A companion to Bede : a reader's commentary on "The ecclesiastical history of the English people"

The Venerable Bede completed the earliest history of Christianity in England early in the eighth century. In prose both fascinating and unique, Bede described the beginnings, development, and spread of Christianity in Britain. Now in this century, J. Robert Wright offers a comprehensive and reliable companion to the earlier historian's writings. A Companion to Bede allows readers to follow the major English translations of Bede's work, chapter by chapter and verse by verse, while still remaining faithful to the original Latin text. This guide enables readers to understand exactly what Bede is trying to say, what he means, and why his words and account remain so important. Wright seeks to provide answers to the questions careful readers ask. His focus — like Bede's own — in this volume is the church itself, in all its aspects, helping to explain the features in the history's narrative that Bede himself thought were the most significant. There are countless numbers of books and articles about Bede, but there is no other comprehensive companion to his text that can be read in tandem with Bede himself, illuminating his own meanings and intention. The Venerable Bede completed the earliest history of Christianity in England early in the eighth century. In prose both fascinating and unique, Bede described the beginnings, development, and spread of Christianity in Britain. Now in this century, J. Robert Wright offers a comprehensive and reliable companion to the earlier historian's writings. A Companion to Bede allows readers to follow the major English translations of Bede's work, chapter by chapter and verse by verse, while still remaining faithful to the original Latin text. This guide enables readers to understand exactly what Bede is trying to say, what he means, and why his words and account remain so important. Wright seeks to provide answers to the questions careful readers ask. His focus, like Bede's own, in this volume is the Church itself, in all its aspects, helping to explain the features in the history's narrative that Bede himself thought were the most significant. There is a countless number of books and articles about Bede, but there is no other comprehensive companion to his text that can be read in tandem with Bede himself, illuminating his own meanings and intention. "The Venerable Bede's history of the Christian church in England, written in the early eighth century, still stands as a significant literary work. Translated from Latin into various other languages, Bede's fascinating history has long been widely studied." "Thirteen centuries later, this thorough and reliable guide by J. Robert Wright enables today's readers to follow the major English translations of Bede's work and to understand exactly what Bede was saying, what he meant, and why his words and account remain so important. Wright's Companion to Bede provides the answers to most questions that careful, intelligent readers of Bede are apt to ask. Despite the countless numbers of books and articles about Bede, there is no other comprehensive companion to his text that can be read in tandem with the medieval author himself."--Jacket Some questions for subsequent reflection List of Popes from Gregory the Great Early Archbishops of Canterbury J. Campbell on the significance of the Synod of Whitby.