Table of Contents

Part One - Alcuin's formation & reputation
1. The legacy of Bede
2. Formation at York
3. Scholars at Charlemagne's court
4. Controversy over Images

Part Two - Adoptionism
5. Spanish Adoptionism
6. The Frankish Reaction
7. Felix & Alcuin
8. Alcuin's De Fide

Part Three - Mission, Episcopacy & Monarchy
9. Mission
10. Hagiography
11. Alcuin & the Bishops
12. King Dei Gratia

Part Four - The Bible
13. The Tours scriptorium
14. Alcuin & the Old Testament
15. Alcuin & the New Testament

Part Five - Prayer
16. Cultivating prayer
17. Penitence
18. Liturgy

Part Six - Education
19. The Teacher
20. Cultivating the Mind
21. Theology for the laity

Part Seven - Poetry
22. The poet & his friends
23. The poet at work
24. Theology of friendship

About the Author

Douglas Dales was educated at St Dunstan's College, London, and was a scholar of Christ Church, Oxford: he holds degrees in history and theology. He is a parish priest in eight parishes in the diocese of Oxford, and was Chaplain and Head of Religious Studies at Malborough College. He is married with three children and is the author of Dunstan (1988) and Light to the Isles (2010).

Reviews

"Alcuin deserves to be recognised - far more than has often been the case - as a key figure in the evolution of the mediaeval mind; and no one reading this book could fail to see him in this light. This is a fine and welcome tribute to one of the greatest gifts the British Church gave to the wider Catholic fellowship in the early Middle Ages."
Dr Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury

"...a thorough and careful account ... with full scholarly apparatus and a warm appreciation of Alcuin's achievement in making the complexities of Augustine and much else intelligible in a different world, which was already under Viking attack as he wrote."
Lucy Beckett, in The Times Literary Supplement, 28 June 2013

"...offers an enjoyable introduction to an important period in the history of the Church in Western Europe."
Dr G.R. Evans, in Church Times, 8 November 2013

"Covering his life, influences, and works, this book offers its reader a well-researched study in Alcuin. ... The book as a whole is quite detailed ... and is perhaps more suited to those seeking a more robust academic read. ... a useful book on the life and times of a significant Christian figure."
Kris Hiuser, University of Chester, in Theological Book Review , Vol 25, No 2

'Douglas Dales' two books on Alcuin are well researched and well expressed, based on a wide range of scholarship, both historical and theological, and the books combine to provide important source material for scholars working on either Alcuin or his very powerful friend, Charlemagne. ... There are excellent sections in both books on Alcuin's early life and problems in England, and his enforced stay in Europe. His wide ranging literary works are well discussed, as are his relationship with Charlemagne and with his fellow courtiers, and the theological implications are well covered in great depth, and the final chapter on poetry is very interesting. ... the two books should serve to reinforce the important role played by Alcuin as a key theologian and significant politician at a very interesting period of European history.'
John R. C. Martyn, University of Melbourne, in Journal of Religious History, Vol 38, Issue 1

'Dales's project is even more ambitious than advertised, embracing nothing less than Alcuin's entire oeuvre, together with the broader circumstances of Charlemagne's cultural and religious programs. [...] The author marshals an impressive body of material, including many extracts from Alcuin's letters and a broad array of citations to secondary scholarship.'
Eric Knibbs, Williams College, in The Medieval Review, 14.05.03

"A comprehensive study on Alcuin of York. The author examines his thoughts and his works, as well as the political role within the court of Charlemagne."
Medioevo Latino, 35, (2014)

"The notes for the book printed in the back are evidence of Dale's knowledge of Alcuin's works, his sources and the extensive scholarship has appeared in recent years."
George Hardin Brown, Revue D'Histoire Ecclesistique, vol 109, issue 1, 2014

"A survey of Alcuin's many contributions to the Carolingian intellectual heritage, especially as regards theology, drawing on the rich research of recent decades ... This relatively short book will be useful for those studying this period of early medieval history and theology in schools and universities."
Anneli Luhtala, Journal of Theological Studies, vol 66 issue 1, April 2015

"Alcuin's literary and poetic skill, his philosophy as a Christian educator, and the other departments of his work, ministry and relationships, are handled in a way that build up a three-dimensional picture not just of the man, but of the age as a whole. ...True to the man, and in explanation of his influence, the second volume ends with the theme 'Alcuin's Theology of Friendship'. These two volumes are indeed worth befriending."
-Charles Miller, Fairacres Chronicle, Vol. 48, No. 2, Winter 2015

"They [Alcuin: Theology and Thought and Alcuin: His Life and Legacy] are superbly written and really complement eachother without their content overlapping."
-J. Robert Wright, Anglican and Episcopal History, Vol. 83 No. 4