Bede and Time: Computus, Theology and History in the Early Medieval World (Studies in Early Medieval Britain and Ireland)

**Awarded the Irish Historical Research Prize 2021.** The Venerable Bede (c. 673–735) was the leading intellectual figure of the early Anglo-Saxon Church, and his extensive corpus of writings encompassed themes of exegesis, computus (dating of Easter and construction of calendars), history and hagiography. Rather than look at these works in isolation, Máirín MacCarron argues that Bede’s work in different genres needs to be read together to be properly understood. This book provides the first integrated analysis of Bede’s thought on time, and demonstrates that such a comprehensive examination allows a greater understanding of Bede’s writings on time, and illuminates the place of time and chronology in his other works. Bede was an outstanding intellect whose creativity and ingenuity were apparent in various genres of writing. This book argues that in innovatively combining computus, theology and history, Bede transformed his contemporaries’ understanding of time and chronology. The Venerable Bede (c. 673–735) was the leading intellectual figure of the early Anglo-Saxon Church, and his extensive corpus of writings encompassed themes of exegesis, computus (dating of Easter and construction of calendars), history and hagiography. Rather than look at these works in isolation, Máirín MacCarron argues that Bede’s work in different genres needs to be read together to be properly understood. This book provides the first integrated analysis of Bede’s thought on time and demonstrates that such a comprehensive examination allows a greater understanding of Bede’s writings on time, illuminating the place of time and chronology in his other works. Bede was an outstanding intellect whose creativity and ingenuity were apparent in various genres of writing. This book argues that in innovatively combining computus, theology and history, Bede transformed his contemporaries’ understanding of time and chronology. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Title 3 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Acknowledgements 10 Abbreviations 12 Introduction: Computus, contexts and controversies 14 Bede and the Insular Easter Controversy 15 Bede and time: Historiography and outline of the book 23 1 De temporibus 33 Transmission and terminology of Bede's works on time 35 Insular computistica 37 Structure and content of computistical textbooks 40 De temporibus and Insular computus tradition 41 Why did Bede write De temporibus? 49 2 The De temporibus chronicle 61 Structure of the De temporibus chronicle 62 Purpose of the De temporibus chronicle 67 Terminology and titles for Bede's chronicles 69 3 Bede's Anno Mundi chronology and the 'Chronicle of 703' 76 Chronography in Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages 77 Chronology in the Insular World 86 Why did Bede use Vulgate chronology? 93 Conclusion 97 4 Bede's chronicles: Contents and sources 109 First to fifth world ages 110 Sixth world age 115 Conclusion 123 5 Nativity and Incarnation in Bede's theology of time 130 Baptism, Passion and Nativity in world chronicle tradition 131 Bede and counting time from the coming of Christ 133 Nativity and Incarnation in Bede's thought 134 Nativity and Incarnation in early medieval theology 140 6 Bede, Dionysius Exiguus and Anno Domini chronology 149 Annus Domini prior to the seventh century 149 Anglo-Saxon England 152 Willibrord and Francia 156 Bede and Annus Domini in the Historica Ecclesiastica 158 Afterword 170 Appendix 1: Table of chapter headings in Bede's De temporibus and his principal sources 174 Appendix 2: Table of key chronological events in the Chronicle of Eusebius and Jerome 177 Appendix 3: Chronological comparison of Bede's chronicles 178 Appendix 4: Popes in the Liber Pontificalis, De temporibus and De temporum ratione 186 Appendix 5: Incarnation dating clauses in the Historia ecclesiastica 188 Appendix 6: Comparison of Bede's AD years in the Historia ecclesiastica with AD years calculated from his chronicles 192 Glossary 194 Select bibliography 197 Index 219 "The Venerable Bede (c. 673–735) was the leading intellectual figure of the early Anglo-Saxon Church, and his extensive corpus of writings encompassed themes of exegesis, computus (dating of Easter and construction of calendars), history and hagiography. Rather than look at these works in isolation, Máirín MacCarron argues that Bede’s work in different genres needs to be read together to be properly understood. This book provides the first integrated analysis of Bede’s thought on time, and demonstrates that such a comprehensive examination allows a greater understanding of Bede’s writings on time, and illuminates the place of time and chronology in his other works. Bede was an outstanding intellect whose creativity and ingenuity were apparent in various genres of writing. This book argues that in innovatively combining computus, theology and history, Bede transformed his contemporaries’ understanding of time and chronology."--Provided by publisher