Bede (673–735)
Author of Ecclesiastical History of the English People
About the Author
Image credit: 12th century "portrait"
Series
Works by Bede
The Ecclesiastical History of the English People; The Greater Chronicle; Bede's Letter to Egbert (Oxford World's Classics) (1999) 402 copies, 5 reviews
Bede: Ecclesiastical History, Books IV-V. Lives of the Abbots. Letter to Egbert. (Loeb Classical Library No. 248) (1921) 108 copies, 1 review
Ecclesiastical History of the English People: With Bede's Letter to Egbert and Cuthbert's Letter on the Death of Bede (C (2003) 67 copies, 1 review
Venerable Bede, The: On the Song of Songs and Selected Writings (Classics of Western Spirituality) (2011) 64 copies
The Venerable Bede Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles (Cistercian Studies Series , No 117) (Volume 117) (1989) 59 copies
Homilies on the Gospels: Lent to the Dedication of the Church (Book Two) (Bk. 2) (1991) 52 copies, 1 review
The Venerable Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England: Also the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (1971) 43 copies
Bede the Venerable: Excerpts from the Works of Saint Augustine and the Letters of the Blessed Apostle Paul (Volume 183) (Cistercian Studies Series) (1999) 25 copies
Complete Historical Works of the Venerable Bede (Delphi Classics) (Delphi Ancient Classics Book 45) (2015) 18 copies
Famulus Christi : essays in commemoration of the thirteenth centenary of the birth of the Venerable Bede (1976) 8 copies
Opera omnia 5 copies
The Old English Version Of Bede's Ecclesiastical History Of The English People, Part 2 (1898) (1988) 4 copies
Old English Version of Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People I.i (Early English Text Society Original Series) (Vol 1) (2008) 4 copies
Libri II: De Arte Metrica Et De Schematibus Et Tropis - the Art of Poetry and Rhetoric (Bibliotheca Germanica) (1991) 3 copies
The lives of Benedict, Ceolfrid, Easterwine, Sigfrid, and Huetbert: The first five abbots of the United Monastry of Wear (1973) 3 copies
Opera Bedae Venerabilis ... : omnia in octo tomos distincta, prout statim post praefationem suo elencho enumerantur : addito rerum & verborum indice copiosissimo 2 copies, 1 review
Historiam Ecclesiasticam Gentis Anglorum (Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England, Volume 1): v. 1 (2003) 2 copies
Venerabilis Baedae Historiam Ecclesiasticam Gentis Anglorum (Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England), Volume II (2003) 2 copies
Opera historica 2 copies
Bedae Venerabilis Opera, Pars III: Opera Homiletica, Pars IV: Opera Rhythmica [Corpus Christianorum, Series Latina] (1955) 2 copies
OPERA DIDASCALICA 2 copies
Corpus Christianorum Series Latina, vol. 119A. Opera exegetica. 2A. De tabernaculo. De templo. In Ezram et Neemiam / cura et studio D. Hurst (1969) 2 copies
Be domes dæge = De die judicii : an Old English version of the Latin poem ascribed to Bede (2013) 2 copies
The Old English Version of Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People: Part 1 (1999) 2 copies
Bede: The Ecclesiastical History of the English People in Latin English (SPQR Study Guides Book 20) (2013) 1 copy
Opera de Temporibus 1 copy
Venerabilis Bedæ opera omnia 1 copy
On First Samuel. 1 copy
Bedae Venerabilis Opera, Part 1: Opera Didascalica (Corpus Christianorum, Series Latina) (1975) 1 copy
Bede Historical Works I 1 copy
Bede: The Ecclesiastical History of the English People, The Greater Chronicle, Bede's Letter to Egbert (World's Classics) (1994) 1 copy
Opera Historica Volume II: Lives of the Abbots. Letter to Egbert (Loeb Classical Library No. 248) (1963) 1 copy
Baedae Opera Historica & 2 1 copy
Bedae Presbyteri Anglosaxonis Viri Eruditissimi, De Natura Rerum Et Temporum Ratione Libri 2 (1529) (Latin Edition) (2010) 1 copy
Commento al Vangelo di Marco 1 copy
Associated Works
The Divine Office, Volume 1: Daily Prayer for Advent, Christmastide and Weeks 1-9 (1974) — Contributor — 197 copies, 1 review
The Liturgy of the Hours According to the Roman Rite (Volume II Lenten Season and Easter Season) (1974) — Contributor — 189 copies
The Liturgy of the Hours According to the Roman Rite (Volume III: The Weeks of the Year 6 - 34) (1974) — Contributor — 73 copies
Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (2012) — Contributor — 29 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Beda Venerabilis
- Other names
- Beda Venerabilis
Bede the Venerable
Baeda
Beda - Birthdate
- 0673
- Date of death
- 0735-05-25
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Wearmouth Monastery
Jarrow Monastery - Occupations
- monk
historian
theologian
translator - Organizations
- Roman Catholic Church
Order of St. Benedict - Awards and honors
- Canonized (1889)
Doctor of the Church (1889) - Nationality
- Kingdom of Northumbria
- Places of residence
- Wearmouth Monastery, Durham, England
Monkwearmouth, Durham, England
Jarrow Monastery, Durham, England - Place of death
- Jarrow, Northumbria
- Burial location
- Durham Cathedral, Durham, England, UK
- Map Location
- England, UK
Members
Reviews
So first of all: did you know there used to be an English king in the 4th century by the name of Sexwulfe? SEXWULFE?! That’s probably the coolest name ever. How did I get so far in life, not knowing this was a real name? And why aren’t more people (David Bowie, specifically) changing their names to SEXWULFE?
