Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People - Book Report/Review Example

BEDES ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH PEOPLE Literature holds the mirror to life. Life in its various manifestations constitutes what is called the society of man. Literature, no doubt, records in it the life and society from which it emerges, in doing so it can never distort the truth or magnify it. The immortal writings of William Shakespeare inform the world of the Elizabethan society in its splendour and beauty, and also in its seamy sides. A valuable picture of German society of that time is made available to all from the works of Goethe. The Russian society under the Tsar finds itself reflected in the creation of Tolstoy. But Maxim Gorkey in his powerful writings has visualized a liberated society of the proletariats in Russia. The works of Tagore offer a comprehensive study of Indian society at large. In this context it should be mentioned that not too many people who have studied the English at an academic level can possibly be ignorant to the effect a certain Bede (usually referred to as the Venerable Bede) managed to have on the race. The Venerable Bede or Saint Bede was and is of particular importance to the English due to his much acclaimed and extremely famous book called ‘The Ecclesiastical History of the English People’ (or Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum) which earned him the reverential title of “The father of English History”. Mouthful though that title is Bede himself was not burdened with that salutation for the most of his life. For the larger part of it he remained an innocuous enough Benedictine Monk in Northumbria. Much of his childhood and the rest of his life he spent in the Monastery of St. Peter located in Monkwearmouth. Unfortunately all we really know about Bede’s life today is from a small note he himself added at the end of his esteemed book Historia, wherein he describes exactly how he was brought to the aforementioned monastery at the age of 7, how he managed to become a deacon 12 years later and how 18 years after that he finally became a priest. (Lamb, 2004) In his own words it can well be stated that “Thus much concerning the ecclesiastical history of Britain, and especially of the race of the English, I, Baeda, a servant of Christ and a priest of the monastery of the blessed apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, which is at Wearmouth and at Jarrow (in Northumberland), have with the Lords help composed so far as I could gather it either from ancient documents or from the traditions of the elders, or from my own knowledge.” (Monk Preston, 2005) it can be stated that his implications have been thought to suggest that he finished his famous book at the age of 59, but many historians have raised doubts about such supposition. Bede had a reasonable amount of interest in ‘literary’ pursuits. Besides the Historia he is also known to have composed commentaries regarding significant historical, theological and even scientific subjects. His works bear witness to the fact that he had a great authority over the learning of his period. As the priest Bede had access to one of the most well stocked libraries (the Wearmoth-Jarrow library) in the whole of England. It is evident that Bede lost no time in taking full advantage of this priviledge and ultimately put all his painstaking studies to good use. Additionally, he is also known to have been particularly enthusiastic about collecting books from everywhere his infrequent travels took him. He famously wrote “I was born in the territory of the said monastery, and at the age of seven I was, by the care of my relations, given to the most reverend Abbot Benedict [St. Benedict Biscop], and afterwards to Ceolfrid, to be educated.” (Monk Preston, 2005) Bede is a considerably proficient storyteller. His narrative is generously scattered with quotations from everything from Pliny to Horace and Virgil, which is in keeping with the conventions of his age which required a man of learning to include considerable evidence of what he knows in his own compositions. Most of his commentaries on Christian scriptures are based on his own allegorical interpretations of the same. When writing about history he often includes instances of “miracles” and gossip which no longer qualify as legitimate historical evidences, nonetheless most of these incidents described help reveal further and further more about the time period to which Bede belonged, it is perhaps due to this that Bede’s Historia continues to be an extremely important historical text of the time. (Kar, 2005) The Historia ecclesiastica comprises of 5 separate books and covers the history of the country right from the rule of Julius Caesar to 731, approximately the date of its completion. The initial 21 chapters are found to have been assembled from various writers who had dealt with the subject previously, such as Prosper of Aquitaine, Orosius, Gildas etc (pagan writers before him clearly don’t interest him at all). These interspersed with various interesting legends, traditions and even some letters written by Pope Gregory I form the fundamental base of this work. The first book for instance begins with a brief sketch of Britain and skilfully bridges together Caesar’s invasion to 603, i.e. the year following the coming of Augustine. In