Томас Бэкет
Thomas Becket (1118–1170) was Lord Chancellor of England in the twelfth century under Henry II, archbishop of Canterbury, and an incarnation of the ascended master El Morya. He was deeply devoted to the will of God and endured years of conflict with King Henry II over the rights of Church versus State. Becket was brutally murdered in his own cathedral by four knights who acted in response to Henry's desire to be rid “of this turbulent priest.” For centuries after his death, pilgrims flocked to his tomb at Canterbury and Saint Thomas worked many miracles there.
Early life
Томас был человеком действия, находившим радость и в трудной работе, и в острой полемике. Молодым человеком он получил образование в лучших школах Европы и служил архиепископу Кентерберийскому Теобальду, который представил его королю и рекомендовал на должность канцлера. О Бэкете и короле говорили, что у них было одно сердце и один ум, и, возможно, именно влияние канцлера во многом определило многочисленные преобразования в английском законе, которые ставят в заслугу Генриху.
Сэр Томас имел склонность к роскоши, и его дом считался даже более изысканным, чем королевский. Облаченный в доспехи, как и каждый участвующий в сражении, он возглавлял атаки и бился в рукопашном бою - волевой, суровый, однако безукоризненно добродетельный и глубоко религиозный человек.
In 1161, Archbishop Theobald died and Henry called Becket to fill the office. Henry’s motive was simple. By placing his friend in the highest offices of both Church and State, Henry would bypass the traditional tension between the archbishop and the king. Becket, however, hesitated. He foresaw the inevitable conflict between the interests of the king and the interests of the Church.
The chancellor declined Henry’s request, warning the king that such a position would separate them on moral principles. Sir Thomas told him: “There are several things you do now in prejudice of the rights of the Church which make me fear you would require of me what I could not agree to.” The king paid no heed and hastened to have Thomas consecrated archbishop on the octave of Pentecost, 1162. Becket finally accepted the office as “God’s hidden will.”
Послушный королю и смиренный в любви своей перед волей Бога, Бэкет оставил свои владения, пышный образ жизни и начал жизнь аскета. На теле он тайно носил власяницу. Всеми любимый архиепископ проводил свои дни, помогая бедным, изучая Священное Писание, посещая приюты и наблюдая за работой монахов.
Conflict with the king
Исполняя обязанности духовного судьи Церкви, Томас был неукоснительно справедлив. Хотя, став архиепископом, Бэкет, вопреки желанию короля, отказался от канцлерства, тем не менее, как он и предсказал, взаимоотношения Церкви и государства вскоре стали центром серьезных разногласий. Поскольку в то время Церковь владела обширными землями, то, когда Генрих распорядился, чтобы налоги на недвижимость выплачивались непосредственно в его собственную казну,- что фактически было возмутительной формой незаконных поборов, - Томас выразил протест. В другом случае, дело некоего духовного лица, обвиняемого в умышленном убийстве королевского солдата, было, в соответствии с давно установленным законом, рассмотрено в церковном суде, и обвиняемый был оправдан. Возник спор, поскольку Генрих посчитал архиепископа пристрастным судьей.
Король пребывал в раздражении и выразил свое недовольство Томасу, созвав в Вестминстере собор, на котором епископы под давлением короля с неохотой согласились на революционные Кларендонские постановления, которые узаконивали некоторые королевские "обычаи" в делах Церкви и запрещали прелатам покидать королевство без королевского разрешения. Эти положения наносили серьезный ущерб авторитету и престижу Церкви.
Не внимая новому закону, Томас пересек Ла-Манш, чтобы изложить дело папе римскому. Склонный к мстительности, король приказал ему отказаться от определенных имущественных прав и отличий и начал кампанию по его дискредитации и преследованию. Король Франции Людовик решил поддержать Церковь и принял гонимого архиепископа.
While submitting himself to the strict Cistercian rule in the monastery at Pontigny, Thomas received a letter from the bishops and other clergy of England deploring his “hostile attitude” to the king and imploring him to be more conciliatory and forgiving. Becket replied:
For a long time I have been silent, waiting if perchance the Lord would inspire you to pluck up your strength again; if perchance one, at least, of you all would arise and take his stand as a wall to defend the house of Israel, would put on at least the appearance of entering the battle against those who never cease daily to attack the army of the Lord. I have waited; not one has arisen. I have endured; not one has taken a stand. I have been silent; not one has spoken. I have dissimulated; not one has fought even in appearance.... Let us then, all together, make haste to act so that God’s wrath descend not on us as on negligent and idle shepherds, that we be not counted dumb dogs, too feeble to bark.
Becket excommunicated the bishops who had aided Henry. He also threatened England with an interdict that would forbid the people from participating in church functions.
The historic quarrel had dragged on for three years when at last King Louis was able to effect a partial reconciliation between Thomas and Henry. Henry invited Becket to return to England, where he was welcomed by enthusiastic crowds. As he entered Canterbury Cathedral it was said of him by a contemporary biographer, “Some saw and marveled at the face of this man, for it seemed as though his flaming heart burned in his very countenance.”
Martyrdom
Becket was met with fierce hostility from some, however. Three bishops who had been excommunicated by Thomas for direct disobedience to the Pope went before the king, who remained yet in France. In a fit of rage, Henry cried out, “What disloyal cowards do I have in my court that not one will free me of this lowborn priest?”
Four barons who overheard the king’s remarks plotted to kill Becket. When the archbishop received word of their plan, he said, “I think I know for certain that I will be slain. But they will find me ready to suffer pain and death for God’s name.”
On December 29, 1170, the barons brutally murdered Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, four days after Christmas. His last words were, “For the name of Jesus and the defense of the Church, I embrace death.”
The incredible sacrilege of murdering an archbishop in his own cathedral produced a reaction of horror throughout Christendom. When the news was brought to the king, he realized that his mistaken remark had caused Becket’s death. Henry shut himself up and fasted for forty days and later did public penance in Canterbury Cathedral.
Legacy
The body of Thomas Becket was placed in a tomb in the cathedral, which became the focus for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims—immortalized by Chaucer in his Canterbury Tales—who came to the shrine to witness the miracles that were wrought by Archbishop Becket’s intercession. Within three years, Thomas Becket was canonized a saint and martyr.
The motion picture Becket, based on the play Becket by Jean Anouilh, is the dramatic portrayal of the life of Thomas Becket.
See also
Sources
Holy Days Calendar, December 1993.
El Morya, The Chela and the Path: Keys to Soul Mastery in the Aquarian Age.
Elizabeth Clare Prophet, February 17, 1991.