Fr. Richard Rutherford, CSC–The General, Padre, Father R–is the life and soul of the University of Portland Pollentia expedition. We are here because of his vision, stubbornness, fundraising skills, and, especially, his acumen in persuasion! Here is Padre’s introduction of himself.
Fr. Rutherford–entrusted with the keys to the kingdom of Pollentia–opens the gate to the site.
Liturgical theology in the tradition of “liturgie comparée” with emphasis on understanding liturgy through history is my field of study. Funerary history, ritual, and cemeteries are the foci of my academic career. From graduate school in the 1960’s in the Netherlands through dissertation, two editions of a book The Death of a Christian, as well as regular articles and conference papers I have tracked the Christian funeral from antiquity into modern times. Recently I broadened my research interest to include archaeology of early Byzantine baptismal architecture in the eastern Mediterranean. As professor emeritus, while continuing to teach occasional honors and graduate seminars, I am able to devote my time, energy, and good health to funerary research that has been my passion for so long. Reuniting the “tomb and womb” theologies of our Patristic roots brought me to the present study that sees in a strategic cemetery of classic Pollentia the potential for uncovering a complete ecclesial complex familiar to the archaeology of late antiquity. Contributing to unraveling the mystery of the lives and deaths, faith and influence of early Byzantine Christians in a little known but major center of late antique Spain is a capstone to my life-long love for Christian antiquity and a value to both academia and a broader public whose familiarity with Christian Spain mostly comprises later history.
Fr. Rutherford, Miguel Angel Cao (Pollentia Director and archaeologist), and Catalina Mas Florit (archaeologist)