this book itself Bede uses previous materials composed by Pliny, Eutropius, Comes, Marcellinus and others. The next book he starts by describing the death of the noble Gregory and closes in 633, with the murder of Edwin in the hands of Paulinus. The third book takes us a few steps ahead, to the year 664. The fourth starts with yet another death, this time the death of Deusdedit (664) and the following arrival of Theodore, his successor. In the final book Bede gives us a peek at the stories of Drythelm’s vision and the lives of St. John of Beverley, Wilfrid the great, Aldhelm and many others. In this context it would be interesting to mention that after the withdrawal of the Romans from England in fifth century AD, the tribes like Jutes, Saxons and Angles came to England from Germany, and settled in southern and eastern part of the country. The old English spoken by them, which is termed as Anglo-Saxon, forms the source of contemporary English Language. Similar to all other developed languages this language also has a specific literature with a particular prose and poetic tradition. Its formal character remained constant till the Germanic tribes remain in power in England. After six centuries, with French-Norman invasion of the England, the rule of the Germanic tribes came to an end. This was the creation of the language and Bede and others found it as an opportunity to speak out their minds. However, coming back to Bede, he also includes in this book a brief comment on the prevalent condition of the country in his time, a rather neat summary of the entire work and a long list of his other compositions. Where he describes his beginning as “From that time I have spent the whole of my life within that monastery, devoting all my pains to the study of the Scriptures, and amid the observance of monastic discipline and the daily charge of singing in the Church, it has been ever my delight to learn or teach or write.” (Monk Preston, 2005) In later chapters Bede puts to full use the documentary sources he painstakingly sought out from all over the country as well as Rome. These he combines with the oral testimonies he seemed to have an uncanny capacity to extract from people. Despite his propensity to use such accounts Bede seems to have been particularly concerned about the critical value later readers would attach to them. His intent to convey his sincerity is obvious simply because he leaves no stone unturned to make it obvious. Where he furnishes a story merely in terms of hearsay proof he hastily mentions the fact before one can begin to doubt him. But when he does have the access to a particularly authoritative document he makes no attempt to conceal his acquisition. His apprehension regarding how authentic his readers consider him to be makes him to cite each of his references as meticulously as a 59 year old man possibly could. Often such references takes the form of long lists of people who had ‘helped’ him put down the facts in black and white. The list of friends he includes in his dedication of the Historia to Ceolwulf is one such directory. Highly praised amongst this group is Albinus, once the Abbot and later the Archbishop of Canterbury who he thanks profusely for having copied important documents conserved safely in Rome especially for him. Besides him Bede also lets know that many of his information comes from other priests and monks who happened to have been around during the period he writes about. His scrupulous detailing allows him to create a sort of historical chain through his work. (Kar, 2005) This chronological chain is yet another specialty of the Historia. Bede’s use of a time frame such as the anno Domini, or the year of our God era (introduced in 525 by Dionysus Exiggus) has often been thought by historians to have been instrumental in the introduction of the aforementioned era in West Europe. In Historia Bede uses the term anno ab incarnatione Domini (approximately translated as “in the year from the incarnation of the Lord”) or anno incarnationis dominicae (approximately translated as “in the year of the incarnation of the lord”) to indicate a particular period of time. Unlike anno Domini, which was always abbreviated, as AD, Bede doesn’t shorten the term. Also Bede makes it clear that by anno ab incarnatione Domini he was referring not to the era beginning from the ‘Birth’ of Christ but rather from the day he was ‘Conceived’, which is considered to be on the 25th of March. As is obvious this tremendous difference in chronology obviously changes the position of events described by him in the timeline of world history. (Lamb, 2004) Not surprisingly, the Historia turned out to be extremely popular even during its initial years. Also, its popularity did not remain confined to England alone, it spread far and wide. The radii of the book’s influence becomes obvious when we learn that 2 of the oldest copies of the book possessed today, both written before Bede’s death and produced undoubtedly in the continent were actually recovered from St. Hubbert’s Abbey (Ardennes) and Epternach, a virtually unknown British colony. These copies now lie in Namur and Cambridge, respectively. The popularity of Historia is ascribed largely to its subject material but at the same time it displays a considerable amount of literary prowess. Bede even though inclined to scatter his writings with evidences