774 FOURTH PEKIOD. A. D. 590-1049.
epithet, which has less to commend it, is from 'lipvy -\- yt va, 'lepvq being the Greek name for Ireland. But this leaves the disappearance of the first v to be accounted for. The far-fetched explanations of Erigena either from Ayr, a city on the west coast of Scotland, or Ergene in Here ford, a shire in England on the south Welsh border, and gena, may be dismissed without discussion.
The absence of authentic information to the contrary makes it probable that Scotus Erigena died in France. But there is a tradition that he was called by Alfred the Great into England and made abbot of Malmesbury, and there died a violent death at/ the hands of his scholars. It is inherently improbable that a conservative and loyal son of the church like Alfred, would invite to any position so eccentric, if not heretical, a man as Scotus Erigena. Charles the Bald died in 877. It is not likely that Erigena would leave France before that date, but then he was at least sixty-two, and hence rather old to change his residence. A refer ence to Asser's biography of King Alfred affords a rational explanation of the tradition. Asser says that Alfred invited from Gaul a priest and monk named John, who was remarkable for energy, talent and learn ing, in order that the king might profit by his conversation. A few pages further on, Asser calls this John an old Saxon, and says that Alfred appointed him the first abbot of Athelney, and that he was almost mur dered by hired ruffians. Mon. hist. Brit. vol. i. [1848], pp. 489, 493, 4 Eng. trans. Six Old English Chronicles in Bohn's "Antiquarian Library," pp. 70, 80, 81. It needed only that the fame of John Scotus should reach England for the John of Asser's biography to be confounded with him, and thus the story arose as it is found in Ingulph, William of Malmesbury, and Matthew Paris.
§ 177. Anastasius.
I. ANASTASIUS Bibliothecarius : Opera omnia in Migne, Tom. CXXVIL-
CXXIX. col. 744.
II. The Prolegomena in Migne, CXXVII. CEILLIER, XII. 712-718.
BiHR, 261-271.
ANASTASIUS, librarian of the Roman Church, hence surnamed " the Librarian," to distinguish him from others of the same name, was abbot of the monastery of Sancta Maria trans Tiberim under Nicolas I. (858-867). He was sent in 869 to Constantinople as ambassador to arrange a marriage between the daughter of Louis II. and a son of Basil the Macedonian. While there the eighth oecumenical council was in session, and by his knowledge of Greek he was very useful to the Papal
§177. ANASTASIUS. 775
ambassador in attendance. lie brought back with him the canons of the council and at the request of Hadrian II. trans lated them into Latin. He died, according to Baronius, in 88G.
He has been identified by some (c. y. Fabricius1 and Ilcrgenrother2) with the Cardinal presbyter Anastasius who was deposed and excommunicated in 850, anathematized in 853, but elected pope in 855 in opposition to Benedict III. whom he imprisoned. He was deposed in 856 and died in 879. Those who accept the statement are obliged to suppose that for some reason Nicolas and Louis II. condoned his fault and Hadrian II. continued him in favor. The name Anastasius is too common in Church history to render it necessary or safe to resort to such an improbable identification.
The fame of Anastasius rests upon his numerous translations from the Greek and his supposed connection with the Liber Pontificalis* His style is rude and semi-barbarous, but he brought to the knowledge of the Latins much information about the Greeks. He translated the canons of the sixth, seventh and eighth oecumenical councils;4 the Chronology of Nicephorus ; 5 the collection erf documents in Greek for the history of Monotheletism which John the Deacon had made;6 and the lives of several saints.7 He also compiled and translated from Nicephorus, George Syncelltis, and Theophanus Confessor a church history, which has been incorporated with the so-called Historia Miscdla of Paul us Diaconus.
His original writings now extant consist of a valuable histori cal introduction to the translation of the canons of the Eighth (Ecumenical Council, a preface to that of the Collectanea, three
1 Bib. Lat.med., Hamburg, 1734, I. 230.
2 Photius, II. 230-240. Wetz.er u. Welte, 2d ed. I. col. 788-792.
3 Migne, CXXVII. col. 103-CXXVIII.
* Migne, CXXIX. col. 27-512. Those of the sixth council are unpnnted.
5 Idem. col. 511-554.
6 Collect eana. Idem. col. 557-714.
. col. 7 13-738.