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The Ecclesiastical History of the English People (731 AD) is Bede's most famous work. As well as providing the authoritative Colgrave translation of the Ecclesiastical History, this edition includes a new translation of the Greater Chronicle, in which Bede examines the Roman Empire and contemporary Europe. His Letter to Egbert gives his final reflections on the English Church just before his death, and all three texts here are further illuminated by a detailed introduction and explanatory notes.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
126 of 127 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Probably one of the greatest books ever written!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Ecclesiastical History of the English People (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)
Although many would probably doubt my sanity in implying that this book is one of the greatest ever produced by mankind along with other great and more well-known works,I will attempt to justify my point...Primarily, I first encountered this last year, whilst doing a course on Anglo-Saxon history, and we studied the Historia Ecclesiastica in great detail, which not only attempted to outline the historical content of the Early Dark Age in England and other parts of the continent, as well as trying to lay a Christian foundation of permanence in England at the time (731, when the Church here was undergoing a moral crisis), but is also written in an extremely professinal manner by Bede, even compared to modern standards. For example, Bede not only gives us an introduction, but also names his sources, and was one of the first historians to start dating events from the birth of Christ. (By all accounts his Latin was excellent too, although this is obviously done in an English translation). He doesn't start from the Anglo-Saxon invasion either, but goes right back to the arrival of the other groups on the island, such as the Celts and the Romans, as well as stating some geographic facts about Britain too. From here, he guides the reader with clarity through the exciting, and often bloody, history of 'the English' right up until his own day. So impressed was I with this book that I returned to do another course on the Early Mediaeval period, and bought another copy of this spectacular work to read for pleasure, and no doubt I'll return to it again and again. Undoubtedly the only real source of historical documentation in this period in Northern Europe at this time, as well as trying to persuade the reader to learn from history's mistakes and lessons to become a better Christian, Bede sums up the book with a micro-autobiography of himself. Not only was this a great historical 'fountain of knowledge', but it is also full of juicy 'goings-on' in this era, with battles, blood, conversions, paganism, etc, but as a contribution to world literature, its greatness is underlined by the fact that it has never been unavailable/out of print since it first appeared in 731, which is an achievement in itself. To end with, I would personally endorse the Oxford World Classic version (Colgrave), as not only do you get more for your money, i.e. 'The Letter to Egbert', etc, this translation is the most authoratative versions available, with clear notes at the back for the more studious reader. Definitely five stars...only because I can't put more!
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The father of English history,
By
This review is from: The Ecclesiastical History of the English People (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)
It's hard to overestimate the importance of the Venerable Bede and his Historia Ecclesiastica. He was the first to catalogue and write down the early English history, and in doing it well he set a real standard to live up to for future historians.Although written in 731, Bede's history (at least in this version) is an easy read, moving from Roman times to Bede's own day, taking in the squabbles of the several English kingdoms, the missions of Augustine in the south and the Celtic saints in the north. It's a fascinating period of history, not least because history courses often seem to start with 1066 and take it from there.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A remarkable book,
By
This review is from: The Ecclesiastical History of the English People (Oxford World's Classics) (Paperback)
We are so lucky to have this book. Lucky that a man of Bede's remarkable ability should undertake such a detailed history in an era when the gathering of information was a phenomenally painstaking task, lucky that Bede writes in such a readable style, and lucky that a book written 1300 years ago should have survived through the ages. Without Bede we would be hugely the poorer in our knowledge and understanding of the British Isles during the major part of the first millennium. This is not a conventional history; it is very much a history of the growth of Christianity and the Church in England (and the rest of the British Isles) during the period, written from a priest's perspective. However, in the setting out of Bede's account of the English church we also get a fair slice of more general history of the times, as well as a feel for its culture. I am generalising here a bit, but early books have a tendency to feel like they have been written by a committee (which or course may be true!) and with no sense of the author's own views. That is absolutely not the case with this book. Bede's personality and views shine through on virtually every page - he is writing the ecclesiastical history from his viewpoint and his personal interests (such as the dating of Easter - disputed for many years) shine through. This makes the book all the more interesting to read. As mentioned above, Bede's is not a difficult style of writing to read and appreciate, but it is not a book to be torn through like a novel (in the way that, for example, Churchill's History Of The English Speaking People's can). The reason for this is that Bede includes a huge amount of detail about individuals' names (and dates) but, as many of the names are similar, and as characters appear and disappear very quickly, it can be difficult to keep track of the narrative thread at times and to remember who is being talked about and to whom they are related either by blood or events. My advice is not to try too hard to connect everything up, but to enjoy the overall flow of the book and to concentrate on the facts and details of each of the many short chapters, treating them as vignettes that make up a greater whole. Finishing the book I felt tremendous sense of satisfaction at being lucky enough to be able to glimpse into the past through the eyes of a such a remarkable man as Bede.
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