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Bede, translating the Gospel
of Saint John on his deathbed.
of Saint John on his deathbed.
Date: 1902.
Author: James Doyle Penrose.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Bede (Old English: Bǣda or Bēda); 673 A.D. – 735 A.D.), also referred to as Saint Bede, or the Venerable Bede (Latin: Bēda Venerābilis), was an English Monk at the Monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth and its companion Monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow (see Monkwearmouth-Jarrow), Northeast England, both of which were located in the Kingdom of Northumbria.
He is well known as an author and scholar, and his most famous work, Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (The Ecclesiastical History of the English People) gained him the title "The Father of English History".
In 1899, Bede was made a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII, a position of theological significance; he is the only native of Great Britain to achieve this designation (Anselm of Canterbury, also a Doctor of the Church, was originally from Italy). Bede was moreover a skilled linguist and translator, and his work made the Latin and Greek writings of the early Church Fathers much more accessible to his fellow Anglo-Saxons, contributing significantly to English Christianity. Bede's Monastery had access to a superb library, which included works by Eusebius and Orosius, among many others.
Bede's tomb in Durham Cathedral,
County Durham, England.
Photo: Robin Widdison.
Source: Image from enwiki http://en.wikipedia.org/
Author: Robin Widdison.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Bede, in the Historia, gives his birthplace as "on the lands of this Monastery". He is referring to the twinned Monasteries of Monkwearmouth and Jarrow, in modern-day Sunderland, claimed as his birthplace; there is also a tradition that he was born at Monkton, two miles from the Monastery at Jarrow. Bede says nothing of his origins, but his connections with men of noble ancestry suggest that his own family was well-to-do.
Bede's first Abbot was Benedict Biscop, and the names "Biscop" and "Beda" both appear in a King List of the Kings of Lindsey from around 800 A.D., further suggesting that Bede came from a noble family. The name "Bede" was not a common one at the time. The Liber Vitae of Durham Cathedral includes a list of Priests; two are named Bede, and one of these is, presumably, Bede himself.
Durham Cathedral,
where Saint Bede's tomb
is in the Galilee Chapel.
Photo: 19 February 2011.
Source: Durham_Cathedral_from_the_South.jpg.
Author: Durham_Cathedral_from_the_south.jpg: Teach46.
derivative work: Ericoides.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Some manuscripts of the "Life of Cuthbert", one of Bede's works, mention that Cuthbert's own Priest was named Bede; it is possible that this Priest is the other name listed in the Liber Vitae. These occurrences, along with a "Bieda" who is mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, under the year 501 A.D., are the only appearances of the name in early sources.The name probably derives from the Old English "bēd", or "Prayer"; if Bede was given the name at his birth, then his family had probably always planned for him to enter the Clergy.
At the age of seven, he was sent to the Monastery of Monkwearmouth by his family, to be educated by Benedict Biscop and, later, by Ceolfrith. Bede does not say whether it was already intended, at that point, that he would be a Monk. It was fairly common in Ireland, at this time, for young boys, particularly those of noble birth, to be fostered out; the practice was also likely to have been common among the Germanic peoples in England.
At the age of seven, he was sent to the Monastery of Monkwearmouth by his family, to be educated by Benedict Biscop and, later, by Ceolfrith. Bede does not say whether it was already intended, at that point, that he would be a Monk. It was fairly common in Ireland, at this time, for young boys, particularly those of noble birth, to be fostered out; the practice was also likely to have been common among the Germanic peoples in England.
Monkwearmouth's sister Monastery, at Jarrow, was founded by Ceolfrith in 682 A.D., and Bede probably transferred to Jarrow, with Ceolfrith, that year. The Dedication Stone for the Church has survived to the present day; it is dated 23 April 685 A.D., and, as Bede would have been required to assist with menial tasks in his day-to-day life, it is possible that he helped in building the original Church.
English: Durham Cathedral,
where Saint Bede's tomb
is in the Galilee Chapel.
Hrvatski: Katedrala u Durhamu.
Magyar: Durhami székesegyház.
Italiano: Cattedrale di Durham.
Deutsch: Durham Cathedral.
Български: Дърамска катедрала.
Español: Catedral de Durham.
Polski: Katedra w Durham.
Photo: 13 August 2010.
Source: Own work.
Author: Oliver-Bonjoch.
(Wikimedia Commons)
In 686 A.D., plague broke out at Jarrow. "The Life of Ceolfrith", written in about 710 A.D., records that only two surviving Monks were capable of singing the full Offices; one was Ceolfrith and the other a young boy, who, according to the anonymous writer, had been taught by Ceolfrith. The two managed to do the entire Service of the Liturgy until others could be trained. The young boy was almost certainly Bede, who would have been about fourteen years old.
PART TWO FOLLOWS.
PART TWO FOLLOWS.