Putting that aside, this book was an interesting mix of history and fiction. Written by the monk Bede in the 7th century, it gives readers a general feel for what was going on in show more Great Britain at the time. I say “general feel” because you really can’t go by the letter of what Bede is saying here, because he sprinkles the narration with accounts of miracles designed to impress and astound pagans with the power of the Christian God.
The dubious history of some of these chronicles doesn’t spoil anything for me. As long as I’m clear that I’m not reading straight-up history, I don’t mind reading about holy daggers that cure illness, magical wooden posts which don’t burn, and holy men who drive out demons. That Bede wrote any of this down (and maybe even believed it) is just part of the picture of England in 600’s A.D. Christianity was still competing with assorted pagan religions for the hearts and minds of …well, mostly of the regional rulers. Once you had them in pocket, it seems the public was compelled to follow. That’s why so there are so many tales in here of pagan kings who embraced Christianity, and whom Heaven rewarded with drastically improved fortunes (usually on the battlefield). About half of these stories show the king then lapsing back into paganism and suffering for it, only to save the day by re-embracing Christianity –this time permanently. It does get a bit repetitive.
As far as actual history goes, the book faithfully describes a lot of bloody warfare between English, Angles (immigrants from Denmark), Picts in the North (modern day Scotland), the Irish, British, and assorted lesser others. I assume the names of kings, and the lineages described are accurate, but I’m not sure why I think that, given the other liberties Bede has taken.
There are quite a lot of people named Egbert, and Cuthbert, and Ekelbert other things that sound like that. It can be confusing, trying to keep track of them all.
If you’re trying to develop a broad view of British history, this book does a nice job picking up where John Morris’ Londinium leaves off. Julius Caesar first set foot on British soil in 55 B.C. From that date on, Roman power grew in fits and starts, with London a center of first military and eventually economic power. While Rome suffered repeated humiliation in wars with the Huns and Vandals, Britain remained safely remote from these, and in fact benefitted economically as a reliable supplier of materiel for Roman armies in Gaul and Germania. The gravy train ended, of course, with the complete destruction of the Western Empire in the 5th century. England might have been on its own after that, but it was really the Christian church which maintained cultural ties between Britain and Rome. That’s what this book illuminates so well. Although Roman soldiers could no longer be relied on to defend the Northumbrians from the Picts, the Vatican still had spiritual authority over monks like Bede, and through the many active and robust monasteries, members of the British congregation could learn Latin, and become versed in the classics of history and literature. The church even had an active hand in shaping politics in the British Isles (see above). Thus, the picture which emerges is that the Catholic Church seamlessly supplanted the Romans as the framework on which England was now (loosely) integrated with other components of the former empire in language, architecture, political thought, religion, science, history, and philosophy. Good stuff. show less
Putting that aside, this book was an interesting mix of history and fiction. Written by the monk Bede in the 7th century, it gives readers a general feel for what was going on in show more Great Britain at the time. I say “general feel” because you really can’t go by the letter of what Bede is saying here, because he sprinkles the narration with accounts of miracles designed to impress and astound pagans with the power of the Christian God.
The dubious history of some of these chronicles doesn’t spoil anything for me. As long as I’m clear that I’m not reading straight-up history, I don’t mind reading about holy daggers that cure illness, magical wooden posts which don’t burn, and holy men who drive out demons. That Bede wrote any of this down (and maybe even believed it) is just part of the picture of England in 600’s A.D. Christianity was still competing with assorted pagan religions for the hearts and minds of …well, mostly of the regional rulers. Once you had them in pocket, it seems the public was compelled to follow. That’s why so there are so many tales in here of pagan kings who embraced Christianity, and whom Heaven rewarded with drastically improved fortunes (usually on the battlefield). About half of these stories show the king then lapsing back into paganism and suffering for it, only to save the day by re-embracing Christianity –this time permanently. It does get a bit repetitive.
