Bede (May 25th) pronounced "Beed," is always known with his title: "the Venerable Bede." He was the greatest scholar of his time in the Western Church, and is the most important historian of the Church in England from the time of the arrival of St. Augustine in 597. Bede was born in 673 and at the age of seven his parents took him to the monastery at Jarrow (near Durham in NE England) for his education. He was to remain there for the rest of his life, being ordained a deacon at age 19 and a priest at 30. He rarely traveled, instead tending to his daily duties and to his scholarly work: studying Scripture, writing biblical commentaries and lives of the saints, translating great works into Latin and Old English, and teaching.
It was Bede who popularized the use of' A.D." (from the Latin: "the year of the Lord") for the years of the Christian era. His most famous work. The Ecclesiastical History of England, was completed in 731. It was widely read throughout Europe in its time, and it remains a classic today, mostly because of Bede's remarkable accuracy. In this, he was far ahead of his time; he consulted many documents, evaluated their reliability carefully, and cited his sources. His own comments are balanced and judicious. This work, now translated into very straightforward and accessible English, is still in print and studied today.
Bede was loved as much for his personal character and holiness of life as he was admired for his scholarship. He died at his monastery in 735; witnesses said that he died while singing the doxology: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit." His remains were moved to Durham Cathedral ca. 1020, where he still lies in a very prominent tomb. He was given me rare title "Doctor of the Church" in 1899, the only English saint so honored. |
