share it at and bishoprics. King Henry even house and burning down so much canterbur ytimes.co.u k sent his son Henry to live in of the city that his properties were Thomas’s household, it being the seriously diminished and he named Thomas Becket as custom then for noble children to reduced himself to comparative Archdeacon of Canterbury. Other be fostered out to other noble p o v e r t y. ecclesiastical offices held by houses. About the year 1140, Gilbert Thomas Becket included a number The younger Henry was reported Becket first secured a place for his of benefices, prebends at Lincoln to have said Thomas Becket son in the business of a relative, Cathedral and St Paul’s Cathedral, showed him more fatherly love in a Osbert Huitdeniers (whose surname and the office of Provost of day than his father did for his entire in English is Eightpence) as sheriff’s B e v e r l e y. life. clerk, giving him his first taste of His efficiency in those posts led An emotional attachment to royal administration. to Archbishop Theobald Thomas Becket as a foster father Later, Thomas acquired a recommending Thomas Becket to may have been one of the reasons position in the household of King Henry II for the vacant post of the younger Henry subsequently Theobald of Bec, who by then was Lord Chancellor, to which Thomas turned against his father. Archbishop of Canterbury. was appointed in January 1155. Archbishop Theobald entrusted King Henry II appointed Thomas Thomas Becket with several Becket to the post of Archbishop of important missions to Rome and Canterbury in 1162, several months also sent him to Bologna and after the death of Archbishop Auxerre to study canon law. Theobald. In 1154, Archbishop Theobald Thomas Becket’s election to the post of Archbishop was confirmed on May 23, 1162 by a royal council of bishops and noblemen. King Henry might have hoped that Thomas would continue to put the royal government first, rather than that of the church, but instead, Archbishop Becket began leading a life of abstinence and dedication to his role of leading the church. Thomas Becket was ordained a priest on June 2, 1162 at Canterbury. On the following day, he was consecrated Archbishop by Henry of Blois, the Bishop of Winchester and the other suffragan KILLING: The earliest known RULE OF LAW: The Great Seal bishops of Canterbury. portrayal of Thomas Becket's of King Henry II A rift grew between King Henry II murder in Canterbury Cathedral Professor to give city talk FRIENDS of the Canterbury been culturally and IThe talk will take place at the Archaeological Trust (FCAT) economically integrated into the Lecture Room Ng 03, Newton will host a talk by Professor wider European world for some Building, North Holmes Road David Birmingham looking at 10,000 years. Old stone axes were Campus, Canterbury Christ the city’s history. fashioned downstream at Church University on March 12 Professor Birmingham will Fordwich, new stone tumuli at 7pm. FCAT requests a take a look back at the ancient were built upstream by farmers donation of £2 (members), £3 roots of Canterbury. Before the at Chilham, and a polished jade (non-members) and £1 (students) Normans arrived to build their tool was imported from the to cover costs and to help great cathedral, Canterbury had Alpine Dolomites. support the T r ust.