As far as actual history goes, the book faithfully describes a lot of bloody warfare between English, Angles (immigrants from Denmark), Picts in the North (modern day Scotland), the Irish, British, and assorted lesser others. I assume the names of kings, and the lineages described are accurate, but I’m not sure why I think that, given the other liberties Bede has taken.
There are quite a lot of people named Egbert, and Cuthbert, and Ekelbert other things that sound like that. It can be confusing, trying to keep track of them all.
If you’re trying to develop a broad view of British history, this book does a nice job picking up where John Morris’ Londinium leaves off. Julius Caesar first set foot on British soil in 55 B.C. From that date on, Roman power grew in fits and starts, with London a center of first military and eventually economic power. While Rome suffered repeated humiliation in wars with the Huns and Vandals, Britain remained safely remote from these, and in fact benefitted economically as a reliable supplier of materiel for Roman armies in Gaul and Germania. The gravy train ended, of course, with the complete destruction of the Western Empire in the 5th century. England might have been on its own after that, but it was really the Christian church which maintained cultural ties between Britain and Rome. That’s what this book illuminates so well. Although Roman soldiers could no longer be relied on to defend the Northumbrians from the Picts, the Vatican still had spiritual authority over monks like Bede, and through the many active and robust monasteries, members of the British congregation could learn Latin, and become versed in the classics of history and literature. The church even had an active hand in shaping politics in the British Isles (see above). Thus, the picture which emerges is that the Catholic Church seamlessly supplanted the Romans as the framework on which England was now (loosely) integrated with other components of the former empire in language, architecture, political thought, religion, science, history, and philosophy. Good stuff. show less
The Ecclesiastical History of the English People; The Greater Chronicle; Bede's Letter to Egbert (Oxford World's Classics) by Bede
Written in the midst of the 'Dark ages' by a monk of Jarrow monastery, in the modern country of Northumberland, England, this book is more than a historical text, it is the story of a people, and their embryonic nation.
From the invasion of Julius Ceasar to his own time Bede tells the story of Britain in his own words.
Focusing upon the coming of the Saxons, and their conversion to the Catholic religion under Augustine, Bede's voice permeates this text. Sometimes praising the warrior Kings of show more Legend and history, passionately recording the conversion of his countrymen, or pouring scorn upon the 'Britons', it is an authentically human account.
Though his methodology and the didactic purpose of his writing would be frowned upon by modern Historians, Bede's belief in the importance of verifying accounts, and gleaning as much information as he could from eyewitnesses (or people who had known eyewitnesses) shows that Bede was no amateur and his epithet `the father of English history' is perhaps well deserved.
The nature of Bede's contacts and some of his sources of information shed a fascinating light on the cosmopolitan nature of Medieval monasteries - how else could a monk of in a remote corner of Northern England have known about an the Islamic invasions of North Africa and Spain happening thousands of miles away?
The one time mayor of London Ken Livingstone once rejected this work out of hand because Bede 'did not mention King Arthur' and others in recent years have condemned the history because of Bede's bias against the Britons and other. Whilst the latter is at least historically justifiable; the former is utterly ludicrous as a criticism of The Ecclesiastical History.
Yet for all its shortcomings, be they Bede's obvious bias, polemics and rants, and his unlikely miracle stories, and occasional errors of fact, the Ecclesiastical History still stands as the penultimate contemporary source for the Early Anglo Saxon period and essential reading for students or curious lay-people alike.
Love him or hate him, Bede is inescapable and without the Ecclesiastical History out knowledge of 6th-8th century England would be severely lacking. Indeed, its very existence bears testament to a complex, literate and multi-faceted society, far removed from traditional image of the Anglo Saxons as ignorant, backwards grunting barbarian savages. show less
From the invasion of Julius Ceasar to his own time Bede tells the story of Britain in his own words.
Focusing upon the coming of the Saxons, and their conversion to the Catholic religion under Augustine, Bede's voice permeates this text. Sometimes praising the warrior Kings of show more Legend and history, passionately recording the conversion of his countrymen, or pouring scorn upon the 'Britons', it is an authentically human account.
Though his methodology and the didactic purpose of his writing would be frowned upon by modern Historians, Bede's belief in the importance of verifying accounts, and gleaning as much information as he could from eyewitnesses (or people who had known eyewitnesses) shows that Bede was no amateur and his epithet `the father of English history' is perhaps well deserved.
The nature of Bede's contacts and some of his sources of information shed a fascinating light on the cosmopolitan nature of Medieval monasteries - how else could a monk of in a remote corner of Northern England have known about an the Islamic invasions of North Africa and Spain happening thousands of miles away?
The one time mayor of London Ken Livingstone once rejected this work out of hand because Bede 'did not mention King Arthur' and others in recent years have condemned the history because of Bede's bias against the Britons and other. Whilst the latter is at least historically justifiable; the former is utterly ludicrous as a criticism of The Ecclesiastical History.