of learning is not what can be called “ostentatious”, his vocabulary is a common man’s vocabulary and doesn’t strain a reader’s eye or mind. In fact Bede is often credited with having presented the English language with a uniquely direct and utterly simple style. This directness of language, many feel was a result of the northern school in which he was raised. He wrote that “From the time of my admission to the priesthood to my present fifty-ninth year, I have endeavored for my own use and that of my brethren, to make brief notes upon the Holy Scripture, either out of the works of the venerable Fathers or in conformity with their meaning and interpretation.” (Monk Preston, 2005) In his book An English Empire: Bede and the Early Anglo-Saxon Kings (New York, Manchester University Press, 1995) N.J Higham has described Bede to have had far greater political incentives than what seems obvious at first glance. In his work Higham lifts out Bede from the intellectual, spiritual abode that he is usually let to reside in and instead places him right in the middle of the politics of his age and thereby tries to show that the Venerable Bede too was in fact very much a part of the nobility. Higham goes on to justify his argument by pointing out the very many inconsistencies in Bede’s work. Most of these, Higham argues were introduced deliberately as a part of a carefully thought out political propaganda. (Lamb, 2004) In this context it would be relevant to mention that the literature of English Renaissance period was greatly influenced by the works of William Shakespeare. Due to him this period became a land mark in English literature. His affluent style of writing, his art, and his multifaceted plots surpass the works of other dramatists of that age. Beyond his unequalled projection of human character, his compassionate understanding human nature has completed his greatness. This made him a representative figure in Elizabethan English literature. Literature is simply language charged with meaning of utmost possible degree. The link between life, society and literature is intimate and inseparable. Life becomes full of beauty only when the society it belongs to, has the resources to make it so. Good literature fashions life as well as society and at the same it also represents the society and this representation can well be stated as propaganda. However, if Higham’s is to be believed then Bede’s unrelenting subterranean ambition underlines most of his literary creations, including the Historia. He points out that throughout his work Bede conscientiously tries to build a universal history, which ultimately culminates in Britain being ruled by the Anglo-Saxons. In order for this system to seem convincing Bede casually disregards the legitimate right of the British Christians who after all owned the land from which they were disinherited following the rampage of he Anglo-Saxons. The British Christians Bede dismisses simply by raising doubts about their level of morality and orthodoxy, a rather debatable point given how moral and orthodox their replacements turned out to be. Unlike Gilda (whom he turns to time and again as a source) Bede is unequivocal about his alliance with the Saxons. If Gilda had admonished the Germanic invaders for their cruelty Bede lovingly says, "the English were a race chosen by God" (Effros, 1996). Higham points out the same reason as the possible reason for Bede’s silence regarding British Christianity following Augustine’s coming to Kent in the summer of the year 597. Augustine’s trip as we learn from elsewhere was in fact sponsored by none other than the Pope himself and was supposed to be a Christian mission to the Anglo-Saxons. In conclusion it should be stated that while it is not known whether Higham’s allegations do hold any water or not it would be a little unwise to consider an individual even if he were Venerable to remain utterly unstained by the politics of the time. Even if Bede’s historical accounts are in fact tainted by political motivations they continue to provide much insight into medieval England. Without Bede’s Historia the image of England’s ecclesiastical history as we know it today would have been utterly different. Despite drawing on a large number of previous works Bede’s work managed to put forward an undoubtedly new and unique facet of England, one that is still referred to and honoured for the sheer reason of having been so well detailed and researched and such a pioneer in its field. It is only him who could state that “In my nineteenth year I was admitted to the diaconate, in my thirtieth to the priesthood, both by the hands of the most reverend Bishop John [St. John of Beverley], and at the bidding of Abbot Ceolfrid.” (Monk Preston, 2005) References: Effros, Bonnie; Dec 1996; An English Empire: Bede and the Early Anglo-Saxon Kings; Canadian Journal of History, retrieved on 27.11.2007 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3686/is_199612/ai_n8735663 Monk Preston; 2005; Favorite Monks: The Venerable Bede; prayerfoundation.org; retrieved on 27.11.2007 from http://www.prayerfoundation.org/favoritemonks/favorite_monks_venerable_bede.htm Kar, P; 2005; History of English Literature; Kolkata: Dasgupta & Chatterjee Lamb, Davis; 2004; Cult to Culture: The Development of Civilization on the Strategic Strata; Wellington: National Book Trust. Read More