BEDE, THE MONK, AS EXEGETE :

EVIDENCE FROM THE COMMENTARY ON

EZRA-NEHEMIAH

The
the

Venerable

most

early

medieval

attested
both

by

their

have

among
viewed

mained

of

The

and

immediate

abroad,

Fathers

early

of

that

acclaim

on

the

and

can

only

exegetical

those

to

for

was

in

For

from

author

himself

no

of

the

gained,

them

their

Bede

wonder.

task

one

writings

earn

How

form

produced

requests

helped

Church.

one

his

collectively

commentary

distribution

acclamation

insistent

writings

scriptural

manuscript

the
this

ever

exegetical

bodies

west.

England

place

Bede's

extensive

while

more

would
he

than

reto

CCSL = Corpus Christianorum, Series Latina; CSEL = Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum; MGH = Monumenta Germaniae Historica; SC = Sources Chre tiennes;
from

RB 1980: The Rule of Saint Benedict

RB

legeville,

Regula

MN,

Sancti

1981).

Benedicti.

am

grateful

Citations

to

and

translations

from

RB

are

taken

, ed. and trans. Timothy Fry, O.S.B. (Col-

Arthur

Holder,

Allen

Frantzen,

Brian

Stock,

Bruno Heisey, and Bede Kierney, all of whom read this article in draft and provided
constructive

comments

for

improvement.

Thanks

, Pierre Bogaert, Mary Forman, Glenn

gu
e

are

due

as

well

Olsen, Joseph Dyer,

to

Adalbert

de

Vo-

and Drew Jones, who

all answered specific queries I put to them.

1.

We

still

lack

proper

book-length

The Venerable Bede

study

surveys may be found in Benedicta W ard,

of

Bede's

exegetical

2.

On

the

manuscripts,

see

M.

L.

W.

L aistner

and

H.

H.

briefer

Bede the Venerable

A Hand-List of

ries 169 (1990; Kalamazoo, 1998), pp. 4187; and George B rown,
(Boston, 1987), pp. 4261

Bede Manuscripts

writings;

, Cistercian Studies Se-

King,

Die Briefe des Heiligen Bonifatius und Lullus

The Anglo-Saxon Missionaries in Germany
The Scriptorium of Wearmouth-Jarrow
Bede and the Benedictine Reform
Bede and Germany
Concilia Aevi Karolini I
Bede the Venerable
Beda Venerabilis: Historian, Monk, &
Northumbrian
Bede and the Benedictine Reform
(Ithaca, N. Y., 1939). The demand abroad for Bede's works is attes-

, ed. M. Tangl, MGH,

ted by the texts in

Epistolae

selectae,

(Berlin,

1916),

nos.

75,

76,

116,

125,

and

the

translations

and

discussion in C. H. Talbot, ed. and trans.,

(New York, 1954). The issue is treated also in three Jarrow Lectures : M. B. P arkes,
,

Hill,

Rollason,
3.

that

Legum,

earlier

to

the

Council

Fathers :

Section

III,

Home

of

Concilia

Abroad :
ed.

L.

(836),

Bede's
,

II

(n.

and

Aachen

see

Brown,

at

Lecture,

1982,

esp.

pp.

1217;

Joyce

, Jarrow Lecture, 2001, esp. pp. 914.

According
of

Jarrow

, Jarrow Lecture, 1998, esp. pp. 36; and David

An

A.

J.

pp. 1729; and Joyce Hill,

(Hannover,

above),

pp.

Introduction,''
R.

Houwen

authority

ed.

1906),

p.

97103;

J.

A.

759.

E.

was

tantamount

Werminghoff,

On

Bede's

Cross,

legacy,

Bede's

to

MGH,
see

Influence

in

and

A.

A.

MacDonald

(Groningen,

1996),

, Jarrow Lecture, 1998.

REVUE BENEDICTINE

344

make

brief extracts

selective
ciency

reading

of

corpus,

that

of

from
his

the

works

commentaries

all-too-modest

programmatic

of

the

and

statement.

concern

with

venerable Fathers,''
homilies

Their

exposes

cumulative

orthodox

teaching,

even a

the

insuffi-

weight

and

deft

as

han-

dling of the allegorical method of biblical interpretation not only align

Bede with patristic tradition but suggest that, to some degree at least,
he

was

out

to

fashion

much the pull of

ern

standpoint,

seemed
to

it,

Bede's

entirely

it

is

contexts

and

it

first

both

the

and

of

enshrinement
so;

if

perhaps,

his

foremost

kind

doctor scripturarum

rightly

has,

understanding

instance,
for

that

as

however

required him to say otherwise. From a mod-

resulting

fitting,

only

for

himself

humilitas

kept

exegetical

monk,

exegesis

he

among

there

has

us

the

been

from

produced

replete
and

Bede

with

the

has

downside

exhausting

achievements.

fact

Fathers

any

other

was,

for

implications

expectations

we

should bring to evaluating it.

Such a claim, it should be said, is not meant to divide the monastic
from

the

Many

patristic,

of

heavy

the

reliance

scholars
the

have

Fathers

was

not

of

nor

Fathers
on

their

prioritize
monks,

patristic

rightly

and

to

were

world

himself

but

the

at

As

that,

to

be

the

expense

monasticism

tradition.

emphasized

viewed

one

and

far

as

however

following

product

of

an

Bede

he

their

early

the

other.

developed

himself

much

in

of

itself

looked

footsteps,

medieval

goes,
to

he

monastic

culture, making his intellectual formation, his motives as a scholar and

4.

Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum,

Bede,

Mynors,

Oxford

Medieval

Texts

(Oxford,

5.24. ed. B. Colgrave and R. A. B.

1969),

p.

566;

hereafter

cited

HE.

as

The

full passage from which this quoted phrase is taken is cited below, n. 13.
5.

For

Bede's

Apostolorum,

favorite

ed.

M.

L.

slogan

W.

In primam partem Samuhelis,

5254;

uestigia

CCSL

121

sequens''),

(Turnhout,

see

Expositio Actuum

1983),

p.

3,

lines

ed. D. Hurst, CCSL 119 (Turnhout, 1962), p.

In Cantica Canticorum,

lines 5014; and

(patrum

Laistner,

ed.

D.

De temporum ratione,

Hurst,

CCSL

119B

(Turnhout,

910;

10, lines

1983),

p.

180,

ed. C. W. Jones, CCSL 123B (Turnhout, 1977),

p. 287, line 86. On Bede and the Fathers, see M. L. W. L aistner, Bede as a Classical

and

Patristic

(1933) : 6994, repr.

Scholar,''

Transactions of the Royal Historical Society

by M. L. W. Laistner,

ed. C.

Starr

(Ithaca, NY, 1957),

Study of the Bible in the Middle Ages

Arthur

G.

Holder,

gical Review
ces :

The

4th

ser.

16

The Intellectual Heritage of the Early Middle Ages : Selected Essays

Bede

and

the

Tradition

72 (1990) : 399411; J.

Transfiguration,''

pp. 93116; Beryl

S malley,

(1941; repr. Notre Dame, Ind., 1970), pp. 3536;

of

Patristic

Anglican Theolo-

Exegesis,''

N. Hart-Hasler, Bede's Use of Patristic Sour-

Studia Patristica

28

(1993) :

197204;

and

Bernice

M.

Kaczynski, Bede's Commentaries on Luke and Mark and the Formation of a Patristic Canon,'' in

Anglo-Latin Literature and Its Heritage : Essays in Honour of A. G. Rigg

on His 64th Birthday,

Medieval
Alan

Latin

Thacker,

ed. S. Echard and G. Wieland, Publications of the Journal of

(Turnhout,

Scott

2001),

DeGregorio,

pp.

1726;

and Joyce

novation in the Writings of the Venerable Bede,

pean Series

7 (Morgantown, WV, 2006).

and

Hill

now

the

essays

forthcoming in

ed. Scott

by

Roger

Ray,

Tradition and In-

DeGregorio, Medieval Euro-

345

S. DEGREGORIO

writer,

his

Latinity

views

of

different

classical

from

antiquity
6

theirs.

Bede

and

was,

its

in

learning,

short,

and

monk

even
who

his

read

the Fathers which is to say, that the practice of monasticism itself,

which
the

of

course

paramount

involved

the

determinant

appropriation

of

his

literary

of

patristic

endeavors,

writings,

and

not

was

least

of

his approach to Scripture and its interpretation.

And yet, little attention has been paid to the effects the lived experience

of

the

Reasons
the

for

this

sources

thin,
our

no

for

rules,

perusal.

strained

by

are

no

and

hard

to

to

Bede's

scholars

have

study

of

to

the

are

commentaries.

the

tenth

culture

books

nature

given

work

his

Before

of

are

having

are

For

themselves
creatively

century,

for

Anglo-Saxon

therefore

early

con-

eighth-cen-

among

from

woefully

survived

early

author

information.

writings
had

by.

upon

monastic

liturgical

upon

dearth

had

come

no

influence

regrettable

have

Anglo-Saxon

wishing

its

Northumbria,

sources,

not

might

customaries,

and

life

studying

Those

monasticism

tury

monastic

the

our
bits

only
of

in-

formation that may be found in them to piece together a picture of the

monastic

life

here

been

6.

has

Holder,

See

Bonner,
7190;

as

Bede

and

Bede

would

made

of

Bede

and

and

William

Early

have

his

Patristic

Medieval

McCready,

D.

experienced

historical

it.

writings

Exegesis''

(n.

Commendable

and

above),

Anglo-Saxon

Civilization,''

even

esp.

of

4013;

England

Miracles and the Venerable Bede

use

his

50

Gerald
(1973) :

(Toronto,

1994),

pp. 1114. For more general observations on the shift from the patristic to the medieval

world,

Gregory
larger

see

the

study

Markus,

Robert

Great,''
of

the

The

Sacred

and

Journal of Theological Studies

theme

in

the
36

Secular :
(1985) :

The End of Ancient Christianity

From

8496,

Augustine

along

(Cambridge,

to

with

1990),

his
esp.

pp. 157228.
7.

Benedicta

magisterial

Ward,

treatment

Bede and the Psalter,

of

Bede's

monastic

Jarrow

approach

Lecture,

to

the

1991,

Psalms,

has

but

given
know

us
of

no

study that scrutinizes individual commentaries for monastic influence.

8.

No monastic rules composed specifically for early Northumbrian

survived :
Nor

is

see

the

Peter

earliest

Hunter

surviving

B lair,
copy

The World of Bede

of

the

Benedictine

(Cambridge,

Rule

monasteria

1970),

( Oxford,

BL,

pp.

have

2001.

Hatton

MS

48), produced in England in the early eighth century, believed to have any connection
with Bede or Wearmouth-Jarrow : see Patrick Sims W illiams,

in Western England, 600800,

Cambridge

bridge,

the

900

1990),

AD,

gland

see

of

11718.

Henry

(1972;

Books

pp.

the

fragmentary

Mayr-Harting,

University
Later

On

Park,

Saxon

Studies

PA,

Church,''

in

Religion and Literature

Anglo-Saxon

nature

of

liturgical

England
evidence

(London,

glo-Saxon England,

1975),

pp.

to

The Coming of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon En1994),

in

pp.

17382;

C.

H ohler,

Some

6083;

Service

Tenth-Century Studies : Essays in Commemora-

tion of the Millennium of the Council of Winchester and Regularis Concordia ,

Parsons

(Cam-

prior

and

the

essays

in

ed.

D.

The Liturgical Books of An-

ed. R. Pfaff, Old English News Letter, Subsidia 23 (Kalamazoo,

MI, 1995).
9.

Sarah Foot, Anglo-Saxon Minsters A.D. 597 ca 900 : The Religious Life in Eng-

land Before

the Benedictine

Reform,'' Ph.D.

thesis, Cambridge University (1989), pp.

