Analysis Of Bede's Reflection Of St. Augustine And Christianity

Bede’s Reflection of St. Augustine and Christianity

History is not merely a list of events, rather history involves asking questions behind an event. Through this process of exploration, historians develop a unique perspective on history. A notable perspective is that of St. Augustine of Hippo, who used Christianity as the base for the structure of history. St. Augustine’s view of history effected later historians, including Bede’s history of England. The viewpoint of history of St. Augustine of Hippo is reflected in Bede’s History, through the documentation of dates and the context through which events are examined and interpreted.

A pagan viewpoint of history does not include the notion that history will come to an end. Rather, the dominant

Augustine, which is heading towards “The City of God”, is reflected in Bede’s History through how events are dated and the importance of dating events. Throughout the text Bede references dates through the context of “the year of our Lord”. Today this system of dating, whom Bede was among the first to use, is commonly documented as A.D. or Anno Domini, which means the year of our Lord. Along with the Christian form of dating, in the early chapters of Bede, dates in terms of the foundation of Rome are included as well. An example of both Christian and Roman dating is, “In the year of our Lord's incarnation 286, Diocletian, the thirty-third from Augustus, and chosen emperor by the army, reigned twenty years, and created Maximian, surnamed Herculius, his colleague in the empire,” (Bede, Book I chapter VI). As Bede documents farther along in history, the Roman form of dating disappears, this is a representation of how Bede reflected the transition from an earthly city towards “The City of God” in his records of history. For in Bede’s perspective the importance of the pagan or earthly ways becomes less important as the world accepts Christianity. The use of dates in the Christian construct, creates a marker in the linear structure of history, which can be used in comparison to other points in history. On a Christian form of dating timeline, events before Christ reflect towards his death and resurrection, and events after the

Augustine’s view on history is reflected in Bede’s interpretation that events are a part of a linear history which is leading to a Telos. Events involving Christians or Christianity were interpreted as being important, since Bede adopted St. Augustine’s viewpoint that the purpose for history is aimed at Jesus and the establishment of “The City of God.” Therefore conversion to Christianity was a key topic in Bede’s History, because Bede believed the world was heading in the direction, where everyone would be Christian. This was based on the idea “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,” found in Philippians 2:10 – 11 and repeated elsewhere in the Bible (Philippians 2:10 – 11, New International Version). Destruction of heretical doctrine was viewed as necessary in order for Christianity to thrive and to prepare the world for the coming of “The City of