Christian identity in the works of Bede

Abstract

Recent trends in Bede studies have sought to integrate Bede the historian with Bede the theological exegete. Building upon these trends, this thesis provides a study of Bede’s construction of Christian identity in the historical context of the early medieval English Church of his day. Since Bede’s assumptions about Christian identity are not directly stated or otherwise made explicit in his writings and commentaries, this study approaches his understanding of Christian identity indirectly through his exegesis and the perspectives it offers on that identity, especially in the commentaries he completed during the last decade and a half of his life (AD 716 to 731). It does not offer what might be called a formal account of Bede’s understanding of Christian identity, nor a formal theory of identity per se, but a functional account of the theological assumptions that enter into the construction of Christian identity in his exegesis. The character of those assumptions and the contribution they make to Bede’s understanding of Christian identity find expression in his views of suffering and miracle, the ordering of time, ecclesiology, the two testaments of Scripture, and eschatology. Bede drew upon these perspectives to construct a salvation-historical model for distinguishing those who share in his vision for Christian identity (insiders) from those who do not (outsiders). He also used this interpretive model to make internal distinctions within the boundaries of Christian identity, distinguishing bishops who fulfil his ideals for Christian identity (Cuthbert and Aidan) from those who do not (Wilfrid). After examining Bede’s salvation-historical commitments and the Christian ideals they give birth to, this study concludes that the Incarnation and Resurrection are fundamental to Christian identity formation in Bede’s reading of history and the place of the Church within that history.

Date of Award	2 Jul 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of St Andrews
Supervisor	James Trevor Palmer (Supervisor) & William Patrick Hyland (Supervisor)