1248, discusses the limitations of the sources for study of early English monasticism.

REVUE BENEDICTINE

346
gospel homilies,

10

the consensus now being that Bede was intimately

familiar with the Benedictine Rule even though it appears not to have
monopolized monastic discipline at Wearmouth-Jarrow, where, it is
agreed, the eclectic rule compiled by the twin monasteries' founder,
Benedict Biscop (d. 689), governed observance. 11 But surprisingly,
what the commentaries might be able to tell us about Bede's brand of
monasticism, or conversely how the experience of living the monastic
life shaped his exegetical practice, has yet to enter the conversation
this despite the fact that his one explicit citation from Benedict's Rule
occurs in one of his commentaries!
On a first glance, it is true that the commentaries might appear to
have few overt connections to monasticism. The many signposts that
mark out the monastic terrain of the gospel homilies the mention
of the

fratres carissimi

for whom they were written, talk of the canon-

ical hours and other monastic practices, the odd reference to this
monastery'' as their immediate setting

12

are for instance all but ab-

sent from the commentaries, which contain few explicit statements

about their context of production, aims, and intended audience. We
do, however, have Bede's own description of his exegetical project that
he provides at the end of the

Ecclesiastical History

... I have spent all my life in this monastery, applying myself entirely to
the study of the Scripture; and, amid the observance of the discipline
of the Rule and the daily task of singing in the church, it has always
been my delight to learn or to teach or to write. At the age of nineteen
I was ordained deacon and at the age of thirty, priest... From the time
I became a priest until the fifty-ninth year of my life I have made it

10. In addition to Hunter Blair (n. 8 above), pp. 197210, see Henry Mayr-HartJarrow Lecture, 1976; Patrick
Wormald, Bede and Benedict Bishop,'' in Famulus Christi : Essays in Commemoration of the Thirteenth Centenary of the Birth of the Venerable Bede , ed. G. Bonner (London, 1976), pp. 14169; Eric Fletcher, Benedict Biscop, Jarrow Lecture, 1981; and
Ian Wood, The Most Holy Abbot Ceolfrid, Jarrow Lecture, 1995. On the homilies, see
A. Van Der Walt, Reflections of the Benedictine Rule in Bede's Homiliary,'' Journal of Ecclesiastical History 37 (1986) : 36776.
11. For Biscop's rule, see Bede, Historia Abbatum ch. 11, ed. C. Plummer, in Venerabilis Baedae opera historia, 2 vols. (1896; repr. as one volume, Oxford, 1946), pp.
3745, along with the comments of C. H. Lawrence, Medieval Monasticism : Forms
of Religious Life in Western Europe in the Middle Ages (London, 1984), pp. 5861;
Klaus Zelzer, Zur Frage der Observanz des Benedict Biscop,'' Studia Patristica 20
(1989) : 3239; Hunter Blair (n. 8 above), pp. 197210; and Wormald, Bede and
Benedict Bishop'' (n. 10 above), pp. 1414.
12. See A. Van Der Walt, The Homiliary of the Venerable Bede and Early Medieval Preaching,'' Ph.D. thesis, University of London (1980), pp. 5283; and Lawrence T. Martin, Introduction,'' to Bede the Venerable : Homilies of the Gospels,
trans. L. Martin and D. Hurst, 2 vols. (Kalamazoo, MI, 1991), pp. xixxiii.
ing, Bede, the Rule of St. Benedict, and Social Class ,

347

S. DEGREGORIO

my

business,

brief

for

extracts

my

from

own

the

benefit

works

and

that

the

venerable

of

of

my

brothers,

fathers

to

on

make

the

holy

Scriptures, or to add notes of my own to clarify their sense and interpretation.

These

13

well-known

lines

are

often

cited

as

evidence

of

Bede's

devotion

to teaching, of his fondness for the Fathers, and of his exegetical method,

but

his

commentaries

did,

at

this

the

same

disciplinae

That

is,

would
daily
the

for

far

of

own

et

as

in

prayer

and

and

The

as

that

of

original

points

any

cantandi

in

in

contexts

of

their

fectory,
of

the

taries
of

abbey

common

monk's
did

both

the

the

the

not

perhaps

denominator

spiritual
fulfill

school,

needs.

other

their

production

liturgical

framework

in

This

is

purposes,

and
of

usage

even

any

case

not

to

only

would

monastic

life

have
and

that

the

us,

other

by
in-

words,

confre` res

reception

the

it

the

were

at

must

, group

in the

re-

nourishment

Bede's

commen-

immediate

been

the

with,

reading

being

say

that

curam.''

sphere,

lectio divina

public

Bede

legislated

monastic

therefore reside in monastic culture itself private

instruction in

in

debt

obseruan-

dialogue

informs

fellow

the

ecclesia

reading

Bede

necessitate''
his

inter

academic

constant

meditative

about

commenting

occurred

abstract

themselves,

meorumque

well

First,

some

of,

basic

have

cotidianam

works

meae

two

would

alongside

the

Wearmouth-Jarrow.

us,

shape

liturgical

benefit

reveal

monasticism.

taking

Secondly,

primarily

his

to

reminds

occurred

regime

rule.

they

regularis,

from

have

tended

owe

quotation

tium

time

contexts

inseparable

spiritual

goals

from
that

orient it.
Consequently,

the

task

before

us

is

not

one

of

determining

whether

monasticism influenced the commentaries, but of clarifying the nature,

extent, and tangibility of that influence in the works as we have them.
A full investigation along such lines would be an undertaking too enormous to attempt here. As a prolegomenon to it, these pages will examine

ing

13.

single

Bede's

HE

Bedan

commentary

for

In Ezram et Neemiam

traces

14

as

of

monastic

test-case,

influence.
shall

Tak-

consider

5.24, p. 566 : cunctumque ... uitae in eiusdem monasterii habitatione per-

agens, omnem meditandis scripturis operam dedi, atque inter obseruantiam disciplinae
regularis, et cotidianam cantandi in ecclesia curam, semper aut discere aut docere aut
scribere dulce habui... Ex quo tempore accepti presbyteratus usque ad annum aetatis
meae

LVIIII

haec

in

Scripturam

sanctam

meae

meorumque

necessitati

ex

opusculis

uenerabilium patrum breuiter adnotare, siue etiam ad formam sensus et interpretationis eorum superadicere curaui.''
14.

In Ezram et Neemiam

urst

, ed. D. H

, Corpus Christianorum, Series Latina 119A

(Turnhout, 1969), pp. 236392; hereafter cited as

In Ezram

. I have recently complet-

REVUE BENEDICTINE

348

various passages that would appear to owe something to their author's

embeddedness in the regular life. For example, this is the commentary
that

contains

though
been
well

its

Bede's

devoted
as

most

occurrence

some

to

its

explicit

here

is

context

potential,

reference

well

and

known,

import,

previously

to

the

little

and

unidentified

Benedictine

if

any

shall

discuss

citations

Rule;

attention

has

these

from

the

as

Rule

that I have uncovered in this commentary. The concern of the present

article,

however,

is

not

to

identify

Bede's

brand

of

monasticism

as

it

emerges in this one commentary as uniquely Benedictine or otherwise;

rather, it is to present a range of examples from the work that together

illustrate

the

varied influence

monasticism

as

such

exerted upon

his

commenting. Have monastic ideas in some way shaped Bede's interpretation

was
tic

of

certain

addressing

composition

traits,

and

tinctively

passages?

monks
and

can

in

Are

spiritual

such

monastic

there

any

particular? Does
ideals,

evidence

typology

in

exhibit

the

for

demonstrable
the

end

work

any

signs

itself, in

recognizable

perhaps

understanding

warrant

Bede's

that

its

he

stylis-

monastic

new,

dis-

commentaries?

It is such questions that the following investigation will address.

*
*

Let
Rule.

us
As

start

by

noted,

examining

the

only

Bede's

one

so

far

borrowings
identified

from

is

the

Benedictine

considered

to

be

the

most direct reference to the latter in his uvre. It occurs in Book 3 of

In Ezram,
takes

is

in

not

the

midst

verbatim

of

his

comments

quotation,

but

on

what

Neh.

we

3 :15.

might

The

form

characterize

it
as

an allusion to one of the Rule's central chapters :

Benedict, a father very reverend both in his name and in his life, realized that these steps (
preting
shown

our
to

scended,
steps

of

journey

the

he
the

gradus)

to

Patriarch

itself

things

Jacob,

distinguished
ladder

especially consist in humility when, inter-

celestial

in a
as

by

very

the

to

be

which

careful

and

by

the

ascended

and pious

increments

that are performed through humility.

designated
angels

ladder

and

de-

examination the

stages

of

good

works

15

ed an annotated translation of the text based on Hurst's edition : Scott D eGregorio,

Bede : On Ezra and Nehemiah,

15. In Ezram, p. 350, lines
consistere
triarchae

reuerendissimus
Iacob

ostensa

Translated Texts for Historians 46 (Liverpool, 2006).

46673 :

pater

angelis

Quos

nomine

per

eam

et

profecto

uita

gradus

Benedictus

ascendentibus

ac

maxime

intellexit

in

cum

descendentibus

humilitate
scala

iter

ad

pacae-

349

S. DEGREGORIO

gra-

The reference is to Chapter 7 of the Rule and its treatment of the

dus humilitatis,

deep

biblical

dition,
the

17

as

scala

discussed by Benedict under the symbol of the

ladder mentioned in Gen 28 :12.

roots,

Bede's

commentary

but

it

was

invocation

is,

16

later
of

therefore,

or

The theme of humility of course has

set

in

high

Benedict

itself

an

relief

attests.

index

by

Its

of

monastic

very

Bede's

tra-

presence

affinity

in

with

that tradition.
But

what

Benedict?

at

At

this

first,

juncture
the

In Ezram

of

remark

may

prompts

seem

to

be

him

little

to

mention

more

than

an

aside, but closer inspection reveals it to be the peak of a highly monastic development begun two verses earlier, with Bede's exegesis of Jerusalem's
him,

Valley

had

ingly,

Gate''

taken

Bede

the

in

Neh.

word

associates

3 :13.

valley'

the

as

Augustine,
a

mystical

symbol

and

for

meaning''

Ambrose

humility.

18

before

Accord-

sacramentum )

of

the

Valley Gate with teaching the faithful to observe among other things
the virtue of humility so that they may deserve to be raised up by the
greater grace of God.''
notion

of

Rule;

an

and

guardian
mility
own

in

of

by

ascent
the

19

Though Benedict is not named until later, the

through

sentences

already
when

the

virtues,''

we

Pope

Gregory

the

monastically-oriented

shall see.

humility
following,
detect

Great,

writings

clear

the
so

evokes

Bede

echo

from

champion

hugely

Chapter

calls
a

of

of

humility
homily

on

Benedict

influenced

the

the
hu-

whose

Bede,

as

we

20

lestia nostrum esse designatum interpretans gradus scalae ipsius incrementis ac profectibus

operum

tione

distinxit.''

forthcoming
uita

bonorum
All

volume

Benedictus''

quae

per

translations
cited

may

in

echo

n.

the

humilitatem
of

14

this

text

above.

opening

fiunt
are

Bede's

sentence

sollertissima

my

own,

and

ac

reuerendissimus

of

Gregory

the

The phrase appears too in

17.

See

18.

pater

inquisi-

from

my

nomine

life

of

Dialogues

et

Bene-

2, ed. A.

, SC 251 (Paris, 1978), p. 126, line 1.

16.

Studies

taken

Great's

dict : Fuit uir uitae uenerabilis, gratia Benedictus et nomine...''

de Vogue

piissima

are

Andre

ouf

RB

Humility

5.1 : Primus humilitatis gradus est...''

and

Obedience

in

Monastic

18 (1983) : 26182.

