The Venerable Bede
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The Venerable Bede is widely known as the greatest of all Anglo Saxon scholars, born in 673AD He was a monk and was also a much revered English historian and scientist.
He was educated by Benedict Biscop who founded the monastery in Monkswearmouth in 674AD
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| The ruins of Monkwearmouth Monastery. |
At the age of seven The Venerable Bede was put into a monastery where he learned Greek, Latin and Hebrew, he became one of the most learned men in England. It was of general opinion that he came from a Noble family who were anxious for him to have a good education.
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| St Peter's Church, |
His most acclaimed work was 'The Ecclesiastical History of the English People'. It tells the story of the conversion of the English people; it is the main source of information about English history, from the arrival of St Augustine in Kent until 737AD
The book begins a lot earlier with Julius Caesar's invasion in 55AD
It draws upon several other sources, each of which Bede acknowledges in footnotes, after briefly describing Christianity in Roman Britain.
Julius Caesar leading his troops in battle.
I It goes on to describe St.Augustine's mission, which brought Christianity to Anglo-Saxons.
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| Map of Roman Britain. |
In subsequent years the history describes the attempts to convert the different kingdoms of Britain, including Mercia, Sussex and Northumbria. The Venerable Bede was famous in The Middle Ages for his works on the interpretation of scripture, the natural world and how to calculate the date of Easter.
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| The Moon indicating the tides. |
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| Proof that the World is round. |
He also calculated that the moon affected the tides and also that the world was round; This was quite an achievement at that time. 'Historia Ecclesiastic Gentis Anglorum', which was completed in 731 AD. It is the first work of history in which the AD system of dating was used.
The word VENERABLE has several meanings, here are some that I feel apply to THE VENERABLE BEDE.. .reserved , esteemed, honoured, dignified, respected, worshipped..............VENERATED.That's me done with the V letter, can't say it's one of my favourite letters. I'm never too happy to have a V when playing Scrabble, particularly when nearing the end of the game!
My sincere thanks to the VIVACIOUS Denise who devised ABCW and to Roger our VERACIOUS administrator. Also not forgetting the team of helpers who assist Roger with the visits each week.
Best wishes,
Di.
ABCW team.
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Hi Di
ReplyDeleteWhat an informative post! Thank you for 'teaching' me something I didn't know untill now. I had never heard of him before.
That's one of the reasons I enjoy this challenge so much, there is always something new !
Wishing you well,
Great post and great choice of word. I like 'venerable'.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I love about England - home of my ancestors. There is so much history there, not like where I was born. Always something new to learn and study.
ReplyDeleteLeslie
abcw team
It never occurred to me that at that time the monasteries were the seat of education! Great take on history in this post!
ReplyDeleteI used to give tours of my former church, and it has a lot of iconography, including Bede
ReplyDeleteVery well introduced!
ReplyDeleteMy "V" stands for VEGIES - they're good for you, so eat lots!
And "V" is for "VISTA"
ReplyDelete...And "VIOLET" starts with "V"!
ReplyDeleteVerily, you speak veritably!
ReplyDeleteMy double barrelled "V" is for "VIOLET VELVET"
Fascinating information about the Venerable Bede! Thanks for your research and sharing it with us!
ReplyDeleteI like that word "VIVACIOUS." Very fitting to Denise.
ReplyDeleteMy knowledge of English history is very poor. This was the first I learned about the Venerable Bede, thank you very much, Di. What an interesting man he was. I asked the Husband if he'd heard of the Venerable Bede. He has, but then he was a history major in college. :-)
ReplyDeleteVery informative write up.Liked the list of V words.
ReplyDeleteMy sincere thanks to all for you kind and interesting comments.
ReplyDeleteSorry I couldn't answer each one individually this time...family commitments
in the form of two grandchildren needing Grandparentage !
I think i just made up a new word... I wonder if the mighty Oxford dictionary
lexicographers will accept it ?
Best wishes.
Di.
ABCW team.
My sincere thanks to all for you kind and interesting comments.
ReplyDeleteSorry I couldn't answer each one individually this time...family commitments
in the form of two grandchildren needing Grandparentage !
I think i just made up a new word... I wonder if the mighty Oxford dictionary
lexicographers will accept it ?
Best wishes.
Di.
ABCW team.
Dear Di, that is a great word, grandparentage.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the welcome lesson on the Venerable Bede. I had always heard about him but did not know much about him (well, except that he was venerable).