died upon the anniversary on which he had desired to die, the Festival of Pentecost, May 19, 804.
He was buried in the church of St. Martin, although in his humility he had requested to be buried
outside of it.
One of his important services to religion was his revision of the Vulgate (about 802) by
order of Charlemagne, on the basis of old and correct MSS., for he probably knew little Greek and
no Hebrew. This preserved a good Vulgate text for some time.
Alcuin was of a gentle disposition, willing, patient and humble, and an unwearied student.
He had amassed all the treasures of learning then accessible. He led his age, yet did not transcend
it, as Scotus Erigena did his. He was not a deep thinker, rather he brought out from his memory the
thoughts of others. He was also mechanical in his methods. Yet he was more than a great scholar
and teacher, he was a leader in church affairs, not only on the continent, but, as his letters show,
also in England. Charlemagne consulted him continually, and would have done better had he more
frequently followed his advice. Particularly is this true respecting missions. Alcuin saw with regret
that force had been applied to induce the Saxons to submit to baptism. He warned Charlemagne
that the result would be disastrous. True Christians can not be made by violence, but by plain
preaching of the gospel in the spirit of love. He would have the gospel precepts gradually unfolded
to the pagan Saxons, and then as they grew in knowledge would require from them stricter
compliance. Alcuin gave similar council in regard to the Huns.^1119 His opinions upon other practical
points^1120 are worthy of mention. Thus, he objected to the employment of bishops in military affairs,
to capital punishment, to the giving up of persons who had taken refuge in a church, and to priests
following a secular calling. He was zealous for the revival of preaching and for the study of the
Bible. On the other hand he placed a low estimate upon pilgrimages, and preferred that the money
so spent should be given to the poor.^1121
Writings.—The works of Alcuin are divided into nine classes.
I. Letters.^1122 A striking peculiarity of these letters is their address. Alcuin and his familiar
correspondents, following an affectation of scholars in the middle age, write under assumed
names.^1123 Among his correspondents are kings, patriarchs, bishops and abbots. The value of these
letters is very great. They throw light upon contemporary history, and such as are private, and these
are numerous, allow us to look into Alcuin’s heart. Many of them, unfortunately, are lost, and some
are known to exist unprinted, as in the Cotton collection. Those now printed mostly date from
Tours, and so belong to his closing years. They may be roughly divided into three groups:^1124 (1)
those to English correspondents. These show how dear his native land was to Alcuin, and how
deeply interested he was in her affairs. (2) Those to Charlemagne, a large and the most important
group.^1125 Alcuin speaks with freedom, yet always with profound respect. (3) Those to his bosom
friend, Arno of Salzburg.
(^1119) He requested advice on this point from Paulinus of Aquileia. See p. 681.
(^1120) Froben in his life of Alcuin, cap. XIV., gives his doctrinal position at length. Migne, col. l.c. 82-90.
(^1121) For the proof of the statements in this paragraph see Neander, III. passim.
(^1122) Epistolae, Migne, C. col. 139-512.
(^1123) See above, p. 615 sq.
(^1124) Ebert, II. 32-35.
(^1125) Guizot analyzes them (l.c. 243-246).