Theological Term of the Week: The Venerable Bede

The Venerable Bede
A presbyter-monk who wrote a complete history of the Church in England up to his own time. He lived from 673–735.1

• From 2000 Years of Christ’s Power by N. H. Needham, page 320: 

[Bede’s Church History of the English People] … is our main source of information about the Christian faith in England from its origins until the 8th Century. Bede was on of the most highly educated Western Europeans of his day. He knew all three of the Church’s great languages, Latin, Greek and Hebrews (a rare achievement for any Westerner at that time). A dedicated follower of Augustine of Hippo, Bede was also well-versed in the writings of other early Church fathers, especially Ambrose, Jerome, and Gregory the Great, and in the ancient pagan literature of Greece and Rome.As well as his English Church history, Bede wrote many sermons, biographies (including a life of Cuthbert), letters, poems, and commentaries on books of the Bible, and translated John’s Gospel into English.

• From Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of England: 

CHAP. X. How, in the reign of Arcadius, Pelagius, a Briton, insolently impugned the Grace of God. [395 AD]



In the year of our Lord 394, Arcadius, the son of Theodosius, the forty-third from Augustus, succeeding to the empire, with his brother Honorius, held it thirteen years. In his time, Pelagius, [Pelagius, the founder of the heresy known as Pelagianism, was probably born in 370 A.D., and is said to have been a Briton. His great opponent, St. Augustine, speaks of him as a good and holy man; later slanders are to be attributed to Jerome’s abusive language. The cardinal point in his doctrine is his denial of original sin, involving a too great reliance on the human will in achieving holiness, and a limitation of the action of the grace of God] a Briton, spread far and near the infection of his perfidious doctrine, denying the assistance of the Divine grace, being seconded therein by his associate Julianus of Campania, who was impelled by an uncontrolled desire to recover his bishopric, of which he had been deprived. St . Augustine, and the other orthodox fathers, quoted many thousand catholic authorities against them, but failed to amend their folly; nay, more, their madness being rebuked was rather increased by contradiction than suffered by them to be purified through adherence to the truth … .

Learn more:

1. Christian History: The Venerable Bede
2. 5 Minutes in Church History: The Venerable Bede
3. Christian Classics Ethereal Library: The Venerable Bede
4. Christian Classics Ethereal Library: Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of England

Related terms:

• Ambrose of Milan
• Apollinarius
• Athanasius
• Augustine of Hippo
• Basil of Caesarea
• Cappadocian fathers
• Columba
• Cyril of Alexandria
• Gregory of Nanzianzus
• Gregory of Nyssa
• Gregory the Great
• Hilary of Poitiers
• Irenaeus of Lyons
• Jerome
• John Chrysostom
• Justin Martyr
• Monica
• Nestorius
• Origen
• Patrick
• Pelagius
• Sabellius
• Tertullian

Filed under Christian History

1From 2000 Years of Christ’s Power by N. R. Needham.

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Sunday's Hymn: I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord

I love thy Kingdom, Lord,
The house of thine abode,
The church our blest Redeemer saved
With his own precious blood.

I love thy church, O God:
Her walls before thee stand,
Dear as the apple of thine eye,
And graven on thy hand.

For her my tears shall fall,
For her my prayers ascend;
To her my cares and toils be giv’n,
Till toils and cares shall end.

Beyond my highest joy
I prize her heav’nly ways,
Her sweet communion, solemn vows,
Her hymns of love and praise.

Jesus, thou Friend Divine,
Our Saviour and our King,
Thy hand from ev’ry snare and foe
Shall great deliv’rance bring.

Sure as thy truth shall last,
To Zion shall be giv’n
The brightest glories earth can yield,
And brighter bliss of heav’n.

— Timothy Dwight

Other hymns of worship songs for this Sunday:

• Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise at The Happy Wonderer 

Theological Term of the Week: Columba

Columba
An Irish presbyter-monk and missionary to Scotland; often called “the apostle of Scotland.” He lived from 521–597.1

• From 2000 Years of Christ’s Power by N. H. Needham, page 312: 

Born at Garten in Donegal (northwestern Ireland), [Columba] was a presbyter-monk who established a number of churches and monasteries in his Irish homeland before crossing over to Scotland in 563. Tall, beautiful, burning with physical energy, constantly singing the Psalms of David in a booming voice, fearless, and in love with travel and adventure, Columba summed up in his own person and life the essence of Celtic Christianity. His missionary expedition to Scotland followed the normal Irish pattern—12 missionaries under the leadership of a 13th, based on the 12 apostles under the leadership of Christ. Columba and his team set up their headquarters on the tiny island of Iona, off the Scottish west coast. The monastery he founded there became one of the most successful centres of missionary work in the history of Christianity. From Iona, Columba’s disciples planted churches and monasteries throughout Scotland and northern England; Iona became thhe spiritual capital of the whole region. Among the northern Celtic Christians, the authority of the abbot of Iona had far more weight than the word of the pope.

• A hymn attributed to Columba: 

Christ Is the World’s Redeemer

Christ is the world’s redeemer,
the lover of the pure,
the fount of heavenly wisdom,
our trust and hope secure,
the armour of his soldiers,
the lord of earth and sky,
our health while we are living,
our life when we shall die.

Christ has our host surrounded
with clouds of martyrs bright
who wave their palms in triumph
and fire us for the fight.
For Christ the cross ascended
to save a world undone
and, suffering for the sinful,
our full redemption won.

Down in the realm of darkness
he lay a captive bound,
but at the hour appointed
he rose, a victor crowned,
and now, to heaven ascended,
he sits upon the throne
in glorious dominion,
his Father’s and his own.

Glory to God the Father,
the unbegotten One;
all honour be to Jesus,
his sole-begotten Son;
and to the Holy Spirit —
the perfect Trinity.
Let all the worlds give answer:
‘Amen, so let it be’.

Learn more:

1. Ligonier Ministries: Columba: Missionary to Scotland
2. Christian History: Iona’s Tough Dove
3. 5 Minutes in Church History: Iona

Related terms:

• Ambrose of Milan
• Apollinarius
• Athanasius
• Augustine of Hippo
• Basil of Caesarea
• Cappadocian fathers
• Cyril of Alexandria
• Gregory of Nanzianzus
• Gregory of Nyssa
• Gregory the Great
• Hilary of Poitiers
• Irenaeus of Lyons
• Jerome
• John Chrysostom
• Justin Martyr
• Monica
• Nestorius
• Origen
• Patrick
• Pelagius
• Sabellius
• Tertullian

Filed under Christian History

1From 2000 Years of Christ’s Power by N. R. Needham.

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Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured as a Theological Term of the Week? Email your suggestion using the contact button in the navigation bar above. 

Clicking on the Theological Terms button will take you to an alphabetical list of all the theological terms.