History
St. Bede the Venerable is maybe best known (both during his lifetime and today) for his academic writings and extensive treatises on the history of Christianity. “Ecclesiastical History of the English People” is his most famous work, recording both the facts and the timeline of the Anglo-Saxons as well as the Christian Church in the few centuries immediately following Christ’s ascension up through Bede’s time. This five-volume work categorizes the timeline of the history of Britain from the raids by Julius Caesar in 55-54 BC to the arrival of the famous missionary from Rome, Saint Augustine, in 597. Some have called it “the finest historical work of the early Middle Ages.”
Thus, many—both inside and outside the Church—consider the work a “must read” for good reason! It is the primary (almost the only) source for the early history of the “Dark Ages” of Britain, composed from oral tradition and written sources. The main theme of the book is the Brits’ conversion to Christianity and establishment of the monasteries, convents, and the dioceses of the Church, with kings rated throughout the book according to their perceived piety, similar to the accounts we have in the books of Kings in the Old Testament.
Although this may be surprising, many recent translations of this work are quite readable and easily picked up by someone interested in reading a first-hand account written by a saint that dates back to the earliest days of Christendom. It’s no wonder that one of the best ways to commemorate St. Bede’s Day on May 25th, then, is to dive a bit deeper into this famous work!
“Ecclesiastical History”
As mentioned, recent translations make this work accessible to all sorts of people, and we have a couple of suggestions of editions to check out on your own.
First comes this version from Christian Classics Ethereal Library, which is a downloadable pdf copy perfect for reading on your phone or printing to use as part of your household study. Some might be surprised to realize while reading it that Bede is quite an accomplished writer who is pleasurable to read even though some of the historical accounts in his book can still be a bit dry. Further, they might wonder about all the miracles that Bede mentions as part of the early Church—something definitely worth asking your pastor about.
Second, if you’re interested in going the old-school route and purchasing a copy for your own home religious and classics library, we recommend the Penguin Classics version, which is highly rated and deemed a “mandatory read” by many in the comments section.
Third, there is a lovely [LibriVox recording](https://librivox.org/ecclesiastical-history-of-england-by-the-venerable-bede/#:~:text=Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of England is a work in Latin,references on Anglo-Saxon history.) of the work, translated by A.M. Sellar and read by a variety of readers. We can attest that this is a great way to get a feel for this book and provides you with something to put on in the background while doing your household work and daily tasks.
Both would be perfect to pull out for a May 25th commemoration of Bede, and we hope you enjoy!
