'TRAVELING COMPANIONS' EXTRACT 2
For this week's extract from
'Traveling Companions,' I have chosen one of the saints of the British Isles
from before the Great Schism. He is something of a favourite of mine since not
only was he a gentle and kind man but his Ecclesiastical History of England
was of tremendous help to me in writing this book. What is more, Bede comes
from the northeast of England, my wife's birthplace.
Other British saints of the undivided
Church included in the book are: Aidan of Lindisfarne; Alban, Protomartyr of England; Augustine of
Canterbury; Brendan the Voyager; Brigid of Kildare; Caedmon, Hymn Writer; Columba of Iona; Cuthman of Steyning; David of Wales; Hilda of Whitby; Patrick, Enlightener of
Ireland.
Bede, Venerable (May 27)
Renowned as a historian, Bede, the “Father of English
History,” is also venerated as a saint for his piety, scholarship, and
influence on the early English Church. Born in about 672, near Jarrow in the northeast of England, he
probably came from a noble family. He was placed in the monastery at Wearmouth
at the age of seven, ordained a deacon at nineteen and a priest at thirty.
Apart from occasional trips to York and Lindisfarne, he spent his whole life in
the monastery, and, in his own words, “I wholly applied myself to the study of
Scripture; and amidst the observance of monastic rule, and the daily charge of
singing in the church, I always took delight in learning, or teaching, or
writing.”
A sort of renaissance man about nine hundred years before the
renaissance, Bede had interests ranging from theology and scriptural commentary
to music, history, grammar, and science. Among the many achievements attributed
to him were a recalculation of the age of the earth, the popularization of the
division of history into BC and AD, and the invention of the footnote. Though
he was not a particularly original thinker, his commentaries on the Scriptures
were of great value in synthesizing the writings of the early Church Fathers
and, through his skill as a linguist and translator, making them accessible to
Anglo-Saxon readers. It is mainly for this work and his considerable influence
on early English church history that he is venerated as a Doctor of the Church
and as a saint. He is the only
Englishman to be mentioned in Dante’s Paradiso, appearing among the doctors of the Church.
Although we know little of Bede’s life, we can piece together
from his writing a picture of a devout and kindly man with a deep love of the
truth, coupled with great common sense. Despite his erudition and probable
noble birth, he seems to have had an essentially humble view of his talents
when compared with spirituality: “Better a stupid and unlettered brother who, working the good things he
knows, merits life in Heaven than one who
though being distinguished for his learning in the Scriptures, or even
holding the place of a doctor, lacks the bread of love.” He saw all his work,
including the study of science and
history, as devoted to the glory of God, and always put his church
duties before other things. He once made the point that, since the angels were
present with the monks during worship, he must not skip the services: “What if
they [the angels] do not find me among
the brethren when they assemble? Will they not say, ‘Where is Bede?’”
The final days of his life, described in a letter from his
disciple Cuthbert, create a moving picture of a man ready to meet his Maker.
About two weeks before Pascha 735, he fell ill with frequent attacks of
breathlessness, but continued to teach, sing psalms, and dictate his last work,
a translation of St. John’s Gospel into Anglo-Saxon. Shortly before Ascension
Day, his breathing deteriorated and his feet swelled, and he warned his pupils,
“Learn quickly, for I do not know how
long I can continue. The Lord may call me in a short while.”
After a sleepless night, he continued dictating, but at three
o’clock paused to distribute “a few treasures” among the priests of the
monastery, “some pepper, and napkins, and some incense.” He asked for their
prayers and said, “The time of my departure is at hand, and my soul longs to see Christ my King in His
beauty.” That evening, his scribe Wilbert,
writing down the last sentence of his work, said, “It is finished now.”
“You have spoken truly,” said Bede, “it is well finished.” He asked Wilbert to
lift his head so that he could see the church he loved, sang the Doxology, and
passed away.
The poem called Bede’s
Death Song, although not definitely
written by Bede, certainly relates to a
theme often dealt with in his other writing:
Before the unavoidable journey there, no one becomes
wiser in thought than him who, by need,
ponders, before his going hence,
what good and evil within his soul,
after his day of death, will be judged.17
Bede was buried at Jarrow but, in 1020, his remains were
transferred to
Durham Cathedral, where they still lie alongside those of St.
Cuthbert of
Lindisfarne.
© Conciliar Press 2013
The link to buy the book is:
http://www.conciliarpress.com/products/Traveling-Companions%3A-Walking-with-the-Saints-of-the-Church.html
© Conciliar Press 2013
The link to buy the book is:
http://www.conciliarpress.com/products/Traveling-Companions%3A-Walking-with-the-Saints-of-the-Church.html