Augustine,

Enarrationes in Psalmos

59.2,

ed.

D.

CCSL 39 (Turnhout, 1956), p. 756, lines 6568; Ambrose,

Tradition,''

ekkers

De fide

and

J.

Cistercian
F

raipont
aller

4.12, ed. O. F

,
,

CSEL 78 (Vienna, 1962), p. 215, lines 7476.

19.
catur
tate

In Ezram,
in

p. 348, lines 37680 : ...patet sacramentum quia porta uallis aedifi-

Hierusalem

fidei

his

qui

cum

uel

imbutis

aberrauerant

nuper

notitia

doctoribus

fidei

ueritatis

electis
inter

uel

alia

reparatis
uirtus

in

casti-

humilitatis

obseruanda praecipitur per quam maiore Dei gratia sublimari mereantur.''

20.

In Ezram,

p.

348,

lines

3848 :

Et

bene

post

portam

ueterem

et

murum

pla-

teae latioris porta uallis aedificatur quia nimirum post rudimenta catholicae fidei quae
per dilectionem operatur necesse est humilitas nobis quae est custos uirtutum tenenda
insinuetur ut iuxta praeceptum uiri sapientis quanto magni sumus humiliemur in omnibus.''

Compare

Bede's

custos

uirtutum''

to

Gregory's

Scientia

etenim

uirtus

est,

REVUE BENEDICTINE

350

Just

prior

to

commenting
would

are

on

his

3 :15,

clearly

encounter

Benedict
still

Neh.

just

the

he

right

gradus.

now

resulting

the

same

combination

two

gradus humilitatis
perfect

ingredients

occasion

in

With

for

in

that

verse,

trigger

the

humilitas

the

humilitas

to

to

Neh.

went

Chapter

Bede

With

lineaments

3 :15

of

in

Bede's

however,

association

of

the

the

Valley

steps

he

with
Gate

that

come

gradus qui descendunt de ciuitate Dauid ).

that

the

monastic

prompt

read

down from the city of David'' (

The

the

discernible.

the

word

mind,

then,

pay

gradus)

into

of

would

Benedict's

the

homage

Rule.

to

have

given

treatment

Here

Benedict

then

and

his

him

of

the

was

the

Rule

by

picking up and expanding on the ascent-through-humility theme he began

developing

in

his

discussion

of

the

Valley

Gate

two

verses

earlier.

In the sentences leading up to his mention of Benedict, however, Bede

does not portray that ascent in the same terminology as the Rule, with
its twelve steps of humility leading from fear to love; but even so, the
monastic
clearly
virtue

tenor

of

indebted

heaven''

down

from

the

vocabulary

again

nourished

ward

his

by

to

Pope

Scripture

is

readily

Gregory,

that

in

ad caelestia proficere).
city

of

David''

carry

he

turn
21

apparent.

posits

instead

prompts

Hence

us

the

two-fold

In
a

to

language
growth

progress

steps

that

signification :

in
to-

come

leading

downwards they symbolize the aids of divine inspiration or protection

by

which

the

walls

for

divine

may
the

seek

stress

humilitas

we
of

are
the

gradually
heavenly

mercy's

teaching

heavenly
on

custos

us

things.''

humility

etiam

aroused

as

so

kingdom,''

22

the
The

that

order

uirtutis''

might

leading
of

ensuing

sine qua non

we

while

the

this

to

reach

they

stand

by

to

which

Benedict

journey

Homiliae in euangelia

see

able

virtues

reference

of

be

upward

upward

1.7.4,

ed.

R.

we
and

thus

taix

CCSL 141 (Turnhout, 1999), p. 51, lines 1301.

21.

In Ezram

3,

p.

350,

lines

4458 :

Perueniunt

et

usque

ad

gradus

qui

descen-

dunt de ciuitate Dauid cum quis a generali fidelium uita spiritalibus desideriis ad caelestia
magis

proficere
in

didicerit.''

Deum

locution of Gregory : see

hout, 1985), p.

(ad

patriae
regni

caelestem

proficit'').

caelestis

yet

at

RB

Bede's

62.4,

ad

Moralia in Job

Benedict

caelestia

2.2.14, ed. M. A

33.6.12, ed. M. A

driaen

gloriam...proficit'');

However,

attingere'')

Bede's

may

and

use

derive

uses

of

is

driaen

phrase

closer

to

magis
a

ac

favorite

, CCSL 143B (Turn-

proficit'');

Homiliae in Hie-

, CCSL 142 (Turnhout, 1971), p. 234, line

2.7.2,

p.

attingere

from

the

proficere''

1682, lines 6162 (ad caelestiam patriam

zechihelem prophetam
335

Later,

proficiat'';

RB

317,

(p.

7.5 :

line

350,

78

lines

(in

amore

4501,

...humilitatis

caelestis

ad

moenia

volumus

culmen

attingere...''
22.

In Ezram

inferiora

urbis

3,

p.

350,

Hierosolimae

lines

44854 :

descendunt

Gradus

auxilia

namque

sunt

qui

diuinae

de

ciuitate

inspirationis

Dauid

siue

ad

protec-

tionis quibus paulatim excitamur ut ad moenia regni caelestis attingere ualeamus. Fecit

enim

pietas

gradus

ordinem

Dauid
docuit

quibus

ad

uirtutum

quendi nobis donum tribuit.''

ciuitatem

quibus

eius

caelestia

ascendere
petamus

debeamus
cum

cum

easdem

diuina

uirtutes

nos

exse-

351

S. DEGREGORIO

serve only to reinforce the already strongly monastic flavor of this section

of

Ezram ,

In

with

its

emphasis

on

the

virtues,

spiritual

progress,

and the vision of heaven.

In addition to this direct mention of Benedict,
handful
have

of

potential

identified

in

the commentary.
men,

they

mately
verbal

the

23

course

contact

of

the

preparing

In

an

contains a

Ezram

Benedictine
English

Rule

that

translation

I
of

While these lack the development of our first speci-

nevertheless

familiar

from

reminiscentiae

with

with

add

the

the

credence
24

Rule.

Rule's

to

Most

the
of

Prologue.

claim

that

these,

it

Hence,

at

Bede

turns
one

was

out,

point

inti-

involve
in

Book

3, Bede uses the words dilatato corde nostro in uia mandatorum Dei'';
and later in the same book, he deploys the comparable phrase dilatato

in

Deum

corde.''

25

While

there

is

doubtless

an

echo

here

of

Ps.

118 :32 (uiam mandatorum tuorum cucurri cum dilatasti cor meum''),
Bede's

Latin

logue :

in

mandatorum
imagery

to

gress

an

in

profectu

the

both

dilatato

Dei.''

be

26

Prologue :

uitae

discussing

crate

place
of

Book

the

to

way

closer

of

in

life

endeavor

of

prayer,

in

ourselves

to

domino

mind

rowing
Bede

from

offers

outside

at

the

the

end

Prologue,

of

Book

23.

See above, n. 14.

24.

See above, nn. 10 and 11.

25.

In

26.

RB

Ezram

in

28

subdue

an

nobis

with

the

Also

verse

pro( qui

verse

47

of

Book

1,

we

more

sollertiore

of

by

vices''

in

that

even

uia

monastic

who

recalling
27

Pro-

curritur

conse-

assiduous

orationum

of

the

in-

Prologue

Finally, to cite a potential bor-

it

3,

Benedict's

those

exhortation

with

portion

instantissima oratione deposcas.''

to

of

uitiorum.''

his

of

resonant

superare ),

uitia

Lord

( locum

49

dulcedine

speaks

emendationem

calls

verse

passage
he

theme

praying''

to

dilectionis

below,

emendatioris

the

consecremus )

1,

fully

propter

while

stantia

In

amended

is

inenarrabili

discussed

quidem

constancy

instances

corde

is

the

possible

mention

that,

of

in

the

bringing

prayer

forth

old

3, p. 371, lines 12656; and p. 379, line 1604.

prol. 49. Significantly, as Kardong notes, lines 4649 of Benedict's Prologue

have no parallel in his main source, the Rule of the Master (hereafter,

RM),

being, in

Kardong's words, Benedict's most personal and distinctive contribution to the Prologue''

Terrence

G.

Kardong,

Benedict's

Rule :

Translation

and

(Col-

Commentary

legeville, MN, 1996), p. 22.

27.

In

trictus,
nem

Ezram,

dictante

caritatis

correctionem
Institutions

28.

In

p. 257,

lines 6323,

aequitatis

processerit.''
vitae

nec

p.

Cf.

and

267,

RB

propter

Cassian,

emendationem

nobitiques,
ce

Ezram,

ratione,

prol. 47 :

Sed et si

emendationem

who

employs

vitiorum''

quid paululum

uitiorum

similar

Institutiones

uel

phrase :
9.9,

res-

conseruatioquod

non

J.-C.

Guy,

quicquid

agen-

ed.

SC 109 (Paris, 1965), p. 376, lines 12.

lines

10301,

and

RB

prol.

4:

In

primis,

dum inchoas bonum, ab eo perfici instantissima oratione deposcas.''

ut

REVUE BENEDICTINE

352

and

new

13 :52,

treasures,

may

at

29

the

though
same

Rule : Oportet ergo

time

eum

proferat noua et uetera.''

based

esse

on

owe

the

noua

something

doctum

et

to

uetera''

Chapter

of

64

lege diuina, ut sciat et

Matt.
of

sit

the

unde

30

On at least one occasion, meanwhile, a different kind of monastic influence in the commentary can be detected. Rather than direct quotation or verbal overlap, it involves a subtler kind of parallel in which a
portion of the Rule or if not the Rule, then monastic experience generally appears to have shaped Bede's interpretation of a given verse.
Here is his comment on Ezra 10 :4, which reads Rise up, it is your part
to make a decision, and we will be with you, so take courage and do it'' :

He

very

that
his

fittingly

person

own

teaches

should

reason,

if

say

he

how

one

what

he

believes

should
has

that

consult

with

understood

he

has

is

elders,

best

understood

namely

according

well,

and

to

yet

leave the prerogative of decision-making to the person who is qualified

to

make

it

and

be

ready

to

submit

to

all

that

this

person

should be done in accordance with the will and law of God.

The scenario Bede describes here is a

abbot's

summoning

Benedict's

his

community

pronouncement

on

the

ordains

31

recognizably monastic one an

for

counsel.

subject

in

Note

the

the

third

parallel

chapter

with

of

the

Rule :

As

often

abbot
what

as

shall
the

anything
call

the

business

important
whole

is;

and

is

to

be

community

after

hearing

done

in

together
the

the
and

advice

of

monastery,
himself

the

the

explain

brothers,

let

him ponder it and follow what he judges the wiser course. The reason
why we have said all should be called for counsel is that the Lord often
reveals what is better to the younger. The brothers, for their part, are
to express their opinions with all humility, and not presume to defend
their own views obstinately. The decision is rather the abbot's to make,
so

that

when

he

has

determined

what

is

more

prudent,

all

may

obey.

Nevertheless, just as it is proper for disciples to obey their master, so it

29.

In Ezram,

p. 392, lines 211213 : ...in thesauro prophetici uoluminis non solum

uetera amplectendi uerum et noua sub uelamine ueterum donaria inueniendi...''.

30.

RB

64.9.

Further

echoes

include

In Ezram,

esse consortes,'' which is evidently borrowed from

esse consortes''); and

In Ezram,

p.

RB

370,

lines

12401,

mereamur

prol. 50 (...ut et eius mereamur

p. 372, line 1328, ex corde dicatur'', on which see n.

49 below.
31.