Yet for all its shortcomings, be they Bede's obvious bias, polemics and rants, and his unlikely miracle stories, and occasional errors of fact, the Ecclesiastical History still stands as the penultimate contemporary source for the Early Anglo Saxon period and essential reading for students or curious lay-people alike.
Love him or hate him, Bede is inescapable and without the Ecclesiastical History out knowledge of 6th-8th century England would be severely lacking. Indeed, its very existence bears testament to a complex, literate and multi-faceted society, far removed from traditional image of the Anglo Saxons as ignorant, backwards grunting barbarian savages. show less
I don’t normally rate or review books that I give up reading but decided to do so in this case because I got beyond the halfway mark.
The earlier chapters I consider quite interesting, but the further into it I got, the harder I found it to keep my concentration. It feels repetitive in some respects, yet the aspect that made me stop reading was yet another vision being recounted as a historic fact. Some such visions occur when people are awake, while at least one happened during sleep, so show more in other words it was a dream.
The number of miracles recorded as facts are as tedious as they are unbelievable. For instance, the dust were Oswald, King of Northumbria, was slain was able to cure deadly illnesses, simply because Oswald was sainted.
Bede also declares that certain kings should have their names erased from history and their reigns forgotten because of their disbelief in the Christian faith. So, ‘cancel culture’ sadly existed in Anglo-Saxon times. Such omissions don’t make for good history.
This is a didactic and biased text by an early historian. I accept, of course, that the mindset of someone living in the eight century is worlds away from that of the present day. Despite this, it didn’t make this book any more enjoyable for me to read. show less
The earlier chapters I consider quite interesting, but the further into it I got, the harder I found it to keep my concentration. It feels repetitive in some respects, yet the aspect that made me stop reading was yet another vision being recounted as a historic fact. Some such visions occur when people are awake, while at least one happened during sleep, so show more in other words it was a dream.
The number of miracles recorded as facts are as tedious as they are unbelievable. For instance, the dust were Oswald, King of Northumbria, was slain was able to cure deadly illnesses, simply because Oswald was sainted.
Bede also declares that certain kings should have their names erased from history and their reigns forgotten because of their disbelief in the Christian faith. So, ‘cancel culture’ sadly existed in Anglo-Saxon times. Such omissions don’t make for good history.
This is a didactic and biased text by an early historian. I accept, of course, that the mindset of someone living in the eight century is worlds away from that of the present day. Despite this, it didn’t make this book any more enjoyable for me to read. show less
All by itself this is a remarkable as a very early (Eight Century C.E.) work of formal, researched history. The Venerable Bede even had letter copied out of the papal library. And, he had a timeline! Well one of those letter settled a question I have long wondered and been told both ways: Did the Catholic Church early on consciously co-opt pagan sites and rituals? Well, Bede repro'ed a letter from Pope Gregory to the first Bishop in Britain:
Later, the same Pope tells a secular king to go ahead -- please -- trash the sites. No comment on the hypocrisy surfaces in this hagiography. Speaking of those kings, their gravedirt cures the sick, etc. It is easy to see how the Arthurian legend grew up with Bede and others worshipping as saints the earliest post-Roman native rules like Oswald, Wilfrid, etc. show less
show more
Chapter 30
WHEN these messengers had departed, St
Gregory sent after them a letter which is worth recording, in which he plainly showed his eager interest in the salvation of our race. This is what he wrote:
To my most beloved son, Abbot Mellitus, Gregory, servant of the servants of God.
Since the departure of our companions and yourself I have felt much anxiety because we have not happened to hear how your journey has prospered. However, when Almighty God has brought you to our most reverend brother Bishop Augustine, tell him what I have decided after long deliberation about the English people, namely that the idol temples of that race should by no means be destroyed, but only the idols in them. Take holy water and sprinkle it in these shrines, build altars and place relics in them. For if the shrines are well built, it is essential that they should be changed from the worship of devils to the service of the true God. When this people see that their shrines are not destroyed they will be able to banish error from their hearts and be more ready to come to the places they are familiar with, but now recognizing and worshipping the true God. And because they are in the habit of slaughtering much cattle as sacrifices to devils, some solemnity ought to be given them in exchange for this. So on the day of the dedication or the festivals of the holy martyrs, whose relics are deposited there, let them make themselves huts from the branches of trees around the churches which have been converted out of shrines, and let them celebrate the solemnity with religious feasts.
Later, the same Pope tells a secular king to go ahead -- please -- trash the sites. No comment on the hypocrisy surfaces in this hagiography. Speaking of those kings, their gravedirt cures the sick, etc. It is easy to see how the Arthurian legend grew up with Bede and others worshipping as saints the earliest post-Roman native rules like Oswald, Wilfrid, etc. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 161
- Also by
- 13
- Members
- 6,259
- Popularity
- #3,917
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 39
- ISBNs
- 236
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