Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England

The Venerable Bede (673 - 735)
Translated by A. M. Sellar

Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England is a work in Latin by Bede on the history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the conflict between Roman and Celtic Christianity. It is considered to be one of the most important original references on Anglo-Saxon history. It is believed to have been completed in 731, when Bede was approximately 59 years old. Divided into five books, it covers the history of England, ecclesiastical and political, from the time of Julius Caesar to the date of its completion (731).

The History of the English Church and People has a clear polemical and didactic purpose. Bede sets out, not just to tell the story of the English, but to advance his views on politics and religion. In political terms he is a partisan of his native Northumbria, amplifying its role in English history over and above that of Mercia, its great southern rival. While Bede is loyal to Northumbria, he shows an even greater attachment to the Irish and the Irish Celtic missionaries, whom he considers to be far more effective and dedicated than their rather complacent English counterparts. His final preoccupation is over the precise date of Easter, which he writes about at length. It is here, and only here, that he ventures some criticism of St Cuthbert and the Irish missionaries, who celebrated the event, according to Bede, at the wrong time. In the end he is pleased to note that the Irish Church was saved from error by accepting the correct date for Easter. (Summary modified from Wikipedia)

Genre(s): Middle Ages/Middle History, Christianity - Other

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 01 - Editor's Preface & Introduction Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023)
00:32:34
Play 02 02 - Life of Bede & Preface Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023)
00:32:11
Play 03 03 - Book I, Chapters 1-8 Michael Dalling
00:29:16
Play 04 04 - Book I, Chapters 9-17 bobolink
00:28:41
Play 05 05 - Book I, Chapters 18-26 Michael Kress
00:24:37
Play 06 06 - Book I, Chapter 27 Jonathan Lange
00:32:07
Play 07 07 - Book I, Chapters 28-34 David Salisbury
00:18:45
Play 08 08 - Book II, Chapters 1-3 Katherine
00:28:16
Play 09 09 - Book II, Chapters 4-9 Katherine
00:28:10
Play 10 10 - Book II, Chapters 10-13 Katherine
00:28:24
Play 11 11 - Book II, Chapters 14-20 Katherine
00:27:26
Play 12 12 - Book III, Chapters 1-7 stmacduff
00:25:42
Play 13 13 - Book III, Chapters 8-14 stmacduff
00:25:48
Play 14 14 - Book III, Chapters 15-21 Jonathan Lange
00:28:21
Play 15 15 - Book III, Chapters 22-24 Jonathan Lange
00:18:51
Play 16 16 - Book III, Chapters 25-26 Jonathan Lange
00:22:33
Play 17 17 - Book III, Chapters 27-30 Felicity C
00:20:07
Play 18 18 - Book IV, Chapters 1-4 Larry Beasley
00:25:37
Play 19 19 - Book IV, Chapters 5-11 Robert Hoffman
00:28:43
Play 20 20 - Book IV, Chapters 12-17 Robert Hoffman
00:26:39
Play 21 21 - Book IV, Chapters 18-22 Jonathan Lange
00:23:54
Play 22 22 - Book IV, Chapters 23-25 Jonathan Lange
00:27:52
Play 23 23 - Book IV, Chapters 26-32 J. A. Cook
00:29:14
Play 24 24 - Book V, Chapters 1-7 Felicity C
00:29:52
Play 25 25 - Book V, Chapters 8-12 Felicity C
00:35:40
Play 26 26 - Book V, Chapters 13-18 Felicity C
00:25:27
Play 27 27 - Book V, Chapters 19-20 Ernst Schnell
00:20:10
Play 28 28 - Book V, Chapter 21 C F de Rosset
00:30:30
Play 29 29 - Book V, Chapters 22-24, Continuation Kevin Johnson
00:30:51