Bede and his land.

Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
Beda. 746.

"This savage landscape," writes professor Schlect, "was interrupted by pockets of civilization. These were peaceful places where meals came regularly, singing was routine and the busy cares of the world were tended to in a way that left space in the schedule for art and scholarship to flourish. These pockets of civilization were the monasteries. A common misconception about early medieval monasteries is that they were places where monks went to escape from civilization. But the opposite is true: monks boldly went into untamed places and carved out fresh civilization by establishing monasteries. In doing so they carried literacy to places where people could not read, food to where people were underfed, medicine to the sick, and most importantly, they carried the Christian gospel to people who had not heard of Jesus. Of course, monks were far from perfect, but God raised them up to advance His kingdom in this important age of the church’s immaturity. From the fifth through the eleventh centuries, the gospel filled Europe by way of monasteries. Bede lived in the middle of this era, born around 673 and dying in 735."

Agenda:

1. Pater noster.
2. Announcement: only memorize 4 stanzas of "The Ladder of St. Augustine" by Longfellow. Due in recitation next week (10/1).
3. Read Bede silently.
4. Hand back essays and discuss:
1. General Grammar Concerns: no "you" / agreement / punctuation
2. Lack of details and examples from the text
3. Drawing from the text and you notes and reading journals
4. Review some good examples
5. Lecture on Book I: Review and discuss
1. As mentioned in the Preface, why is Bede pleased at the request of king Ceowulf?
2. In Bede's view, does it matter if history is recorded accurately?
3. In Chapter 1, how does Bede relate the future of Britain to the future of the Bible?
4. Explain Bede's system of dating.
5. How does Bede view shrines, monuments, relics, and martyrs of the Church set up after the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian?
6. How does Bede view the Britons in comparison to the Picts, the Irish, and the Angles?
7. On which nation does Bede focus his history?
8. Describe the early stages of Augustine's mission in Britain.
9. What advice does Pope Gregory give Augustine regarding his relationship to the rest of the clergy?
10. What else Pope Gregory eventually send Augustine to aid the mission in Britain?
6. Review HW:
1. Memorize 4 stanzas of "The Ladder of St. Augustine" by Longfellow. Due in recitation next week (10/1).
2. Read Books II-III of Bede  (9/27)
3. Be perfect.