Bede: EHEP—Book I—Chapter 33

The Ecclesiastical History of the English People—Book I—Chapter 32

With Aethelberht's help, Augustine restores a church in Canterbury that was built during the time of the Roman occupation and adds living quarters for himself and his successors. In addition, he builds the monastery of St. Peter and St. Paul which was to be the final resting place for archbishops and the kings of Kent.

Church of Sts Peter and Paul

Rotunda and nave

Photo by Ealdgyth

In this miracle story, Bede relates the story of Peter who was the first abbot of St. Peter and St. Paul monastery. Peter drowned during a voyage to Gaul in the sea of Ambleteuse and was not honorably buried. When the inhabitants noticed that a "heavenly light" appeared above his grave, the realized that he was a saint and moved him to a church in Bologna where he was buried with proper ceremony befitting his person.

Bede: EHEP—Book I—Chapter 32

The Ecclesiastical History of the English People—Book I—Chapter 32

Chapter 32 contains a copy of a letter that Pope Gregory sent to King Aethelberht in which Gregory urges Aethelberht to expand the Christian faith throughout his kingdom. In contrast to chapter 30, this chapter shows Pope Gregory's radical approach to the destruction of pagan temples. In Book 1—Chapter 30, in a letter to Abbot Mellitus, Gregory states that "after long deliberation about the English people... the idol temples of that race should by no means be destroyed, but only the idols in them." The shrines were to be reconsecrated with holy water and used for Christian worship. Two chapters later, in this chapter, Aethelberht is told to "suppress the worship of idols" and "overthrow their buildings and shrines... by exhorting them, terrifying, enticing, and correcting them." However, it is interesting to note that the letter to Abbot Mellitus (Chapter 30) was dated on the 18th of July and the letter to Aethelberht (Chapter 32) is dated earlier on the 22nd of June. Both letters were written in 601, "the nineteenth year of the reign of our most religious emperor Maurice Tiberius." With this in mind, it appears that Pope Gregory shifted from a radical view to a more conservative one in regard to pagan temples.

Noted

• Why did Bede not order the letters chronologically? It would not have been difficult to do so. Since he also included the dates in the closing of the letters, it does not appear that he was trying to misrepresent anything.

• Why did Gregory change his original stance regarding the temples? It does not seem that he became moderate because they were not gaining converts, since the letter against Augustine's pride was supposedly written at the same time as the letter to Abbot Mellitus. Also, when Bede says that something happened "at the same time," the event may have been a month or more apart. Chapters 30-32, on first glance, seems to have happened simultaneously, but as noted by the dates in the letters, the events took place in June and July. It is important to be aware of dates when reading EHEP because terms like these can set astray the reader's sense of time. 

• Gregory is appealing to Aethelberht's sense of glory and imagination when he draws a comparison between the King and Constantine. Like Constantine, the first Christian emperor, Aethelberht is expected to be instrumental in converting followers of the old religion to the new faith. He is advised by Gregory to consult with Augustine since Augustine has a closer connection to God than the King.

• Gregory closes the letter by mentioning that he has included "some small gifts which will not be small to you, because you will receive them with the blessing of St Peter the Apostle," however Bede does not mention what these mysterious gifts are. Could these gifts be some physical and symbolic representations of the Aethelberht's connection with the Christian faith and the Church of Rome?

• Aethelberht is now addressed as if he is now part of the spiritual ecclesiastical family. Gregory addresses him as his son and expects him to follow his advice, as well as Augustine's. Although it is tempered by familial forms of address, there is clearly a hierarchy of authority.

• At the same time, Pope Gregory seems concerned about wining Aethelberht's favor: "Pope Gregory...sent a letter to King Aethelberht, as well as numerous gifts of every kind...anxious to glorify the king with temporal honours."

The Viking Exhibition

Not able to visit the National Museum of Denmark for the Viking exhibition, but at least I have the book.

Bede: EHEP—Book I—Chapter 31

 The Ecclesiastical History of the English People—Book I—Chapter 31

Bede records Pope Gregory's letter advising Augustine that he should not become too proud of his ability to create miracles and that he should think about eternal rewards in heaven rather than temporal rewards for his gift.

Points Noted

• Bede must have felt that miracles are part of history and so he records them along with historical events. In 2013, reading about miracles in a book which is concerned with recording factual history seems very unusual since we now cast a skeptical eye on the supernatural. However, perhaps because of Bede's strong faith as a monk, miracles were considered fact. Considering the title, Bede's work is specifically about "ecclesiastical history," so maybe during his time it would not have been unusual to record such events in that type of work. The bible, filled with miraculous events, was also considered a historical account for the Israelites and Christians. It is a little disappointing that the letter does not include the type of miracles that Augustine performed. Bede does not go into details about the miracles either, which seems a bit unusual since anyone reading his history might want to know more about them. 

• At first, I tried to rationalize what these miracles could be and thought that maybe these miracles refer to the conversion of the Britons. However, it seems more likely that they refer to something he is doing which causes them to convert--"the souls of the English are drawn by outward miracles to inward grace." What might these "outward miracles" be--some action or event, something visual? 

Globus Cruciger

I was looking at an image of King Aethelberht of Kent who is shown with a round orb in his hand surmounted by a cross and wondered what it meant since I have seen it in images of other royal figures and Christ (Salvator Mundi--Saviour of the World). I finally had time to do a bit of research on the Internet and learned that it is called a globus cruciger which represents Christian dominance over the world. When it is seen in the hands of a royal figure, it symbolizes the power given to the ruler by God to rule on God's behalf.

Stained glass from a chapel in All Soul's College, Oxford, England

Trying to Become Better at History

I was excited to receive Robert C. Williams' The Historian's Toolbox: A Student's Guide to the Theory and Craft of History in my mailbox this weekend. I am hoping that it can help me better understand the process of doing history and what being a historian is all about.

Another good book that I just finished is How to Write A Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing, written by Paul J. Silvia, PhD. He makes references to the field of psychology, but his advice can also be applied to other fields, including the liberal arts. I enjoyed his engaging down-to-earth writing style and greatly appreciated the informative section about academic writing for different end products — for example, journals, reviews and books — since they gave me better understanding of what goes into them and what to expect if I decide to write for an academic audience.

Bede: The Ecclesiastical History of the English People - Chapter 30

On July 18, 600 CE, Pope Gregory writes a letter to Abbot Mellitus, one of the men who was sent to help Augustine, on the subject of pagan temples and customs. Careful to avoid alienating pagans, Gregory's attitude is liberal, moderate and practical; temples may be preserved and reconsecrated as Christian places of worship, but idols are to be destroyed. In addition, customary sacrifices made to pagan gods can be modified to serve the Christian God. Instead of offering sacrificial cattle to their old gods, worshipers should slaughter them for their own food and give thanks to God. Gregory's plan preserves peace within an established religious community and attracts new members to the faith by blurring the line between new ideas and ancient traditions. Pope Gregory hopes that the familiarity of pagan sites and similarity of rituals will help to inculcate the new Christian faith into the hearts and minds of the early Britons.

Points Noted:

• Why is Gregory telling Abbot Mellitus to tell Augustine instead of just directly communicating with Augustine himself? Is he someone close to Pope Gregory and is he closer to the Pope than Augustine? Did Augustine receive a letter with similar instructions?