Free «The Venerable Bede (672-735)» Essay Sample

Bede deserves the title of ‘Venerable because he was a force to reckon with in writing and his position in English history, and by far the history of the church is very significant. His most famous work, the Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum is a comprehensive text that covers one of the most detailed accounts of England. The uniqueness of this work is that Bede painstakingly went through earlier sources and compiled them to make the first part. He also found a balance between objectivity, superstition, legend and tradition (Brooks 2006, 17).

Unlike most writers of his time, whose work was purely based on which side of history they were on, or who their patron, Bede was by far an independent mind. While he writes his work largely about the church and its turbulent history, he also explores the connection between the political and ecclesiastical wings of the society that had preceded him and after (Wright 2008, 93). The ecclesiastical component also makes it a credible account of the Church's history, as well as the efforts of the monarchy to bring Christianity to the people.

The fact that Bede constantly referred to the vast library he had at his disposal in the monastery means that his accounts, though in some instances unchecked, are largely accurate. It is also important to note that he had a unique flair in his writing, which makes it even more interesting because translations from the original Latin draft have had little effect on its core thesis.

Bede deserves the title because while he lived in a time when the line between politics and the ecclesiastical segments was non-existent, he managed to keep an objective and independent mind. His greatest gift was his ability to connect information from multiple sources to write his works. It is also important to note that any modern scholar looking into the medieval times would have to start looking for Bede’s omissions, since his accounts are some of the most accurate ever written.