Many people who are interested in medieval English history and biblical scholarship are quite familiar with the Venerable Bede. Bede was a monk who lived at the Monastery of Sts. Peter and Paul (which is commonly referred to as Wearmouth-Jarrow because these are the two places where the monasteries of St. Peter and St. Paul were located) in the Kingdom of Northumbria. Bede is quite a well-known figure today because of his scholarly acumen which is clearly reflected in more than 45 books that he wrote. These books cover a broad range of topics: theology, biblical studies, science, literature, and history. One of Bede’s most famous works is his series on the Ecclesiastical History of England which examines the history of the Christian Church…show more content… The numerous commentaries that he wrote looked at different sacred books from the Old and New Testaments. In these commentaries, Bede employed an allegorical method of interpretation (i.e. a story...that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one” ). One of the commentaries that he wrote, Ezra-Nehemiah in 725 AD, has recently become the focus of great interest to several medieval historians because of its significance and connection with the ecclesiastical situation that existed within the Kingdom of Northumbria during the last ten years of Bede’s life (i.e. 725 AD to 735 AD). A good example of the concern that he had regarding the state of affairs within Northumbria is his letter to Archbishop Ecgbert of York that was received on May 26, 735 AD (which was written six months before his death). In that letter, Bede lays out all of his concerns about the need for reform in the Northumbrian Church. There are, however, some scholars who have claimed: “that the contemporary ills of the Northumbrian Church [that Bede was expressing] were not a real concern... [for him] until the very end of his…show more content… At the age of seven, he was given by his parents to the Benedictine monastery at Wearmouth to be a child oblate. Bede was entrusted into the care of the holy Abbot Benedict Biscop who would see to it that the young Bede was educated utilizing the extensive library that the monastery had. Biscop had made several trips to the European continent to ensure that his monastery had the best collection of books in all the British Isles, and this ensured that his monks received the best education possible. The education that Bede received helped him to become an avid reader and a prolific writer. While still a young boy, Bede would later be sent to the newer monastery in Jarrow so that he could begin his studies for the priesthood under the guidance of another holy Abbot named Ceolfrid. Abbot Ceolfrid along with several other monks instructed Bede in scripture, theology, sacred music, poetry, and ancient Greek. Bede’s teachers could see the immense academic talent that he possessed, and they decided to have him ordained at the age of 19. He continued his studies for another 11 years until he was ordained a priest at the age of