In Ezram,

p. 331, lines 173441 : Quodque subiungit,

nosque erimus tecum, confortare et fac,

Surge, tuum est decernere

decentissime docet quomodo sit apud maiores in

consilio agendum ut uidelicet quisque pro suo sensu quod optimum intellexerit, si bene
intellexisse
paratus

sibi

uisus

obtemperare

disposuerit.''

fuerit,

dicat

omnibus

et

quae

tamen
ille

ei

qui

secundum

potest

locum

uoluntatem

decernendi

ac

legem

relinquat

Dei

agenda

353

S. DEGREGORIO

is

becoming

for

the

master

on

his

part

to

settle

sight and fairness (trans. Fry, pp. 179, 181).

The

situational

the

lack

of

overlap

exact

between

verbal

the

two

everything

passages

correspondence

is

between

clear;

and

them

means

Benedict is not the primary source of Bede's remark,

still

helps

evidently
that

to

had

should

plifies

the

in

govern

could

might

it

its

monastic

mind

rather

nasticism
But

verify

some

the

received

convoking

particular

impinge

not

also

flavor.

on

tell

of

If

not

teaching
counsel.

way

in

and

color

us

34

which

something

the

The

fore-

reading

kind

if

that

Rule,
of

the

Bede

behavior

thus

experience

of

his

even

the comparison

passage

lived

about

33

Benedict's

on

the

his

with

32

exemof

biblical

purposes

in

motext.

writing

his commentaries, and the audience he was addressing? No one doubts

that

these,

monks;

like

there

is

Bede's
even

others

writings,

consensus

that

were

one

of

addressed

their

major

in

part

goals

was

to
to

prepare monks for the pastoral work of preaching and teaching so desperately needed in his time.

32.
bas

RB

35

But it is equally clear that much that we

3.16 : Quotiens aliqua praecipua agenda sunt in monasterio, convocet ab-

omnem

congregationem

et

dicat

ipse

unde

agitur,

et

audiens

consilium

tractet apud se et quod utilius iudicaverit faciat. Ideo autem omnes

cari diximus
tres

quia saepe iuniori Dominus

consilium

cum

omni

humilitatis

revelat quod melius est. Sic autem

subiectione,

et

non

fratrum

ad consilium vo-

praesumant

dent fra-

procaciter

defendere quod eis visum fuerit et magis in abbatis pendat arbitrio, ut quod salubrius
esse

iudicaverit

ei

cuncti

oboediant.

Sed

sicut

discipulos

convenit

oboedire

magistro,

ita et ipsum provide et iuste condecet cuncta disponere.''

33.

It may be significant, however, that Bede's comments are closer to

than to,

RB

say, the so-called Rule of the Master, in which the counsel sought of all the monks has
to

do

as

in

exclusively
3:

RB

see

with
RM

material

2.4850,

issues,

ed.

A.

not

with

important

de Vogu
e,

La

Re`gle

matters

of

tre,
Ma

du

1964), p. 362, lines 106113, along with the comments of K ardong,

the
SC

monastery,
105

Benedict's

(Paris,

Rule

(n.

26 above), pp. 7576.

34.

Cf. the

bert,

which

words concerning counsel Bede puts into the

likewise

stress

the

need

for

submission

and

mouth of

the dying

like-mindedness :

Cuth-

Pacem

in-

quit inter uos semper et caritatem custodite diuinam, et cum de uestro statu consilium
uos agere necessitas poposcerit, uidete attentius ut unanimes existatis in consiliis''
Vita

Sancti

bridge,

Cuthberti

1940;

repr.

ch.

39,

ed.

p.

282.

1985),

B.

Colgrave,

On

the

in

Two

Lives

significance of

the

of

Saint

word

Cuthbert

unanimes,

cf.

(Camn.

55

below.
35.

rode,

In addition to Ward,

Anglo-Saxon England,''
de's

Venerable

Ideal

Studies

of

Reform,''

Presented

to

The

in

J.

Downside

Ideal

Clergy,''
Studies

in
in

The

Bible

Church

Bede's

In

in

the

History,
Ezram

and

(n. 1 above), pp. 7884, see T. R. E cken-

Review

et

Notes

on

Medieval

Subsidia

99 (1981) : 25878; Alan Thacker, Be-

Reality

Wallace-Hadrill ,

M.

149; Judith McClure, Bede's

gorio,

Bede

The Venerable Bede and the Pastoral Affirmation of the Christian Message in

Neemiam

in

ed.

Frankish

P.

Genesis

World :

Essays

in

1985),

pp.

the

et

Anglo-Saxon

al.

(Oxford,

Society :

1983),

p.

and the Training of the Anglo-Saxon

(Oxford,
and

and

Wormald

Reform

of

Memory

1730;

the

of

and

Beryl

Scott

Northumbrian

Smalley ,

D eGreChurch,''

Speculum

79 (2004) : 125, at pp. 2324. On the larger question of whether all clergy

in

Northumbria

Bede's

opinion,

RB

22

see

the

were

articles

in

monastic,
Pastoral

there

Care

has

Before

been

much

the

Parish,

debate :
ed.

J.

for

Blair

range

of

and

R.

REVUE BENEDICTINE

354

find

in

the

commentaries

is

concerned

not

just

with

the

needs

of

reli-

gious but also with those of all the faithful, irrespective of their place
36

in the Church or state of life.''

Wearmouth-Jarrow,

those

benefit,

the

as

noted

at

So where does this leave the monks of

fellow

outset,

brothers
Bede

in

the

claimed

regular

to

be

life

for

writing?

whose

Did

the

commentaries ever have anything besides clerical instruction to convey

to

them,

and

on

occasion

to

them

alone?

If

so,

what

did

they

seek

to

teach them? Herein lies the value of the foregoing passage, which suggests that the commentaries, if sufficiently scrutinized, may have more
to

say

use

in

response

verse

from

to

the

such

Book

questions
of

Ezra

than

as

an

once

thought.

opportunity

to

37

Indeed,

reflect

on

to

the

proper way to behave during counsel suggests that, in addition to such

obvious

aims

as

clarifying

mysteria fidei

the

for

the

benefit

of

pastors

both monastic and secular, Bede may have sought in his commentaries
to provide instruction of a more exclusively monastic kind as well.
Several

passages

discussing
drink

In Ezram

from

Neh. 8 :10 (And he

sweet

drink,

and

send

lend

support

to

said to them, Go

portions

to

him

this

conclusion.

In

and eat fat food and

who

did

not

prepare

any-

thing for himself, because it is the holy day of the Lord, and do not be
saddened'''),

Bede

points

out

that

spiritualiter,

to the needy, read

the

sending

forth

of

food

and

drink

represents the call for us to strengthen

the weaker consciences of our neighbors either by the example of pious

works

or

by

the

sweetness

of

devout

advice.''

38

He

then

concludes

his

exegesis of the verse with this remark :

Now

it

behooves

us

to

imitate

this

passage

even

in

the

literal

sense,

namely so that when on festival days, once our prayer, reading of the
psalms, and studies are complete, we arrange to attend to the needs of
the flesh with food, we should remember to give a portion also to poor
people and pilgrims.

Sharpe

(Leicester,

1992);

39

Eric

Cambridge

and

David

Rollason,

The

Pastoral

ganization of the Anglo-Saxon Church : A Review of the Minster Hypothesis',''

Medieval Europe

4 (1995) : 87104; and John Blair, Ecclesiastical Organization and

Pastoral Care in Anglo-Saxon England,''

36.

Gerald

Bonner,

The

Durham University Journal

37.

Or-

Early

Christian

Early Medieval Europe

Life

in

the

Thought

of

4 (1995) : 193212.
the

Venerable

Bede,''

53 (1970) : 3955, at p. 46.

Cf. Sister M. T. A. C arroll,

The Venerable Bede : His Spiritual Teachings,

The

Catholic University of America Studies in Mediaeval History, New Series, Volume IX

(Washington, D.C., 1946), pp. 236, 239, 2578.
38.
epulis

In Ezram,
ei

qui

proximorum

p. 368, lines 116771 : Sed et de eisdem saluberrimis nostrae mentis

sibi

non

praeparauit

conscientias

uel

partes

exemplo

mittere

piae

praecipimur

actionis

uel

ut

suauitate

uidelicet
deuotae

infirmiores
ammonitio-

nis confortare curemus...''

39.
decet

In Ezram,
imitari

ut

p.

368,

cum

lines

uidelicet

11748 :
diebus

Hunc

festis

autem

post

locum

orationem

nos

etiam

lectionem

iuxta

litteram

psalmorum

stu-

355

S. DEGREGORIO

Having
now

treated

read

the

spiritual

litteram ,

iuxta

sense,

point

Bede

that,

to

here

elicits

judge

from

from
the

the

verse,

reference

to

psalmody, he addresses specifically to monks, who of course were traditionally charged with care for the poor. Viewed as a mini-lesson on the
obligations

of

of

53

Chapter

cludes

this

monastic
of

the

hospitality,

Rule

comparable

(On

Bede's

the

command :

injunction

Reception

Great

care

shown in receiving poor people and pilgrims.''

Equally

conspicuous

attaches

to

that

returnees,

the

the

image

for

of

its

the

upon

monastic

holocaust

arriving

in

of

makes

one

Guests''),

and

think

which

concern

are

in-

to

be

40

overtone

is

mentioned

Jerusalem,

the

in

meaning

Ezra

3 :2.

immediately

set

altar for sacrificing holocausts and victims'' ( holocaustomata

Bede

Noting
up

an

hostias )

et

to God, Bede advises that we too should be willing to offer God a holocaust,

which,

( cogitationes

he

et

explains,

opera

stands

perfecta ).

for

perfect

thoughts

and

deeds''

Then, in a crucial passage, he unfolds the

deeper spiritual meaning of that word as follows :

Mystically, these offerings denote the way of life of those faithful who,
seeking nothing of their own, devote their entire life to the servitude of
the

internal

sures

of

judge.

their

They

own

soul

not

and

only

body

rejoice
for

to

the

trample

Lord

but

down

also

to

the soul itself for him, and they can say with the apostles :
have

forsaken

[Matt.

19 :27].

everyone

or

who

children

much

everything,

and

The

has

or

will

Lord

left

lands

and

home

for

possess

himself
or

my

continent

altar

of

the

God

faith

of

our

Redeemer

can

Diogenes

and

Father.

For

philosophy,
were

living

and more
of

bare

name's

they

and

meager

reply

sisters

will

way
as

good

those
had

What

then

to

or

receive

Behold,

shall

these

father

or

pleadown

we

people :
mother

hundred

we

have?

And

or

wife

times

as

[Matt. 19 :29]. This holocaust of a

life

because,
our

in

or

sake

hallowed

Israel

although

said

brothers

everlasting

more

you .

followed

the
lay

of

we

life

have

works

be

like-minded

abandoned
way

of

life

must
said,

offered

only

followers

the

own

on the

through

acceptable

their
in

be

of

to

God

his

foolish

belongings

world,

were

the
the

and

not

fol-

lowing the Lord. They did, indeed, appear to offer a holocaust but not
on the altar of the God of Israel, since they kept themselves aloof from
their own pleasures but did not know that they had Jesus Christ as an
advocate with the Father.

dia

completa

carnis curam

41

reficiendo

agere disponimus

pauperibus quoque

et peregri-

nis partem dare meminerimus.''

40.

RB

53.15 :

Pauperum

et

peregrinorum

maxime

susceptioni

cura

sollicite

exhi-

beatur, quia in ipsis magis Christus suscipitur; nam diuitum terror ipse sibi exigit honorem.'' Cf.
41.
batur

In

qui

RB

4.14.

Ezram,

nihil

p.

