Great Books III Study Questions for Assignment 3

Bede, Ecclesiastical History of the English People Study Guide for Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, Books 3.21-5 Book 3.21ff 1. chap. 25, The Synod of Whitby (Streanaeschalch) is the culmination of the controversy and in some ways the cenerpiece of Bede's history. Who was there, how did the arguments proceed, and how did the synod conclude the question? How did this affect later English history? 2. chap. 30 The people relapse into paganism during plague--where have you seen this before in earlier histories of Greece and Rome? 3. What is the purpose of the miracles in Bede's history? Why do they figure so prominently? How does this connect with Eusebius's use of the theme of martyrdom throughout his own history? Book 4 4. chap. 2 What subjects did Theodore and Hadian teach? What kind of music did they introduce to England? 5. chaps 19-20 What was Etheldreda most praised for? What do you think of this? 6. chap. 24 How did Caedmon get his gift of poetry? Caedmon's Hymn in the original Anglo-Saxon 7. chap. 25 How does Bede use the monastery as a metaphor for the world in this story and moral? Book 5 8. chaps. 12-14 -- visions of the afterlife. What lesson does Bede want his readers to learn from these stories? 9. chap. 23 Present state of the English nation and rest of Britain: What does Bede say is the present condition of the four nations; the Irish, Picts, British, and English (Northumbrians)? 10. chap. 24 "Autobiographical note" (pg 329): What outline of Bede's life can we draw from paragraphs 2 and 3? 11. What other kinds of books did Bede write besides his ecclesiastical history? 12. In 1.10, 2.1, 4.20, 4.24, 5.7, 5.8, and 5.19 Bede quotes poetry. We know he was interested in poetry (his book on The Art of Poetry is listed at the end of the Autobiographical Note). What can we learn about his ideas on poetry from these poems and the immediate context of each? [Check out the structure of Bede's own poem in 4.20] Bede's Tomb in Durham Cathedral © Marian Moffett.

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