Bede

• An English Father, the Northumbrian Baeda.
• An English monk and writer, known as “the Venerable.”
• Educated by monks from the age of seven, Bede spent his life in the dual monastic foundations of Wearmouth and Jarrow, as a monk, deacon (from age nineteen), and priest (from about age thirty).
• He never traveled beyond Northumbria (north-east England).
• In 55 years of monastic life he never left his monastery except for a few literary journeys, spending all his life employed in study and devotional exercises.
• Alucin has preserved one of his sayings: I know that the angels visit the canonical hours and gatherings of the brethren; what if they find not me there among the brethren? Will they not say, Where is Bede: why does he not come with the brethren to the prescribed prayers? (Alc.Ep. 16, ed. Migne).

1. Historical Works

• Of his historical works, Bede is most famous for his grandiose Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum (Ecclesiastical History), which was completed in 731. 2. Commentaries on the Old Testament
• Genesis (4 books) derived chiefly from Sts. Basil, Ambrose, and Augustine; the Tabernacle (3); Samuel (3); the Building of the Temple (2); on Kings, 30 questions dedicated to Nothlem; Proverbs (3); Canticles (7); on Isaiah, Daniel, the 12 minor prophets and part of Jeremiah, extracts from Jerome; on Ezra and Nehemiah (3), on the Song of Habakkuk (1), on Tobit (1), chapters of lessons on the Pentateuch, Joshua, and Judges; Kings, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Canticles, Isaiah, Ezra, and Nehemiah. 3. Commentaries on the New Testament
• St. Mark (4); St. Luke (6); Book of Homilies on the Gospels (2); Acts (2); a book on each Catholic Epistle; on the Apocalypse (3); lessons on the whole New Testament except the Gospels, and these are professedly compilations from ancient Fathers. 4. Letters 5. Hagiographies 6. Hymns and epigrams 7. Scientific books 8. Elementary books