Questions for Bede's Ecclesiastical History
1. How does Bede differ from Eusebius in theme and style? (Example, Bede’s description of the geography of Britain, something Eusebius wasn’t interested in. I.1 p.45)
2. One of Augustine’s questions to Gregory involves rules on how soon one can enter a church after having sex. Does Gregory see sex as a bad thing, something lawful and yet inherently corrupt? How does Gregory’s answer compare to John Paul II’s Theology of the Body? (I.27 p.79)
3. Can the question and answer section between Augustine and Gregory be used to defend the authority of the Pope?
4. Gregory tells the story of his change from the monastic life to the pastoral life, and laments that his virtue has decreased since he left the monastery. (II.1 p.99) This ties into the question from last year regarding the life of Anthony of Egypt and the Rule of Benedict. Are there different vocations that allow a person to become more holy than someone with a less contemplative vocation?
5. What do you think of the story of the Bishops who didn’t listen to Augustine. (II.3 p.107) Do you think they were guilty? After all, they listened to the advice of a holy man. Do you think they deserved their punishment? Augustine basically called down fire from heaven on them, something that Jesus himself told his disciples not to do. Was Augustine wrong in doing this?
6. Throughout the History, Bede tells the stories of people who died because they were “punished” by God for their wicked deeds. (Example, III.1 p.143) However, Bede also tells the story of the king who was humble and just, the one of which Aiden said, weeping, “I know that the king will not live very long, for I have never before seen a humble king. I fell that he will soon be taken from us, because this nation is not worthy of such a king.” And then not long after, the king died. (III.15 p.167) So, if you are wicked, you die. If you are just and humble, you die. What do you make of this? Is Bede’s theory of divine punishment false? Why?
7. In book 2, Bede describes the conversion of Coifi, a pagan Chief Priest. Coifi destroyed the pagan idols himself, while riding on a stallion and bearing arms. Previously, it was forbidden for a priest to carry arms or ride a male horse. (II.13, p.130) By riding a stallion, Coifi was defying his old religion. The power of a symbol, even something like a horse, is very powerful. Are there examples from other readings we’ve had in honors that demonstrate the power that an ordinary thing acquires when it becomes a symbol? (Examples, the dirt and water that Darius demanded of the Greeks, the olive branch etc.)
8. In class, we discussed the difficulties of getting to the heart of a pagan culture. Would monasteries, as a center of prayer and learning, perhaps be an effective way of getting to the heart of the people?
9. Bede spends a lot of time discussing the religious and royalty. Is he an aristocratic writer in the sense that he seems to ignore the laity? If not, what role do the laity play in the History?
