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Saint Edwin, King and Martyr: A Journey of Faith and Courage · Saints and Scripture

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  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Saints in Scripture Podcast.
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  SPEAKER_00: Today is Monday, october twelfth, twenty twenty six.
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  SPEAKER_00: Today we reflect on the life of Saint Edwin, King and Martyr.
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  SPEAKER_00: Born around the year five hundred eighty four, Edwin was the son of King Ala of Dira.
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  SPEAKER_00: After his father's death, Edwin was denied his kingdom by King Ethelred of Bernicea, who united the two kingdoms into Northumbria.
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  SPEAKER_00: Edwin fled to East Anglia and found refuge with King Redwald.
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  SPEAKER_00: However, Redwald was pressured to surrender Edwin to his enemies.
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  SPEAKER_00: Warned of this danger by a friend, Edwin was visited by a stranger who promised that Edwin would regain his kingdom if he followed the stranger's teachings.
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  SPEAKER_00: The stranger placed his hand on Edwin's head, asking him to remember the gesture.
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  SPEAKER_00: Eventually, Edwin became ruler of all northern England.
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  SPEAKER_00: He married Ethelberga, daughter of Saint Ethelbert, the first Christian king in England.
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  SPEAKER_00: This marriage linked Edwin to the Christian faith.
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  SPEAKER_00: In 626, on the eve of Pasca, an attempt was made on Edwin's life.
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  SPEAKER_00: The West Saxon king Kishelm sent an assassin named Yumer with a poisoned dagger.
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  SPEAKER_00: Yumer tried to kill Edwin, but Leela, Edwin's faithful minister, intervened and was killed, saving the king.
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  SPEAKER_00: Edwin was wounded but survived.
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  SPEAKER_00: This event is remembered by a stone cross on Lila Howe in the North Yorkshire Moors.
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  SPEAKER_00: Bishop Paulinus of York told Edwin that his survival was due to the prayers of his Christian queen.
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  SPEAKER_00: The newborn daughter of Edwin and Ethelberga was baptized on Pentecost and named Ian Flata.
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  SPEAKER_00: Edwin promised to become a Christian if he recovered and defeated his enemies.
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  SPEAKER_00: After healing, he led his army to victory over the West Saxons, punishing those who had plotted against him.
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  SPEAKER_00: Though he delayed his own baptism, he seriously considered the Christian faith.
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  SPEAKER_00: Saint Paulinus reminded Edwin of the stranger's blessing by placing his hand on Edwin's head.
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  SPEAKER_00: Edwin recognized the gesture and was moved to fulfill his promise.
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  SPEAKER_00: He sought advice from his counselors.
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  SPEAKER_00: Coffee, a pagan priest, declared their gods powerless and urged the king to convert.
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  SPEAKER_00: Coeffi then asked to be the first to destroy the pagan temples.
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  SPEAKER_00: Mounted on the king's horse and armed, Coeffi threw a spear into the temple near York, which was then destroyed and burned.
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  SPEAKER_00: In 627, Saint Edwin was baptized by Saint Paulinus in the wooden church of Saint Peter.
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  SPEAKER_00: He began building a stone church later completed by Saint Oswald.
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  SPEAKER_00: Edwin ruled peacefully for six more years, promoting Christianity.
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  SPEAKER_00: In 633, at age forty eight, he was killed in battle against Pinda of Mercia and Cadwalla of Wales at Hatfield.
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  SPEAKER_00: His body was buried at Whitby, and his head at York in the church he had built.
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  SPEAKER_00: He is remembered as a martyr in early English calendars.
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  SPEAKER_00: After Edwin's death, his wife Saint Ethelberga returned to Kent and became abbess of a monastery she founded at Limange.
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  SPEAKER_00: Let us pray.
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  SPEAKER_00: Lord, help us to be faithful like Saint Edwin, to trust in your guidance, and to stand firm in our faith.
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  SPEAKER_00: Strengthen us to follow your will each day.
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  SPEAKER_00: In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, amen.