knowledge and on the Âfaithful testimony of reliable witnessesÊ. His distinguished sources give weight and credibility to BedeÊs History – in particular his account of the Gregorian mission is supported by the authority of both Canterbury and Rome – but he also emphasizes the meticulous nature of his own research. 7 He is at pains to bolster his own credentials as an historian, claiming that he took care not to rely too heavily on Âany one sourceÊ, and, in the case of his account of Bishop Cuthbert, added to the existing written sources Âwith care what I was able to learn myself from the trustworthy testimony of reliable witnesses.Ê 8 BedeÊs diligence, coupled with his sourcesÊ authority, guarantees the truth of his account, and gives him the necessary status to teach Ceolwulf the duties of a Christian king. Bede supports his claim to didactic authority by the sophisticated Latinity of his language in the preface. Latin was the language both of the scriptures and of the Roman past. For Christianity, a religion of the book, truth and authority were vested in writing. Mastery of Latin therefore communicated status and prestige. 9 In the preface, in comparison to the manner in which he writes the rest of the Ecclesiastical History, Bede adopts a self- consciously classical style, dominated by long periodic sentences and rhythmic 7 Gunn, V., BedeÊs Historiae, Genre, Rhetoric and the Construction of Anglo-Saxon Church History (Woodbridge, 2009), p.149; Higham, (Re-)Reading Bede, pp.16, 76-79 8 All quotations in this paragraph from McClure and Collins, Ecclesiastical History, p.5 9 Smith, J.M.H., Europe after Rome: A New Cultural History 500-1000 (Oxford 2005), p.40
clausulae. His elegant Latin advertises BedeÊs learning and positions him in the tradition of scholarship stretching back to the Church Fathers of the Late Roman Empire. His book is intended to take its place alongside the works of such authorities as Saint Augustine. 10 Bede reiterates this assertion of learning and authority in less subtle form at the end of the Ecclesiastical History in his autobiographical coda where he lists the many works that he has written, showing his mastery of, among other things, biblical exegesis and computus, and again placing himself firmly in the tradition of the patristic writers upon whom he drew. 11 BedeÊs preface, therefore, focuses our attention on the relationship between king and cleric, temporal and spiritual. Bede carefully establishes his own authority as priest and scholar, emphasizing his diligent research and hinting at his erudition. His connections with Canterbury, and, through Canterbury, papal Rome bolster this authority, lending the weight of the apostolic church to his narrative. Here Bede asserts his right, as a priest, to lecture Ceolwulf, whose power rests on GodÊs will, on the correct conduct of a Christian king. The rest of the Ecclesiastical History will demonstrate the interdependence of church and king and the ultimate primacy of the former. 10 BedeÊs Latinity: Grocock, C. ÂBede and the Golden Age of Latin Prose in NorthumbriaÊ in Hawkes, J., and Mills, S. (edd.), NorthumbriaÊs Golden Age (Stroud 1999), pp.371-382; significance of Latin as a language of culture and power, Smith, Europe after Rome, pp.25-40 11 Higham, (Re-)Reading Bede, p.16
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