In subsequent centuries, the unity of that church and the popularity of Bede’s Ecclesiastical History both played a part in facilitating the political union of the different regions into a single English kingdom. Roman missionaries came up to Kent and began to convert the English there.Įventually, as Bede tells us in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, all the English kingdoms were brought together into one unified church. Irish missionaries came across via Iona and began to convert the north of England to Christianity. When the Anglo-Saxons arrived in Britain, they established multiple kingdoms and sub-kingdoms within the regions that we now call England.

Given his investment in Computus, it is likely that Bede would have been appalled by the idea of fixing an annual date for Easter.īede’s writings also played a part in the formation of the English nation. The system required a thorough understanding of the movements of the cosmos, an appreciation of religious symbolism (including the relationship between Easter and the Jewish Passover) and a detailed knowledge of the history of Christianity. He is one of the most influential figures in English Christianity: the fact that I’m writing this in 2016, not “the 65th year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth and the third year of the pontificate of Pope Francis” is largely thanks to Bede’s popularisation of the anno domini method of dating.īede, was a devoted student of Computus – the calculation of the date of Easter – which brought together his interests in history, theology and astronomy.

The Venerable Bede (c.673-735 AD) lived at Monkwearmouth and Jarrow. By comparison, the recent announcement that the Anglican Communion intends to fix an annual date for Easter – in cooperation with the Catholic, Orthodox and Coptic Churches – has met with little comment.Īmong Anglo-Saxonists, however, the typical reaction went: “Well, Bede will be spinning in his grave.” The Church of England has attracted controversy over its evolving policies on issues such as homosexuality and the ordination of women.

History of the english church bede