|
| Icon of St. Bede by Br. Joseph-Marie, SSF. Commissioned by Alice Short in memory of James Short |
Back to St. Bede Main Page
The Venerable Bede (A.D. 673-735), Priest and Monk of Jarrow
At the age of seven, Bede's parents brought him to the nearby monastery at Jarrow (near Durham in Northeast England) for his education. There, as he later wrote, "spending all the remaining time of my life... I wholly applied myself to the study of Scripture, and amidst the observance of regular discipline, and the daily care of singing in the church, I always took delight in learning, teaching and writing."
Bede was ordained deacon at nineteen, and presbyter at thirty. He died on the eve of the Ascension while dictating a vernacular translation of the Gospel according to John. About 1020 his body was removed to Durham, and placed in the Galilee, the Lady Chapel at the west end of the Cathedral nave.
Bede was the greatest
scholar of his time in the Western Church. He wrote commentaries on the Scriptures
based on patristic interpretations. His treatise on chronology was standard
for a long time. He also wrote on orthography, poetic meter, and especially
in history. His most famous work, The Ecclesiastical History of England,
written in Latin, remains the primary source for the period 597 to 731,
when the Anglo-Saxon culture developed and Christianity triumphed. In this work,
Bede was clearly ahead of his time. He consulted many documents, carefully evaluated
their reliability, and cited his sources. His interpretations were balanced
and judicious. He also wrote the History of the Abbots (of Wearmouth
and Jarrow), and a notable biography of Cuthbert, both in prose and verse. His
character shines throughout the work -- an exemplary monk, and ardent Christian,
devoted scholar, and a man of pure and winsome manners. He received the unusual
title of Venerable more than a century after his death. According to
one legend, the monk writing the inscription for his tomb was at a loss for
a word to fill out the couplet:
Hac sunt in fossa
Bedae o (blank) o ossa
(this grave contains the -- blank -- Bede's remains)
That night an angel filled in the blank: Venerabilis.
Here are some links to learn more about The Venerable Bede.