Manchán of Min Droichit
Encyclopedia
Manchán of Min Droichit Irish
scholar and Abbot
, died c. 652.
, County Offaly
. His name is also attached to Disert Gallen, Co. Laois.
Manchán twice makes his appearance in Latin sources as a scholar whose authority still mattered after his death. First, he is probably the Manchianus, called pater and sapiens, who is named by an anonymous Irishman in his preface to the De mirabilibus sacrae scripturae ('On the miraculous things in sacred scripture'), written in 655 and so shortly after Manchán's death. The author, who uses the nom de plume Augustine and is for this reason known today as the Irish Pseudo-Augustine, appears to have been a pupil of Manchán as well as of one Eusebius.
Second, Manchán may be the 'M., doctor noster' who is cited in a Hiberno-Latin commentary on the Catholic Epistles for his exegetical views on the Epistle of James
. This anonymous work is uniquely preserved in a manuscript now held at Karlsruhe
(Germany), but once in the possession of the Reichenau
monastery. The glosses also cite a number of 7th-century Irish scholars, including Laidcenn mac Buith Bannaig
, Breccanus, Banbán and Bercanus mac Áed, who are known to have been associated with Cumméne Fota (Cummianus).
Irish annals record the abbot's death in 652. The Manchín commemorated on 2 January in Irish martyrologies is probably him. The same date is also picked for his contemporary Mainchín of Luimnech, whose festival is otherwise recorded on 29 December.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
scholar and Abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
, died c. 652.
Biography
Manchán was an Irish scholar and abbot of Min Droichit, now Mendrohid, in the barony of Upper OssoryOssory
The Irish geographical name Ossory can refer to:* Kingdom of Osraige* Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory* Church of Ireland diocese of the Bishop of Ossory* A prophet of the Omnian religion in Terry Pratchett's Discworld...
, County Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
. His name is also attached to Disert Gallen, Co. Laois.
Manchán twice makes his appearance in Latin sources as a scholar whose authority still mattered after his death. First, he is probably the Manchianus, called pater and sapiens, who is named by an anonymous Irishman in his preface to the De mirabilibus sacrae scripturae ('On the miraculous things in sacred scripture'), written in 655 and so shortly after Manchán's death. The author, who uses the nom de plume Augustine and is for this reason known today as the Irish Pseudo-Augustine, appears to have been a pupil of Manchán as well as of one Eusebius.
Second, Manchán may be the 'M., doctor noster' who is cited in a Hiberno-Latin commentary on the Catholic Epistles for his exegetical views on the Epistle of James
Epistle of James
The Epistle of James, usually referred to simply as James, is a book in the New Testament. The author identifies himself as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ", with "the earliest extant manuscripts of James usually dated to mid-to-late third century."There are four views...
. This anonymous work is uniquely preserved in a manuscript now held at Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
(Germany), but once in the possession of the Reichenau
Reichenau
Reichenau is a village in the municipality of Tamins in the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, where the two Rhine tributaries Vorderrhein and Hinterrhein meet, forming the Alpine Rhine....
monastery. The glosses also cite a number of 7th-century Irish scholars, including Laidcenn mac Buith Bannaig
Laidcenn mac Buith Bannaig
Laidcenn mac Buith Bannaig or Laidcend mac Baíth Bandaig was a monastic scholar at Cluain Ferta Mo-Lua ....
, Breccanus, Banbán and Bercanus mac Áed, who are known to have been associated with Cumméne Fota (Cummianus).
Irish annals record the abbot's death in 652. The Manchín commemorated on 2 January in Irish martyrologies is probably him. The same date is also picked for his contemporary Mainchín of Luimnech, whose festival is otherwise recorded on 29 December.
See also
- CaolánnCaolánn-Biography:Caolánn is credited with writing a Life of Brigid of Kildare in Latin verse. He seems to have built the first chapel on Croughnakeela, an island two miles west of Macdara's Island, off the coast of Connemara....
- Cumméne Fota
- Blessed Marianus ScotusBlessed Marianus ScotusBlessed Marianus Scotus, aka Muiredach mac Robartaig, Irish abbot and scribe.-Origins:Baptised Muiredach mac Robartaig, he became known as Marianus Scotus, a Latinazition of his first name with the appellation Scotus indicating his Irish background. He was born sometime before the middle of the...
- John Whitehead (theologian)
Further reading
Edition of the Irish commentary on the Catholic Epistles.- Pseudo-Augustine, De mirabilibus sacrae Scripturae, ed. J. P. Migne, Patrologia LatinaPatrologia LatinaThe Patrologia Latina is an enormous collection of the writings of the Church Fathers and other ecclesiastical writers published by Jacques-Paul Migne between 1844 and 1855, with indices published between 1862 and 1865....
35: 2149–200 (2152 and 2176).