265,

proprium

lines 9539 :
quaerentes

Quibus mystice illorum

omne

quod

uiuunt

in

uita fidelium

famulatum

exprime-

interni

arbitris

REVUE BENEDICTINE

356

Suggestive

of

ment

comes

of

it

immolation
to

and

sacrifice,

symbolize

one

of

the
the

ation

in

monastic

sense

becomes

essential

42

monasticism renunciation of the world.

clear

holocaust

in

Bede's

steps

treat-

required

by

That Bede means renunci-

when

we

compare

what

he

says here to his homily for the feast of Benedict Biscop. One of Bede's
most

monastically-charged

theme
the

the

world

rewards
for

19 :2729,
above.

the

the

this

writings,

Moreover,

Its

gospel

monastic-laden

the

homily

thane-turned-monk

monastery.

same

this

homily

also

received

lection,

verses

as

for

its

quotes

reference

in

to

main

abandoning

significantly,

Bede

makes

takes

is

the

Matt.

passage

Diogenes

the

Cynic, who again is made to play the role of a foil, this time to Simon
Peter.
hold

Glossing

we

have

the

left

apostle's

all

question

things,

and

to

have

Christ

in

followed

Matt.

thee :

19 :27

what

(Be-

therefore

shall we have?''), Bede draws the following distinction :

Here

we

must

carefully

observe

that

he

[Peter]

gloried

not

merely

in

having left all things, but also in following the Lord. For it is unquestionably

foolish

to

follow

Plato,

Diogenes

and

certain

other

philoso-

phers in trampling underfoot the riches of this life, and not to do this
in

order

praise

to

of

secure

mortal

eternal

men;

it

life,

is

but

foolish

merely

to

to

take

grasp

on

after

additional

the present without the hope of future rest and peace.

impendunt qui non solum uoluptates

et

ipsam

animam

pro

illo

ponere

animae siue corporis sui pro

gaudent

qui

possunt

dicere

reliquimus omnia et secuti sumus te, quid ergo erit nobis ;

Et omnis,

de

cum

quibus

the

empty

hardships

in

43

domino calcare sed

apostolis :
et

ipse

Ecce nos

respondens,

qui reliquit domum uel fratres aut sorores aut patrem aut matrem aut

inquit,

uxorem aut filios aut agros propter nomen meum centuplum accipiet et uitam aeternam
possidebit.

Hoc

autem

holocaustum

rahel offerendum est quia non nisi

uitae

continentioris

et

sacratioris

in

altari

Dei

Is-

per fidem redemptoris nostri bona nostra opera ut

diximus Deo patri esse possunt accepta. Nam Diogenes et similes eius stultae philosophiae

sequaces

qui

cum

propria

reliquissent

et

nudam

in

saeculo

ac

pauperem

uitam

gererent dominum non sequebantur holocaustum quidem facere uidebantur sed hoc in
altare

Dei

Israhel

non

fecerunt

quoniam

suis

quidem

se

uoluptatibus

alienos

reddi-

dere sed Christum Iesum apud patrem aduocatum habere nescierunt.''

42.

comparable

14971502 :

Hoc

treatment

est

autem

of

the

holocaust

holocausti,

id

est

occurs

tota

In Ezram,

at

incensa,

sacrificia

p.

uel

325,

lines

hostias

do-

mino offerre nil nisi eius uoluntatem in omnibus cogitare uel facere. Perfectae quoque
mentis

indicium

est

cum

pro

omni

Israhel

immolat,

id

est

pro

generali

fidelium

om-

nium sospitate, quasi unitatis in omnibus ac fraternitatis memor, supernae pietati supplicat.''
43.
1955),

Cf.
p.

Homeliarum euangelii libri II

88,

lines

513 :

Et

1.13,

respondens

secuti sumus te; quid ergo erit nobis?

ed.

domino

D.

urst,

ait :

CCSL

122

(Turnhout,

Ecce nos reliquimus omnia et

Vbi solerter intuendum quod non solum se omnia

reliquisse sed et dominum sequi gloriatur; quia stultum profecto est iuxta Platonem et
Diogenem

et

quosdam

alios

philosophos

uitae

quidem

huius

diuitias

calcare

et

non

haec pro aeterna adipiscenda uita sed pro inani agere mortalium laude captanda stultum

tin

praesentes

urst

and H

labores

ultro

absque

spe

(n. 12 above), 1 :125.

futurae

subire

quietis

et

pacis.''

Trans.

ar-

357

S. DEGREGORIO

These
sions

are

the

the

only

point is

times

the

Bede

mentions

same : renouncing

Diogenes,

and

the world for

on

both

life of

occa-

poverty

and asceticism means nothing if its goal is not Christ. Bede's homily is
a

deeply

personal

mouth-Jarrow's
there.

44

In Ezram

That

contains

is

therefore

commentary
view

work,

founder

was

to

written
and

should

inculcate

in

Like

written

the

commemorate

preached

make

revealing.

evidently

to

first

use
the

of the

of

the

the

feast

monks

imagery

homily,

with

monks

to

this

of

and

lived

themes

passage

discernibly

Wear-

who

from

monastic

Wearmouth-Jarrow

the

end

it

in

proper

understanding of one of the cornerstone ideals of their vocation.

At

the

context
tion

he

picts
the

outset

for

Bede's

gives

the

day

to

noted

9 :3

and

penance

(see

the

exegetical

Neh.

readings

of

ernacles

we

Neh.

is

prayer-life
endeavors.

certainly

prayers

that

the

followed

8 :1318),

of

of
In

the

monk

as

this

light,

the

interest. The

returnees

the

relates

the

of

the

people

formative
interpreta-

verse, which

performed

restoration

how

to

Feast

read

de-

solemnize

in

of

Tab-

the

book

of the law of the Lord their God, four times in the day, and four times
they

confessed,

ously

struck

and

adored

chord

with

the

Lord

Bede,

for

their
in

God.''

These

commenting

on

words
them

obvi-

he

ex-

claims :

For

who

would

traordinary

not

be

concern

amazed

for

that

devotion

such

that

four

great

people

times

day

had

such

that

ex-

is,

at

the first hour of the morning, the third, the sixth and the ninth, when
time was to be made for prayer and psalmody they gave themselves
over to listening to the divine law in order to renew their mind in God
and

come

also

four

back
times

purer
a

and

night

more

they

devout

would

for

shake

imploring

off

their

his

mercy;

sleepiness

and

but
get

up in order to confess their sins and to beg pardon. From this example,
I think, a most beautiful custom has developed in the Church, namely
that

through

New

Testament

ened

by

knees

to

the

each

hour

is

of

recited

words

of

perseverance

daily
by

the
in

psalmody

heart

for

apostles

prayer,

or

but

all

a
to

the

also

passage
hear,

prophets,

at

night,

from

and

the

thus

they

when

Old

or

strength-

bend

people

their
cease

from the labors of doing good works, they turn willing ears to listen to
divine readings.

44.

On the monastic audience of the homilies, see n. 12.

In Ezram

45.
miam
et

45

, p. 372, lines 131832 : Quis enim miretur tantum populum tam exi-

habuisse curam

nona

quibus

contraderent

quo

pietatis

orationi

siue

innouata

in

ut

quater

in

psalmodiae
Deum

die,

hoc

est

uacandum

mente

purior

ac

primo
erat,

mane

tertia

auditui

deuotior

ad

se

hora

legis

sexta

diuinae

deprecandam

eius

misericordiam rediret sed et in nocte quater excusso torpore somni ad confitenda peccata

sua

et

postulandam

ueniam

exsurgerent.

Quo

exemplo

reor

in

ecclesia

morem

inoleuisse pulcherrimum ut per singulas diurnae psalmodiae horas lectio una de ueteri

REVUE BENEDICTINE

358

Like

the

comment

above

on

the

convoking

of

counsel,

this

remark

is

striking for the degree it shows monasticism once again coloring Bede's
reading
mody
of

of

and

the

verse.

reading

Divine

Office.

the

Ecclesiastical

ing

in

both

the

and

vey

something

self

evidently

ground,
well
In

the

afford

that

done

of

it

there

of

set

mind

hours

the

thinks

the

for

prayer,

structure

of

the

the

notable

concern
47

and

quote

for

he

for

are

as

psal-

content

above

from

same

of

testimonies

which

likewise

devotion''
this

for

himself

scriptural

phrase

is

himback-

they

may

practiced
readings

used

by

of

con-

Bede

personal

intriguing,

Bede

speaks

the

anecdotal

Against

passage

horarium

that

corde ),

the

Ceolfridi ,

S.

Office.

present

into

are

Vita

extraordinary

of the

( ex

his

immediately

regarding

is

to

where Bede speaks of the daily task of sing-

moreover,

glimpse

heart''

mention

anonymous

the

details
a

One

the

had

light,

by

46

the

straight

History ,

church''

Alcuin

Indeed,
calls

it.

48

being

Benedict,

who after the psalmody prescribes a reading from the Apostle recited
by heart.''

49

For us, however, it is the rhetorical implications of Bede's

remarks in this passage that are most significant. For what he is offering

the

monks

of

Wearmouth-Jarrow

is

not

some

dry

historical

expla-

nation of the Jewish origin of the Office, but an invitation to the very
prayer

siue

and

nouo

meditation

testamento

being

cunctis

described.

audientibus

ex

His

corde

comment

dicatur

et

is

sic

less

descrip-

apostolicis

siue

pro-

pheticis confirmati uerbis ad instantiam orationis genua flectant sed et horis nocturnis
cum a laboribus cessatur operum liberas auditui lectionum diuinarum aures accommodent.''
46.

The full passage is quoted at n. 13 above.

47.

See

Karolini

failing
and

Alcuin,

Aevi,

to

miss

Historia

above),
helped

p.

Letter
E.

the

Office

Abbatum

393,

Abbot

284,

which

in

for

fear

auctore

Ceolfrith

(Berlin,
that

the

continue

MGH,

2 :443,

angels

ed.

of

the

young

of

psalms

tells

there

Plummer,

14,

rota

Epistolarum

which

present

ch.

story

the

1896),

the

Anonymo,

recounts

epistolae,

Alcuini

Duemmler

ed.

boy

during

would

Opera

believed

period

IV,

of

Historica

to

be

when

him;

(n.

Bede

the

11

who

monas-

Opera

His-

pp. xiixiii. Bonner, Christian Life'' (n. 36 above), p. 42, astutely noted that

torica,

Bede's

words

oporteat in

as

recounted

by

Alcuin

recall

RB

19.6 :

conspectus diuinitatis et angelorum eius

anecdote, see Eamonn O

in,
Carraga

Lecture 1994, pp. 2425. The

The

City

of

Ergo

consideremus

Psalter

qualiter

esse.'' For comment on the

Rome

and

more general issue of the

the

World

place of the

of

Bede ,

other

Jarrow

psalms in Bede's

thought and spiritual formation has been magisterially treated by W ard,

48.

never

upbraid

tery was decimated by plague. Both anecdotes are translated in P lummer,

has

Epistolae

Bede's

Bede

and

the

(n. 7 above).

As noted (n. 8 above), no record of liturgical observance at Wearmouth-Jarrow

survived,

but

insofar

as

this

passage

from

In

Ezram

has

Bede

speaking

of

some-

thing he knew first-hand, the details mentioned could well be relevant to the liturgical
practice of his own house.
49.

RB

comment
17.45,

9.10 :
on

the

which

Post
phrase,

speak

of

hos,
see

lectio

apostoli

K ardong,

lessons

celebrated

probably also recited from memory.

sequatur,

Benedict's

during

Rule

ex

(n.

Terce,

corde

26

recitanda...''

above),

Sext

and

p.

177.

None

For

Cf.

that

RB

were

359

S. DEGREGORIO

tion than a prompt, a directive to be enacted by the monks of his own

worshipping

community.

