Bede and his world

Aims

This course aims to:

• introduce you to the work and the world of Bede, the ‘father of English History’
• set Bede’s work within the context of the formation of Anglo-Saxon England, its conversion to Christianity, its relations with its neighbours and the Northumbrian Golden Age
• examine Bede’s research and how it amounted to an early ‘theory of everything’, bringing together arts, faith and science

Content

2023 marked the 1350th anniversary of the birth of the Venerable Bede (c.673-735), one of the greatest scholars of the post-Roman West and the ‘Father of English History’. But how, within a generation of the conversion of his Northumbrian people to Christianity did this Anglo-Saxon, who at the age of seven was entrusted to the care of the new monastery of Monkwearmouth and who spent his whole life there and at its twin foundation of Jarrow, achieve this? Having only travelled within the region, how did he write a guide to the sacred sites of the Near East that was still used by travellers there in the early 20th century? How did he produce the first tide timetables, having recognised the gravitational pull of the moon? What earned him the title of ‘the father of English history’? What was his role in the creation of the Ceolfrith Bibles and the Lindisfarne Gospels and in shaping the cult of St Cuthbert? How did he give us our earliest English poetry and the first translation of part of the Bible into the English language? What was his world like? What was his research programme and what library resources and experiences did he draw upon? How did this stimulate a publishing programme that bridged those of late Antiquity and the Carolingian period? These and many other questions are explored in this course, set within the cultural and historical context of the Golden Age of Northumbria.  

Presentation of the course

The course is taught by means of a series of illustrated lectures, punctuated with readings from sources, Q&A and discussion times.

Course sessions

1. Historical background: Post-Roman Britain and the origins of England.
2. Bede, the man and his work – a Theory of Everything.
3. The Northumbrian Renaissance: archaeology, art, literature.
4. The wider world stage and Bede’s defence of the Northumbrian tradition.
5. Bede and his legacy.

Learning outcomes

You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course. 

The learning outcomes for this course are:

• to understand how the concept of England was forged in the aftermath of the Roman Empire and how this corresponded to its reality
• to appreciate the role of Northumbrian culture and of the work of Bede in the early medieval West
• to appreciate the interaction between ‘history’ as it is written and the wide-ranging types of evidence upon which it is based
• to understand how and why a long-lived historical concept evolves and is manifested

Required reading

Brown, Michelle P, Bede and the Theory of Everything (London: Reaktion 2023)

or

Brown, Michelle P, ‘Bede’s Life in Context: Materiality and Spirituality’ in The Cambridge Companion to Bede, edited by Scott de Gregorio (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2010, pp. 3-24)  

Brown, Michelle P, How Christianity Came to Britain and Ireland (Oxford: Lion Hudson 2006) Reissued as Pagans and Priests: The Coming of Christianity to Britain and Ireland  (London: Reader’s Digest 2007) 

Typical week: Monday to Friday 

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students.   

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to your learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events. 

Evaluation and Academic Credit  

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.  

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay. 

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit. 

Certificate of attendance 

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.