Robert Grosseteste

Lore & Background

Robert Grosseteste was born to a low-income family in Suffolk, though the specific village of Stradbroke is only linked to him by later tradition. He was a statesman, scholastic philosopher, theologian, scientist, and Bishop of Lincoln. After his death, he was venerated as a saint in England, but formal canonization was never achieved. A. C. Crombie described him as the true originator of the scientific tradition at medieval Oxford and, in some respects, of the modern English intellectual tradition. However, as a theologian, he also fostered hostility toward Jews and Judaism, propagating the claim that Jews had deliberately suppressed prophetic knowledge of Christ’s coming through his translation of the *Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs*. Very little direct evidence survives about his early education. He may have received a liberal arts education at Lincoln and is recorded as a master witnessing for the bishop of Lincoln in the late 1180s or early 1190s. From around 1195, he served in the household of the Bishop of Hereford, William de Vere, and a letter from Gerald of Wales praises his skills. After William’s death in 1198, the household dissolved, and Grosseteste’s movements are unclear for about two decades, though he likely spent time in France during the English interdict (1208–14) and acted as a papal judge-delegate around 1216. By 1225, he held the benefice of Abbotsley in the diocese of Lincoln and was a deacon. Scholars disagree whether he began teaching theology at Oxford that year or used his income to study at the University of Paris. By 1229/30, he was clearly teaching at Oxford as lector in theology to the Franciscans, a role he held until March 1235. He may have been Chancellor of Oxford, but the evidence is a late thirteenth-century anecdote. He also served as Archdeacon of Leicester and held a prebend at Lincoln Cathedral, but after a severe illness in 1232, he resigned most of his benefices due to changing views on holding multiple positions, retaining only his prebend. As a master of theology, he trained Franciscans, including his most famous disciple, Roger Bacon, who gained an interest in scientific method from him. Grosseteste lectured on the Psalter, Pauline epistles, and Genesis, and led disputations on truth and Mosaic Law. He collected his sermons and notes into his *Dicta*. His theological writings show a constant interest in th

Reader's Guide

Robert Grosseteste's significance lies in his dual role as a pioneering scientific thinker and a controversial theologian. A. C. Crombie called him 'the real founder of the tradition of scientific thought in medieval Oxford, and in some ways, of the modern English intellectual tradition.' His disciple Roger Bacon acquired an interest in scientific method from him. Grosseteste's theological writings show a continual interest in the natural world and an ability to read Greek sources. As bishop, he was a zealous reformer who defended episcopal prerogatives and resisted both royal and papal encroachments, though he submitted to papal authority until the 1240s. His legacy includes his influence on Oxford scholasticism, his systematic theological index, and his uncompromising stance on ecclesiastical discipline. The failure of canonisation attempts did not prevent his being revered as a saint in England.

Did You Know?

• Grosseteste was also known as Robert Greathead or Robert of Lincoln.
• He was born of humble parents in Suffolk, according to the chronicler Nicholas Trivet.
• His translation of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs spread the accusation that Jews had suppressed prophetic knowledge of Christ.