50

In

this

connection,

it

is

perhaps

worth

not-

ing that the Night Office, evidently implied in Bede's closing reference
to

readings

at

night,

were

to

such

as

reading

be

used

this

one

those

deemed

lectio divina.

ing material for

for

such

would

texts,

biblical

purposes

then

inviting

commentary

to

have
the

at

To

take
let

us

final

passage

consider

been

nothing

monks

worth

Bede's

suitable

Wearmouth-Jarrow,

to

turn

less

considering

treatment

of

than

willing

prayerfully to the words of their own house author.

going,

be

read-

For if his own homilies and commentaries

in

Ezra

passage

script

ears''

to

for

listen

51

the

light

2 :6465

of

the

(The

fore-

whole

assembly, like one man, totaled forty-two thousand three hundred and
sixty,
seven

in

addition

to

their

male

and

female

servants,

who

numbered

thousand three hundred and thirty-seven'') :

Note that the

grace

the multitude of

of the primitive Church, in which

believers had but one heart and one soul

[Acts 4 :32], is found in this as-

sembly of exiles as well, so much so that, even though the host was so
great that it totaled nearly fifty thousand people and was moreover of
diverse

rank

and

condition,

nevertheless

the

whole

multitude

seemed

to be like one man because of the same faith and love, since by his gift
he

causes

those

of

one

mind

to

dwell

together

in

his

house

[cf.

Ps.

67 :7]. The male and female servants of those returning from Babylon
to

Jerusalem

gress

in

an

scale

the

represent

amended

peak

of

figuratively

way

the

of

life

virtues,

those

endeavor

even

in

the

to

though

Church

subdue

they

are

who

the
as

by

vices

yet

pro-

and

to

unable

to

discern for themselves the path of the regular life but rather still need
to be kept in check by the diligence of those who have preceded them
in Christ and thus be directed towards the way of longed-for truth.

50.
see

The same technique has, interestingly, been detected in Bede's gospel homilies :

Lawrence

and

the

Ages,

52

T.

Listener's

ed. T. A

mos

artin,

The

Two

Experience,''

in

Worlds

in

Bede's

Homilies :

The

Biblical

Event

De Ore Domini : Preacher and Word in the Middle

et al. (Kalamazoo, MI, 1989), pp. 2740; and Marie Anne M

ayeski,

Reading the Word in a Eucharist Context : The Shape and Methods of Early Medieval

Exegesis,''

in

Medieval Liturgy : A Book of Essays,

ed.

L.

arson-Miller

(New

York, 1997), pp. 6184.

51.

Elsewhere I have shown that Bede's commentaries do indeed frequently contain

injunctions urging the reader to prayer : see Scott D

Traditio

on Prayer and Contemplation,''

eGregorio,

The Venerable Bede

54 (1999) : 139, at pp. 3438.

52. In Ezram, pp. 2567, lines 62437 : Nota gratiam primitiuae ecclesiae in
multitudinis credentium erat cor et anima una etiam in hoc transmigrantium coetu
periri

ita

compleret
ob

ut

cum

et

hic

eandem

bitare

facit

fidem

tantus

diuersi
et

esset

exercitus

gradus

dilectionem

unanimes

in

domo.

et

qui

condicionis

quasi

Serui

unus

autem

prope

esse
et

quinquaginta

existens
homo

ancillae

nihilominus
uideretur

milium
omnis

donante

redeuntium

de

qua
rep-

summam
multitudo

illo

qui

Babylone

ha-

Hie-

rusalem illorum in ecclesia typum tenent qui profectu quidem uitae emendatioris uitia
superare ac uirtutum culmen ascendere satagunt necdum tamen ipsi sibi ad prouiden-

REVUE BENEDICTINE

360

In

these

lines

Bede

is

describing

the

nature

of

the

caravan

of

exiles

about to journey from Babylon to Jerusalem. As with our previous examples,

the

citations,

diction

and

overall

sense

of

this

passage

should

give us pause, resonant as these are with monastic implication. Indeed,

I suggest that together they amount to a kind of definition of the monastic life as Bede lived it. The first sign of this is his coupling of Acts
4 :32 and Psalm 67 :7, verses central to the self-definition of coenobitic
tradition.

Augustine,

so-called

Rule,

for

which

example,

made

championed

the

them

ideal

the

of

starting-point

living

in

of

his

community.

53

That Bede understood their monastic connotations in a similar fashion

is quite clear : in his two commentaries
tional reading

on Acts he endorsed the tradi-

of Acts 4 :3234, which had equated the communal life-

style of the apostles with the origins of the coenobia;

toria Abbatum
(

unanimes)

he

relied

expressed

in

on

the

Psalm

same

67 :7

principle

to

of

54

His-

and in the

one-mindedness''

characterize

the

unity

of

spirit

and brotherhood between the communities at Wearmouth and Jarrow :

fit

utrorumque

deployment
turnees
to

as

these

typus

promote

common

of

animus

the

life

verses

of

the

same

itself.

unus.''

56

is

55

In

primitive

askesis
The

the

intended

of

church

love

point

is

passage

not

and

so

as

above,

much

it

is

to

to

use

brotherhood

repeated

in

even

then,

depict

Bede's
the

these

that

more

re-

images

defines

the

provocative

dam uiam uitae regularis sufficiunt sed eorum potius qui in Christo praecesserunt opus
habent adhuc industria coerceri atque ad tramitem desideratae ueritatis dirigi.''
53.
ut

Praeceptum

Augustine,

unianimes

habitetis

in

Re` gle de saint Augustin,

54.
in

See

the

Bede,

same

lorum,

pp.

I.2 :

domo

Primum,

et

ed. L. V

sit

erheijen

1267,

Bede's

lines

re-treatment

10129.

For

the primitive church, see Glen W. O

the

Ecclesiastical History
55.

quid

Life of

uidelicet

decreuerint,

the

First

et

of

(n.

the

olgrave

edition

of

and

suis,

ch.
per

pandunt.

the

unum

estis

unum

in

above),

verse

in

his

congregate,

deum.''

La

p.

27,

lines

6973;

and,

Retractatio Actus Aposto-

assessment

of

Bede's

treatment

of

, Bede as Historian : The Evidence from his

Christian Community

18,

ed.

eorum

lummer

quosdam

Adsentiunt

et

pp.

qui

illi,

3823 :

aderant,

fit

at Jerusalem,''

ynors

Historia,

p.

has

136,
the

where

Bede

following

also

note :

...monachis

necnon

utrorumque

corda sursum, omnium leuantur uoces ad Dominum.'' Cf.

C

in

cor

, 2 vols. (Paris, 1967), 1 :417.

stimulating

lsen

quod

una

Journal of

33 (1982) : 51930.

Historia Abbatum

fratribus

propter

anima

Expositio Actuum Apostolorum

volume,

Observations on

uobis

quotes

This

is

et

beati

suorum

animus

unus,

omnium

Historia ecclesiastica
Ps.
a

67 :7.

favorite

Pauli,

aliquos,

2.2, ed.

Plummer,
text

with

in

his

Bede...

It is not the Vulgate version, which has qui inhabitare facit unius moris in domo,' but
is that of the so-called Roman Psalter'' see

Opera Historica

is also noteworthy that in the quote above from the

Cuthbert

uses

the

word

unanimes''

to

(n. 11 above), p. 74. It

Vita Sancti Cuthberti

characterize

the

ideal

attitude

(see n. 34),

his

brethren

should exhibit at counsel.

56.
and

The

same

monasticism

three-way
occurs

connection

again

between

elsewhere

in

the

the

returnees,

commentary :

the

in

primitive

Book

2,

church,

where

Bede

compares the unitas dilectionis et castitatis'' of the returnees to the primitive church
(see

p.

304,

lines

6539);

and

in

Book

(p.

369,

lines

11951206),

in

passage

most

361

S. DEGREGORIO

terms
mon

as

the

passage

expressions,

are

associated

the

uitae

cern
of

the

the

continues.

incidentally, for

with

none

emendatioris''

uiam

uitae

koinonia

such

Hence

other
57

As

comment

have

monks
could
of

detected

of

well

have

formed

and

them elsewhere.
the

awareness

active

an

of

the

help

ancient

of

up

toward

of

designed

his

others

the

Israel

of

to

the

thrust

meditation
to

that

anachoresis .

reading

he

of

on

promote

58

to

ideal

of

the

scholthe

2 :6465

own

same

of

dis-

For

Ezra

their

the

endeavored

com-

practitioners

endorsement

sums

runs deep given the wariness

therefore,

service

ancillae''

brand

values

impress

of

upon

59

preceding

of

one

nuns

ringing

attitude

something

conuersatio ,

brotherhood

menting,

Bede's

Wearmouth-Jarrow,

monastic

What

in

require
a

et

contemporary

effectively

entire passage, whose topical force

ars

serui

and

the

still

regularis.''
a

monks

than

who

the

the

pages

ways

have

monastic

awareness

that

imparted,

concerns

will

induce

hope,

could

future

is

surface

readers

heightened

in

of

his

his

com-

work

to

attend to a wider range of monastic evidence than, say, direct contact

with

the

here

reveal

despite
and

Rule

his

write

or

to

other

us

great
like

monastic

Bede

source.

habituated

reverence

for

the

monk.

the

few

In

in

Indeed,

the

monastic

Fathers,
pages

findings

thought,

could

not

remaining,

help

let

offered

one
but

me

who,
think

reinforce

this claim with some closing reflections on two further bits of pertinent

revealing

for

the

monastic

tone

of

its

language :

...quia

ad

dragenarii quod Moyses et Helias et ipse Dominus impleuit

mitiua

ecclesia]

uitam

ducere

solebat

semper

aeternam

mundi huius prorsus sequestrata illecebris quasi

ditatione
57.

conuersationem

As

noted

(n.

27

gerebat''

above),

sitiens

secretam

58.

the

phrase

uitae

hacker

G.

onner

Hermits
Holy

and

Women

et

esp. pp. 2634; Clare S

al.

ieiunii

qua-

continentia

et

patriam

ab

[pri-

uniuersis

in cotidiana diuinae legis me-

emendatioris''

tancliffe

, Ideal of Reform'' (n. 35 above), pp. 13642;

Between Pastor and Solitary,'' in

ed.

magna

(my emphasis).

emendationem uitiorum'' of verse 47 of Benedict's prologue.

Prayer'' (n. 51 above),

imitationem

in

St.

(Woodbridge,

the

Contemplative

Old

English

Prose

Cuthbert,

Suffolk,

Life

in

Saints'

his

Cult

1989),

Anglo-Saxon

Lives

and

the

DeGregorio

propter

, Bede on

, Cuthbert and the

and

pp.

echoes

his

Community

2144;

and

England,''

Their

Mary

in

Contexts ,

to

layton
zarmach

1200 ,

Holy

ed.

Polarity

AD

P.

Men

and

(Albany, 1996), pp. 14775.

59.

See, for example, Bede's comments on the active and contemplative lives :

meliarum

the

euangelii

memorable

quoque

fratribus

libri

words

II

on

solebat

Ho-

1.9, (n. 43 above), pp. 6465, lines 145209; and especially

the

common

crebrius

life

intimare,

he

ne

puts

into

Cuthbert's

conuersationem

eius

mouth :

quasi

Hoc

singulariter

celsam mirarentur, quia contemptis saecularibus curis secretus uiuere mallet. Sed iure
inquit est coenobitarum uita miranda, qui abbatis per omnia subiciuntur imperiis. Ad
eius

arbitrium

tur,

quorum

cuncta

plurimos

uigilandi,
noui

orandi,

paruitatem

gratiae prophetalis anteire.''

Vita

ieiunandi,
meam

Sancti

atque

longe

Cuthberti

et

operandi
mundicia

tempora
mentis

moderan-

et

culmine

ch. 22 (n. 34 above), pp. 22830.

REVUE BENEDICTINE

362

evidence

from

Ezram .

