Ecclesiastical history of the English people
The ecclesiastical History of the English people or Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum is a work of Bède Worthy the writes towards 730 and dedicated to the king Ceolwulf of Northumbrie.
The Histoire leaves a big part to the legends spread at the time about England. It is not less one remarkable and atypical work in its context, because of the research task undertaken by the author. Further, it is characterized by its rigor, its precision - in particular in the system of dating - and the clearness of its language. The work, between Hagiographie, Martyrologe and national history, defends the thesis of a federator Christianity which makes it possible to exceed the regional differences and which founds the English natio . The question of the Celtic Monachism and the history of the Northumbrie occupies a great place thus.
Inspired by the method of Eusèbe de Césarée - as its title indicates it in reference to the work of the historian of the East - this work of a great modernity is concerned questions of the century, difficulties of the Church of England and its relation with Rome.
The work was written at the request of the abbot Albin, a disciple of holy Theodore, archbishop of Canterbury.
This last seems to have provided to Bède of many materials to conclude the drafting of its work, in particular of many reports written by the first Christian preachers in England. It sent even a priest of the Church of London named Northelme on a journey to Rome to consult files there, in particular letters of the pope Gregoire Ier (who had sent many missionaries on the island). Bède also accepted documents sent by Daniel, bishop of the Saxon Westerners, and by the Eli abbot, of Eastern England.
The Histoire is made up of five books, the first being a description of Brittany and its former inhabitants.
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