Distilling a decade of research by leading experts on the Venerable Bede, Bede the scholar investigates the Northumbrian monk's place within the wider intellectual developments of the early medieval world. Demonstrating the centrality of the Bible to his scholarship, chapters focus on Bede's engagement with scriptural languages, his knowledge and use of earlier works of Latin literature, and a pastoral commitment to teaching and preaching. The book breaks new ground for our understanding of Bede's self image by investigating his famous Ecclesiastical history of the English people alongside lesser-known works such as the Martyrology, the commentary On Genesis, and the chapter headings he developed for different parts of the Vulgate Bible. Contributors highlight the importance of appreciating Bede's work within its local setting: the kingdom of Northumbria and the monastery of Wearmouth, whose founders, Benedict Biscop and Ceolfrith, inspired Bede in various ways. The monastery provided an environment in which Bede could flourish, and where he contributed to an intellectual enterprise which also generated the Codex Amiatinus, the earliest one-volume Vulgate to survive fully intact.Combining rigorous scholarly research with a celebration of the depth and complexity of Bede's work, Bede the scholar deepens our understanding of the scholarly programme undertaken by one of the most important intellectual figures of the early middle ages.

IntroductionPeter Darby and Máirín MacCarron1. The autobiographical statement of Bede the scholar in Ecclesiastical history 5:24Peter Darby and Máirín MacCarron2. Co-heirs of Christ's glory: deification in BedeArthur Holder3. Bede's biblical capitula and the oriented reading of Scripture at Wearmouth-JarrowAppendixCelia Chazelle4. Bede and the Gospel of John: theology, preaching and the Historia ecclesiastica gentis anglorumSusan Cremin5. Bede's perfecti and the Gospel of MatthewEmily Quigley6. Bede, Ceolfrith, and Cassiodorus: biblical scholarship at Wearmouth and JarrowAlan T. Thacker7. Bede and the Hebrew alphabetsDamian Fleming8. Biblical-textual criticism in Bede's commentary on GenesisJohn J. Gallagher9. Bede and 'the nature of things'Eoghan Ahern10. Revisiting Bede's miracles: earth, water, and healing in the Ecclesiastical history, commentary On Genesis, and prose Life of CuthbertSharon M. Rowley11. Bede's Martyrology: a resource and spiritual lessonPaul C. HilliardBibliographyIndex