In

They

are,

on

the

one

hand,

the

spirituality

expressed in the work, on the other, the style in which it is written.

Recently Gerald Bonner, speaking of Bede's writings as a whole, has
suggested

that

claustral,''

Bede's
own
his

the

view

spiritual

put

teachings

predilection

exegetical

spirituality

first

for

the

works

he

they

forth

by

noted

with

monastic
is

express

Carroll,

is

surprise

state,

concerned

more

who

and

These statements could characterize much of

...

they

imply

satisfactory.
heart

of

than
him

For

Bede's

that
in

between
one

as

thing,

it

progenitor

in

so

much

and

misses

monasticism,

great

this

pastoral''

an

of

monastic''

entirely

ideal

he

monastic

else,

61

Gregory

the

Great.

in

the

end

ideal

from

62

contemplative

powers

were

to

be

directed

to

in
60

who
For

the

un-

at

none

the

other

influenced

Bede

as

Gregory before him, the model preacher was in fact the monastic
whose

it,

life.''

whose concern

pastoral

spirituality
the

of

But the distinc-

is

inherited

of

Bede's

priestly

Ezram ,

than

study

despite

the

with reforming the clergy I have analyzed elsewhere.

tion

1946

glorification

with
In

pastoral

her

that
his

mainly

in

active

for

doctor

service

of ministering to others. Far from the division Bonner and Carroll posit,

this

the
tio .

Gregorian

monastic,

model

envisages

collapsing

of

the

fusion

two

into

between

one

and

the

the

pastoral

same

and

conuersa-

63

But, to come closer to our present concern, the problem with calling
the

spirituality

that

such

and

of

the

commentaries

characterization

thematic

content,

fails

which

to

pastoral
describe

often

does

present

that is recognizably monastic in substance.

60.
den

Gerald

Age,

Bonner,

Carroll

(n.

Bede :

Hawkes

ed. J.
37

Scholar
Mills

and S.

above), p.

239.

and

instead
much

64

Spiritual

of

of

to

monastic

their

us

spirituality

Some sense of this, surely,

Teacher,''

in

Northumbria's

(Gloucestershire, 1999), pp. 36570, at p.

Carroll, pp.

is

linguistic

2578, further states

that,

although

Gol-

365;
Bede

appreciated the regular life, he valued still more his life as a priest, and his writings
turn more to the duties of the clergy.''
61.
and

See DeGregorio, Northumbrian Church'' (n. 35 above), esp. pp. 920, 2324;

Id., Nostrorum

Exegesis,''

Early

socordiam

Medieval

temporum '

The

62.

See Paul Meyvaert,

63.

This point has been much discussed : see

Bede

Reforming

Impulse

of

Bede's

Later

11.2 (2002) : 10722, esp. pp. 11518.

Europe

and

Gregory

the

Great ,

Jarrow Lecture, 1964.

DeGregorio,

Bede on Prayer'' (n. 51

above), pp. 315; Thacker, Bede's Ideal'' (n. 35 above), esp. pp. 1306 as well as his
later article Monks, Preaching and Pastoral Care,'' in
13770;

and

Sarah

Foot,

Parochial

Role of the Monastic Communities,''

64.
mane

who

Ministry

Studies

in

in

Pastoral

Early

Church

Care

(n. 35 above), pp.

Anglo-Saxon

History

England :

See Claudio Leonardi, Il Venerabile Beda e la cultura del secolo VIII,''

di

has

studio

del

described

Centro

italiano

Bede's

di

outlook

studi

as

sull'alto

medioevo

mystic-monastic.''

The

26 (1989) : 4354.
Setti-

20 (1973) : 60358, 83343,

His

view

has

been

discussed

by Glen W. Olsen, From Bede to the Anglo-Saxon Presence in the Carolingian Em-

363

S. DEGREGORIO

has

already

above.
where

It

is

in

his

for

more

classic
as

the

takes

study

central

example,

by

examples

conspicuous,

commentary

identified

sider,

afforded

even

this

clercq,
God ,

been

the

up

The

to

however,

those

Love

In

in

very

and

monastic

following

from

the

passages

countless

themes

Learning

culture

and

from

that

and

its

In

considered

Ezram

the

Le-

Desire

literature.

Ezram

places

Jean

on

65

for

Con-

the

vir-

tues and spiritual progress :

They rise up, indeed, when they hear the king's proclamation, or rather
when

the

Lord

stirs

up

their

spirits

to

ascend

to

the

building

of

his

house when, prompted by the words of the Holy Scriptures and aflame
with

the

grace

of their Creator,

they shake off the

torpor of their for-

mer negligence and, having seized upon a resolution for a better way of
life,

by

though

making
by

daily

certain

advances

steps

on

in

good

stairway,

are in the vision of eternal peace.

works
the

they

heights

strive
of

the

to

reach,

virtues

as

that

66

The Broad Wall in Jerusalem is the strength and protection of perfect

love in the hearts of the elect at which its architects arrive through the
process

of

building

when,

by

advancing

say to their Creator and Helper :

you

were

broadening

our

heart

We

in

ran

works

the

way

of

of

charity,

your

they

can

commands,

for

that broadening, doubtless, of a mind

that has been illuminated, which can love both a friend in God and an
67

enemy for the sake of God.

Or on celestial desire :

And

so

ing''

(i.e.

above
with

each

one

on

the

the

abode

constant

of

us

roof
of

goes

of

his

his

out

body,

meditation

and

home)

on

he

makes

when,

tramples

heavenly

tabernacles

rising

by

down

light

his

and

on

means

his

of

harmful

liberty.

dwell-

the

mind

emotions

We

do

the

same thing in our courtyards too when, with a mind burning for heavenly

pire,''

things,

Settimane

we

di

stand

studio

del

as

it

were

Centro

outside

italiano

di

the

studi

world

and

sull'alto

desire

medioevo

to

32

leave

(1984) :

30582.
65.

Jean Leclercq,

The

Love

of

Learning

and

the

Desire

for

trans. C. Misrahi

God ,

(Paris, 1957; repr. New York, 1994), esp. pp. 5370.

66.
tante

In

Ezram,

spiritum

p.

250,

ipsorum

lines

36874 :

domino

ut

ad

Surgunt

uero

audito

aedificandam

domum

regis

edicto

domini

immo

ascendant

suscicum

uerbis sanctarum scripturarum ammoniti et gratia sui conditoris accensi ueternum neglegentiae prioris discutiunt atque arrepto proposito instituti melioris cotidianis bonorum

operum

profectibus

uelut

quibusdam

gradibus

ascensionum

ad

summa

uirtutum

quae sunt in aeternae pacis uisione tendere satagunt.''

67.
tas

et

In

Ezram,

p. 348, lines 35763 : Murus plateae latioris est in Hierusalem firmi-

munimentum

perfectae

dilectionis

in

cordibus

electorum

ad

quem

instructores

eius aedificando perueniunt cum in operibus caritatis proficiendo conditori et adiutori

suo

dicere

possunt,

Viam

mandatorum

tuorum

cucurrimus

dum

dilatares

cor

nostrum ,

illa nimirum dilatatione mentis illustratae quae et amicum in Deo et inimicum diligere
propter Deum possit.''

REVUE BENEDICTINE

364

its

dwelling-place

courtyards
allowed

to

of

as

the

enter

quickly

house

the

of

as

possible;

God''

courtyard

when,

of

the

and
even

we

also

though

heavenly

do

this

in

the

we

are

not

yet

dwelling,

we

nonethe-

less lay the whole memory and seat of our thought in its vicinity; and
we

do this in

expands

on

the

the

square

path

of

springs of water, so does

of

the

God's

our

Water Gate''

also

when, as our

heart

just as a stag desires

commandments,

soul desire the living God .

68

But in the present life too the Levites are gathered in Jerusalem when
the

faithful,

aflame

with

the

memory

of

celestial

peace,

place

the

full

delight of their mind in this peace and rejoice over that eternal inheritance

in

heaven

which

they

hope

they

are

going

to

receive

even

though they are not yet able to by contemplating it or at least de-

Rejoice, oh you just,

siring it, according to that saying of the psalmist :

in the Lord, and confess to the remembrance of his holiness.

69

For we pay our vows to the Lord in the midst of Jerusalem in the sight
of all his people when, in the heavenly homeland, after the whole multitude

of

the

saints

has

congregated,

we

offer

those

praises

of

thanks-

giving to him which in this present life we sigh for and thirst for with
daily desire.

70

Or, most significantly, on the vision of heaven

His

father

says

in

tance.

is

Shealtiel,

i.e.

my

petition

is

itself :

God,''

to

whom

he

himself

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheri-

psalm :

But since when calling upon him who is the God of each one of

the faithful and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ one seeks nothing
from
the

him

name

other

than

ing of the psalmist :

68.

In Ezram,

God

Shealtiel''

i.e.

himself,

my

it

is

possible

rightly

to

call

petition is God,'' according

him

by

to that say-

For what remains for me in heaven? And besides you

pp. 3701, lines 125567 :

Itaque unusquisque nostrum egressus

fa-

cit tabernacula in domate, id est tecto domus suae, cum habitaculum suae carnis animo

transcendens

calcauerit.
quasi

Quod

extra

facimus

et

ingredi in

affectus
ipsum

mundum
in

atriis

eius

eius

et

noxios

atriis

consistimus

domus

tamen

in

Dei

uicinia

sedula

nostris

cuius

quando

totam

supernae

facimus

mansionem
etsi

necdum

lucis

cum
nos

ac

mente
ocius

aulam

nostrae cogitationis

libertatis
ad

relinquere

supernae

memoriam

meditatione

caelestia

flagrante

desideramus;

habitationis

sedemque

licet

collaca-

mus; facimus et in platea portae aquarum cum dilatato corde nostro in uia mandatorum

Dei

sicut ceruus desiderat ad fontes aquarum ita desiderat anima

ad Deum

nostra

uiuum.''
69.

In Ezram,

pp. 3789, lines 15817 : Sed et in praesenti uita leuitae congregan-

tur in Hierusalem cum memoria supernae pacis fideles accensi totam in ea suae mentis
delectationem
ditate
tae :

etsi

collocant

necdum

ac

queunt

de

ea

quam

intuendo

se

saltim

percepturos

sperant

desiderando

aeterna

laetantur

iuxta

in

caelis

illud

here-

psalmis-

Laetamini iusti in domino et confitemini memoriae sanctificationis eius .''

70.

In Ezram,

p. 384, lines 180913 : In medio quippe Hierusalem uota domino in

conspectu omnis populi eius reddimus cum in caelesti patria omni sanctorum multitudine

congregata

eas

pro

quibus

in

desiderio sitimus laudes offerimus.''

praesenti

gemimus

quasque

gratiarum

ei

cotidiano

365

S. DEGREGORIO

what have I desired on earth? ,

and so on until it says,

But it is good for

me to be near to God .

Our petition, then, is God since from him we seek

him

might

alone,

him.

that

we

deserve

to

enjoy

an

everlasting

vision

of

71

For the elect ascend the walls of the city which they have built when
they

enter

selves

discern

the

joys

of

created

the

entering
of

the

have

different

into the

many

the

heavenly

through

their

heights

of

the

Father's house,

mansions

for

homeland,

the

joys

perseverance
gates,

they

in

steps

which
good

and

they

buildings

contemplate there the

different

merits

of

them-

works;

they

when,

diversity

people.

But

they

stand still in the house of God and sing even more loudly when, having
each

been

dency

in

received
the

in

their

everlasting

mansions,

vision

of

voice celebrate his praises together.

In

these

cept

of

passages,

the

the

spiritual

articulation

life

is

loud

persist

Creator

with

and

steadfast

with

resi-

undivided

72

of

and

they

their

predominantly

clear.

