Wilfrid’s network bishopric and the primacy of York: writing episcopacy in Stephen’s Life of Wilfrid

Abstract

Stephen’s Life of Wilfrid offers valuable insights into the early Northumbrian church, but scholars have disagreed on its aims. This article argues that an important aspect of Stephen’s agenda was to support the episcopal primacy of York among the churches of northern Britain. An examination of Stephen’s terminology and narrative shows that Stephen stresses the importance of York as Wilfrid’s episcopal seat, while presenting Wilfrid’s jurisdiction not as a bounded territory but a wide-reaching pastoral network, capable of encompassing communities in multiple kingdoms. Understanding Stephen’s network model of episcopacy yields new insights into his political aims.