English Faculty Research and Publications
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
Summer 7-11-2007
Abstract
The paper addresses how Bede's history regarding the use of Roman walls is influenced by his work as a biblical exegete. The major contention is that Bede uses the Old Testament religious tradition of Nehemiah and Ezra, regarding the rebuilding of Jerusalem's fortifications, as a template for his comments regarding British and Anglo-Saxon defences in the Historia Ecclesiastica. Through an examination of Bede's exegetical work In Esdram et Nehemiam the military passages of the Historia Ecclesiastica are given even greater religious significance. This understanding of the history links Bede's comments regarding the decline of British military strength more closely to the collapse of moral and religious value of the citizens and leaders.
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Author
Recommended Citation
Laing, G. (2007). Nation Building: Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica and the Use of Old Testament Tradition. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.harding.edu/english-facpub/67
Comments
Presented at the International Medieval Congress at the University of Leeds (Leeds, United Kingdom) 2007