Human

life

monastic

is

con-

pictured

as

movement toward heaven, dependent on detachment from earthly realities

and

growth
rising

desire

in

for

virtue

above

celestial

that

and

ones.

Through

accompanies

away

from

it,

study

the

transitory

of

Scripture

Christian

pleasure

soul

toward

and

can

the

the

ascend,

things

of

heaven. All the expected images ascribed in monasticism to that movement are here : desire, conceived as thirst and burning fire; the virtues,
imagined

as

the

steps

by

which

we

ascend;

love,

configured

as

an

ex-

panding force that brings illumination; and the prospect of heaven, defined as the very vision of the Creator. Such language and ideas, which
again point unmistakably to Bede's debt to the thought of Gregory the
Great, fill the pages of
than

monastic

heart

of

the

text.

In Ezram,

71.
Deus,

cui

ipse

uniuscuiusque

would

p.

dicit

In

289,
in

fidelium

In Ezram;

to call its spirituality pastoral rather

accordingly
fact,

lines

is

6473 :

psalmo :
Deum

it

be

to

often

Cuius

eviscerate

precisely

pater

est

in

much
the

Salathihel,

at

the

id

est

petitio

Pete a me, et dabo tibi gentes hereditatem tuam.

et

patrem

domini

nostri

Iesu

Christi

very

commentary's

inuocans

mea

Sed

cum

et

non

aliud ab illo quam ipsum Deum quaerit potest eum recte Salathihel, id est petitio mea
Deus, nominare iuxta illud psalmistae :

super terram,

et

cetera

usque

dum

ait,

Quid enim mihi restat in caelo et a te quid uolui

Mihi autem adhaerere Deo bonum est .

Petitio

ergo nostra Deus est cum ipsum solum ab ipso quaerimus ut aeterna ipsius mereamur
uisione perfui.''
72.
quae

In Ezram,
fecerunt

fecerunt

p.

cum

introeunt

383,

lines

gaudia
cernunt

177382 :

supernae

Ascendunt

patriae

dispertitam

quae

portarum

ipsi

namque
instantia

graduum

electi

moenia

bonorum

aedificiorum

ciuitatis

operum

sua

celsitudinem

cum introeuntes in domum patris multarum inibi mansionum differentiam pro diuersis
hominum
suas

meritis

singuli

contemplantur,

mansiones

recepti

in

stant

autem

perpetua

in

sui

domo

Dei

conditoris

et

clarius

uisione

canunt

stabili

cum

in

habitatione

perseuerant eiusque laudes in saeculum saeculi uoce indiuisa concelebrant.''

REVUE BENEDICTINE

366

more
joys

monastically-charged
of

heaven,

that

one

passages,
may

with

detect

their

the

talk

tight

of

ascent

bond

that

and

the

exists

for

Bede between the pastoral and the monastic for heaven he continually presents as

the

reward that awaits

the

teacher. As

he

puts it

near

the end of Book 3,

...

those

toil,

who

completed

hardship,

enemy

famine,

fights

against

the

cold,
and

gates,
vigils

towers

by

assails

day

them,

and
and

city

wall

night

amidst

great

while

the

tireless

once

the

enemy

afterwards,

have been beaten back and thrown into disarray, go walking together
through
songs,

the

gates,

hymns,

towers,

harps,

and

buildings

cymbals,

lyres,

of

and

this

city

trumpets

and

and

rejoice

with

thanksgivings

together with those very teachers who were the authors of the project
and

the

teachers

sequence,

this

of

God's

takes

Law.

place

in

No

the

one

can

spiritual

doubt

that,

building

too

in

the

when,

same

as

the

hour of final retribution approaches as though it were the long-desired

dedication
works

of

when,

God's
much

city,
like

the

faithful

Nehemiah

obtain

and

Ezra

eternal
and

the

rewards
other

for

their

priests

and

Levites as they each bring forth their workers, all the teachers of faithful

peoples

conduct

their

listeners

whom

they

have

acquired

Lord into the fortifications of the heavenly homeland.

for

the

73

In Bede's monastic outlook, the life of teaching finds its end in the one

visio Dei
In Ezram

goal for which the monk strives the

Secondly,
article

by

there

noting,

is

the

the

matter

writings

of
of

's

the

.
style.

Fathers

have

As

long

began

this

constituted

the dominant context for understanding Bede's commentaries. In terms

of

style,

the

legacy

is

clear :

like

the

he often professed to be following,

the

tradition

of

allegorical

74

great

commentaries

of

the

patres

Bede's are steeped by and large in

exegesis,

their

contents

comprising

careful

analyses of Scripture's various senses, each explicated so as to lay bare

its

main

significations.

For

an

early

eighth-century

this method of commenting obviously

In Ezram

73.

magno
hoste

labore

p.

382,

lines

aerumna fame

atque insidiante

171530 :

frigore

perfecerunt

medieval

exegete,

carried enormous authority; but

...qui

portas

uigiliis diurnis

tunc repulso

et

turres

et

murum

ciuitatis

nocturnisque repugnante
confuso hoste

per

in

indefesso

eiusdem

ciuitatis

portas turres et aedificia deambulantes in canticis et hymnis in psalteriis cymbalis citharis in tubis et gratiarum actione una cum ipsis qui auctores operis et doctores legis
Dei

fuere

nulli

magistris

dubium

est

collaetantur.

cum

instante

Quod

tempore

eodem

ordine

ultimae

etiam

in

retributionis

spiritali

quasi

diu

aedificio
desiderata

fieri
de-

dicatione ciuitatis Dei fideles aeterna pro operibus suis praemia consequuntur quando
uelut Neemias et Ezras ceterique sacerdotes et leuitae suos singuli operarios producen-

In Ezram

tes cuncti fidelium populorum magistri suos quique quos domino adquisierunt auditores

ad

moenia patriae

caelestis

introducunt.''

Cf.

pp.

3234, lines

p. 375, lines 3759; p. 383, lines 174560.

74.

For Bede's favorite tag (patrum uestigia sequens''), see n. 5 above.

142951;

367

S. DEGREGORIO

was

it

and

the

which

again,
to

only
we,

he

of

the

deems

of

role

the

Bede

therefore,

Leclercq's

Scripture,

and

paradigm

book

is

should
useful.

lectio

monastic

played

here

hallmarks

turned

of

by
a

to

turn
His

as

in

to

writing

in

outline

form

distinctly

commentaries,

evaluating
of

of

reminiscence

his

the

them?

monastic

meditation

and

and

memory,

monastic

all

exegesis,''

Once

attitude
prayer,

of

75

which

offers

us

a different set of ideas, one that can, I believe, shed light on much that
we find in Bede's commentaries.
A

single

chase.
tion
of

In

example

parts

difficult;

logical

Jerome,

of

development.
text

can

commentary,

digressions

Bede's

In Ezram

from

this

appear

to

abound,

Compared,

may

seem

demonstrate

readers

say,

may

the

thwarting

to

the

repetitive,

some

find

prose

confused

the
of

of

its

pur-

argumentaprogression

Augustine

and

even

or

poorly

constructed, devoid of the clarity of thought and expression those earlier

Fathers

achieved

in

their

work.

In

treating

the

Feast

of

Taber-

nacles mentioned in Ezra 3 :4, for instance, Bede seems to bounce from
one

topic

to

another,

moving

in

the

course

the literal events described in the verse

analyses
ence
the

of

that

include

earthly

spiritual

life,

meditations

the

meaning

of

on

symbolism
the

to

our

of

holocaust

of

just

70

lines

exodus

the
and

from

number
the

sin,

seven,

effect

is

dazzling,

as

each

shift

in

from

word

the

transi-

and

finally

tent,''

of which with abundant reference to the writings of St Paul.

tial

a constellation of figurative

direction

gives

way

the
76

latter

The ini-

first

to

one

new idea and then another. Of precisely this ever-shifting quality, however,

Leclercq

says

the

following :

This

is

true

of

many

monastic

authors; they do not always compose after a logical pattern which has
been
sen,

definitely
they

psychological
and

one

fixed

make

use

upon
of

in

the

development,

digression

may

advanced.

utmost

Within

freedom.

determined

lead

to

by

another

the

The
the
or

literary

plan
plan

even

form

really
of

cho-

follows

associations,

several

others.''

77

Understood in these monastic'' terms, the serpentine quality of Bede's

exegetical
ration

of

quality

prose
proper

can

be

becomes
style

seen

as

or

intelligible
muddled

the

result

as

something

thinking.

of

Its

other

than

associative,

meditative

impulse

an

aber-

digressive

governed

by

what Leclercq terms the phenomenon of reminiscence,'' in which individual

words

lead

the

exegete's

Love of Learning
In Ezram
Love of Learning

75.

See Leclercq,

76.

See

77.

Leclercq,

mind

spontaneously

from

(n. 65 above), esp. pp. 7188.

, pp. 2678, lines 10351105.

(n. 65 above), p. 74.

one

meaning

REVUE BENEDICTINE

368

or

connotation

to

to

with
the

idea

through
and
to

the

so

the

of

the
on.

world

of

Bede,

that

the

Fathers,

yet

another

we

well

as

effect,

text

style
are

example

passage

to

our

than

of

in

referenced

the

to

in

above,

with

the

have

to

As

inferior

such,
to

life

closer

prayerful

second-na-

one

very

itself

turn

heaven,
is

instead

what

something

been

in

sojourn

terms,

argument,

would

monastic

him

earthly

pilgrimage

logical

is

lead

our

Leclercq's

background.

end

way

which
to

spiritual

exegesis

the

of

hence

execution

monastic
Bede's

left

both

understood

whose

his
of

the

, is evidently linked in Bede's mem-

lectio divina

of

the

given

the

in

tent,

as

total

workings

to

claim

for

so

traveling,

The

mastication
ture

word

And

scenopegia
scenomata
peregrinatio

the word for tabernacle,

ory

78

another.

of

the

finds

different

could

act

in

as

primary and powerful determinant of his commentaries.

*
*

The
one

foregoing

Bedan

pages,

in

sifting

commentary, are

variety

offered

in

the

of

monastic

spirit

of a

elements

from

prolegomenon to

the larger task of charting the interplay between monasticism and biblical

exegesis

from

in

Bede's

subsequent

commentaries

treatments

of

the

generally.

topic

will

Where

lead

us

the

findings

remains

to

be

seen. But the evidence examined at this preliminary stage already suggests

to

where

wisdom
thing

me

the
or

the

an

new

exegesis,
needs

new

focus

emulator

the
of

way

namely,
kind
an

of

concerns

of

that

thinking

not

just

auctores

his
,

but

distinctively
grew

out

eighth-century

about
role

of,

Bede

as

also

a
his

and

Northumbrian

desire

Anglo-Saxon
reflects,

as

commentator,

transmitter
to

of

patristic

create

monastic''
was

meant

monastery.

As

some-

form
to

of

serve

much

as

Bede venerated the patristic past, and as much as the appropriation of

that

past

was

an

acknowledged

principle

of

life

under

the

rule,

at

the

same time it is important to remember that his self-declared exegetical

stance
what

was

we

also

have

that

seen,

of
in

singer
case

of

after

the

Divine

case,

is

Office.

that

the

79

Indeed,

lived

precisely

experience

of

Northumbrian monastic life itself did in fact persuasively influence the

kind

of

biblical

exegesis

Bede

Love of Learning

78.

Leclercq,

79.

See n. 13 above.

put

into

In Ezram

(n. 65 above), p. 73.

Future

studies

will

369

S. DEGREGORIO

have to determine whether or not the experience of the monastery had

a hand in shaping his other commentaries too. The aim of this article
has been to start that debate by bringing to light the impact monasticism clearly had on at least one of those commentaries.

Dearborn,
University of Michigan

RB

23

Scott

DeGregorio