The Gregorian Mission to Kent in Bede's Ecclesiastical History

Methodology and Sources

Nonfiction, History, Medieval
Cover of the book The Gregorian Mission to Kent in Bede's Ecclesiastical History by Richard Shaw, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Richard Shaw ISBN: 9781351669443
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: January 29, 2018
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Richard Shaw
ISBN: 9781351669443
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: January 29, 2018
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Historians have long relied on Bede’s Ecclesiastical History for their narrative of early Christian Anglo-Saxon England, but what material lay behind Bede’s own narrative? What were his sources and how reliable were they? How much was based on contemporary material? How much on later evidence? What was rhetoric? What represents his own agendas, deductions or even inventions?

This book represents the first systematic attempt to answer these questions for Bede’s History,taking as a test case the coherent narrative of the Gregorian mission and the early Church in Kent. Through this critique, it becomes possible, for the first time, to catalogue Bede’s sources and assess their origins, provenance and value – even reconstructing the original shape of many that are now lost. The striking paucity of his primary sources for the period emerges clearly. This study explains the reason why this was the case. At the same time, Bede is shown to have had access to a greater variety of texts, especially documentary, than has previously been realised.

This volume thus reveals Bede the historian at work, with implications for understanding his monastery, library and intellectual milieu together with the world in which he lived and worked. It also showcases what can be achieved using a similar methodology for the rest of the Ecclesiastical History and for other contemporary works.

Most importantly, thanks to this study, it is now feasible – indeed necessary – for subsequent historians to base their reconstructions of the events of c.600 not on Bede but on his sources. As a result, this book lays the foundations for future work on the conversion of Anglo-Saxon England and offers the prospect of replacing and not merely refining Bede’s narrative of the history of early Christian Kent.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Historians have long relied on Bede’s Ecclesiastical History for their narrative of early Christian Anglo-Saxon England, but what material lay behind Bede’s own narrative? What were his sources and how reliable were they? How much was based on contemporary material? How much on later evidence? What was rhetoric? What represents his own agendas, deductions or even inventions?

This book represents the first systematic attempt to answer these questions for Bede’s History,taking as a test case the coherent narrative of the Gregorian mission and the early Church in Kent. Through this critique, it becomes possible, for the first time, to catalogue Bede’s sources and assess their origins, provenance and value – even reconstructing the original shape of many that are now lost. The striking paucity of his primary sources for the period emerges clearly. This study explains the reason why this was the case. At the same time, Bede is shown to have had access to a greater variety of texts, especially documentary, than has previously been realised.

This volume thus reveals Bede the historian at work, with implications for understanding his monastery, library and intellectual milieu together with the world in which he lived and worked. It also showcases what can be achieved using a similar methodology for the rest of the Ecclesiastical History and for other contemporary works.

Most importantly, thanks to this study, it is now feasible – indeed necessary – for subsequent historians to base their reconstructions of the events of c.600 not on Bede but on his sources. As a result, this book lays the foundations for future work on the conversion of Anglo-Saxon England and offers the prospect of replacing and not merely refining Bede’s narrative of the history of early Christian Kent.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Volume Two. Labour Party General Election Manifestos 1900-1997 by Richard Shaw
Cover of the book Congress and the American Tradition by Richard Shaw
Cover of the book Communications in Africa, 1880 - 1939, Volume 5 by Richard Shaw
Cover of the book Partnerships for Protection by Richard Shaw
Cover of the book Kinanthropometry and Exercise Physiology Laboratory Manual: Tests, Procedures and Data by Richard Shaw
Cover of the book Issues of the Day by Richard Shaw
Cover of the book Dying, Death, Burial and Commemoration in Reformation Europe by Richard Shaw
Cover of the book Shakespeare, Theory and Performance by Richard Shaw
Cover of the book Human Growth and Development by Richard Shaw
Cover of the book Sustainable Architectural Design by Richard Shaw
Cover of the book Retailing (RLE Retailing and Distribution) by Richard Shaw
Cover of the book Missionary Encounters by Richard Shaw
Cover of the book Football on Trial by Richard Shaw
Cover of the book Recruiting, Selecting and Inducting New Staff in the Workplace by Richard Shaw
Cover of the book Cognitive Systems by Richard Shaw
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy