Bede: EHEP—Book I—Chapter 34

In 603 AD, there is a great battle ensues between King Aethelfrith of Bernicia and King Aedan of the Irish who was alarmed by Aethelfrith's conquests. King Aedan was eventually defeated (but not killed) at Degsastan (location is unknown) and until the time of Bede's writing, the Irish did not dare march on the English.

In this chapter, Bede draws a comparison between Aethelfrith and Saul, a famous biblical king (with the exception that King Aethelfrith was not Christian). The bible acts as a precedence and justification for kingly powers. Although Aethelfrith is not Christian, Bede seems to admire his prowess anyway and calls him "a very brave king" who was "most eager for glory."

This chapter concludes the end of Book 1.

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."

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? 

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? 

Bede: The Ecclesiastical History of the English People - Chapter 29

There are many converts and not enough bishops, "the harvest was great and the workers were few," so Pope Gregory sends more men (Mellitus, Justus, Paulinus and Rufinianus) and ecclesiastical objects, such as vessels, clothes, manuscripts and relics needed for the administration of the churches. In a separate letter, he sends Augustine a pallium of white wool to be worn on special occasions. The pallium signifies Augustine's status of archbishop and confers the power to ordain bishops.

Augustine is to ordain 12 bishops and will have authority over them. London, however, is an exception and has its own archbishopric. In addition, he is to ordain a bishop at York of his own choosing. Once enough people have converted, the bishop of York, will then become an archbishop who will ordain 12 bishops under him. Augustine will have authority over these men and all the bishops of Britain. After Augustine's death, the bishop of London will have no authority over York and the one consecrated first will be the senior of the two. Pope Gregory expects them to share authority and confer with one another.

Points noted:

• The bishops of London and East Saxony have special privileges. Could this be because they were established when the Romans occupied Britain?
• Pope Gregory must really trust Augustine to give him oversight of all the bishops in Britain. An ecclesiastical hierarchy is being created in Britain and Augustine is head of it. 

Bede: The Ecclesiastical History of the English People - Chapter 28

This chapter contains a letter that Pope Gregory wrote in 600/601 AD to Vergilius, the bishop of Arles, in advance of Augustine's visit as a bishop. Gregory advises Vergilius to welcome Augustine with "kindness and goodwill," as they are now spiritual brothers. As if Gregory knew that Augustine's criticism might provoke indignation from Vergilius, he instructs him that if Augustine should notice any faults regarding the "bishops and others," these claims are to be thoroughly investigated.

In the previous chapter, Augustine had written a letter to Gregory asking him "How ought we to deal with the bishops of Gaul and Britain?" This question makes it seem as if some of the bishops were up to no good. What those faults were, were never discussed, but they were probably serious allegations since phrases such as "restore the minds of the depraved"and "check whatever is contrary to our Creator's commands," and "the perverse corrected" are used. Augustine noted these problems and brought it to Gregory's attention. Gregory tells him that he has no jurisdiction over Arles, although he is given authority over the bishops of Britain. However, he is only encouraged to discuss matters and point out his concerns to the bishop in Gaul.

Also, it seems that Augustine was not exactly welcome in Arles. Pope Gregory writes, "The fact that we usually invite our brethren because we love them shows how much affection ought to be lavished on those brethren who come uninvited." Was Augustine vocal in his admonitions? In Chapter 27, he was told that he has no authority over the Gaulish bishops, but was advised to bring up his concerns without "put[ting] a sickle" "through the standing corn of another." Gregory is obviously concerned about what is going on, but does not want Augustine, perhaps in his "zeal," to rub them the wrong way. The word "zeal" is used several times to describe Augustine: "Augustine, the servant of God, of whose zeal we are assured" (p. 38), "If he should happen to be slack in his discipline he must be kindled by your zeal (p. 46).

Augustine is Gregory's trusted man as he was chosen by Gregory to be sent to Britain to convert the people.

Bede: The Ecclesiastical History of the English People - Chapter 27

Bede writes that Augustine went to Arles to be consecrated archbishop of Canterbury by the Archbishop Elutherius who had a longstanding relationship with Rome. However, in the footnote, it is stated that he was probably consecrated bishop before he went to Kent.

Augustine then sends Lawrence and Peter to Pope Gregory in Rome along with some questions about how matters are to be handled. Bede consolidates Augustine’s questions and Pope Gregory’s replies. There are 9 topics:

1. How should bishops live with their clergy and how should donations be shared/divided?

2. Reconciling customs of different churches – e.g., Roman vs. Gaulish churches. Gregory said that it is okay to maintain various local customs that are not part of the Roman church.

3. Punishment for those who rob the church. Gregory’s answer – it depends on circumstances. Harsh punishment, if necessary, meted be done out of love.

4. Marriage between two brothers and two sisters is okay.

5. Marriage between kindred is frowned upon. No grandfather rule for those who convert; if they are already married, they must abstain from intimate relationship. If they abstain, they may take communion.

6. Can a person be made bishop without other bishops to witness the event. Making of a bishop is akin to a marriage and should be celebrated and witnessed.

7. How to deal with bishops in Gaul and Britain. Augustine has no jurisdiction over Gaulish bishops, but Augustine can influence those in Britain.

8. On the topic of women, their menstrual cycles, sex and giving birth.

9. Communion, priests and illicit dreams. Pope Gregory compares it to a 3 step process, “suggestion, pleasure, and consent.”

Bede: The Ecclesiastical History of the English People - Chapter 26

Augustine and his men begin to chant, sing, say mass and preach in the church of St. Martin which was built by the Romans before they left Britain. St. Martin is significant because Queen Bertha, King Aethelberht's Christian wife, prayed here. Bede states that the simplicity and piety of Augustine and the men who followed him inspired many to convert to the their faith, including King Aethelberht. Although the King supports their cause and belief, he does not force his people to convert.

The Church of St. Martin

I wonder if Queen Bertha suggested that they preach here. For a church frequented by a royal person, it is very unassuming and simple.

The following site has some nice pictures of the stained glass windows depicting the Queen, King, St. Martin and Augustine. The pictures can be found by clicking on the links at the bottom of the page:

http://www.saintsandstones.net/saints-stmartinscanterbury-journey.htm

Bede: The Ecclesiastical History of the English People - Chapter 25

I was reading Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People to learn more about early English medieval history and thought that it might be a good idea to post summaries of what I read and any thoughts I might have about it in my blog. Since I wrote a summary first for chapter 25, I'll start here.

Chapter 25

Saint Augustine and 40 of the men who came from Rome with him arrive on the island of Thanet with Frankish interpreters. He sends messengers to King Aethelberht of Kent to announce that he has come to spread the word about Roman Christianity. As Aethelberht figures out what he should do with them, they are treated well. His Frankish wife, Bertha, was a Christian, so Christianity was not an alien religion to him and perhaps he was courteous to them because of his wife. [What religion did Aethelberht follow? And his people? Obviously they did not all follow Christianity, at least not the type preached in Rome.]

However, when it is time to meet them, he meets them outdoors for fear that "if they practised any magic art, they might deceive him and get the better of him." They preach to him and his men, but Aethelberht does not convert nor force his people to convert as the religion is "new to us and doubtful" and they have their own longstanding religious beliefs.  He believes that they are good people though and gives them a place to live and preach in Canterbury, a major city in his realm.

It is interesting that possibility for magic was taken seriously. Since he is not already a Christian, this shows that superstitious beliefs were accepted even by men of importance and power even before the arrival of Christianity. Many seem to believe that the Christianity made people superstitious and this helps to show that this is not the case.

This chapter also shows that image and music were used by Christians as a way to publicly demonstrate their faith:

"they approached the city in accordance with their custom carrying the holy cross and the image of our great King and Lord, Jesus Christ, they sang this litany in unison"

"bearing as their standard a silver cross and the image of our Lord and Saviour painted on a panel. They changed litanies and uttered prayers to the Lord for their own eternal salvation and the salvation of those for whom and to whom they had come."

Religious statues, images and music are typically found within the walls of a church, but in both instances above, they are used outside of the church. [In what other religions were religion and music popular?]