A review by quoththegirl
Ecclesiastical History of the English People by Bede

2.0

Bede, an English monk, finished the History in 731 AD, and he’s generally considered to be the first English historian. He wrote in Latin, of course, but my Latin is NOT up to that kind of challenge, so I’m reading a translation. It’s no page-turner; most ecclesiastical writings from the 8th century aren’t, I expect. But it is intriguing for those with an interest in British history. Bede definitely has his biases. He was quite the Pope Gregory fanboy, and in the book he copies many of the pope’s letters in their entirety. Amusingly enough, one of the main heresies encountered again and again throughout several hundred years, and one that Bede takes very solemnly, is keeping Easter on different days. Folks got into huge arguments about this, accusing one another of heinous apostasy. Whole chapters are dedicated to this. I got a kick out of Bede’s chastisement of the younger “generation of apathy,” and I also chuckled when Bede records a letter from 601 AD in which the author is convinced the end of the world and Christ’s return are coming very soon. We haven’t really changed: we still get bees in our bonnets over minor issues, think that the end of civilization is obviously nigh due to the degenerate times we live in, and think that the younger generation is going to pot.