Letter 2

From: Bede, monk of Wearmouth-Jarrow and scholar To: Ceolwulf, King of Northumbria Date: ~731 AD Context: The prefatory letter accompanying Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People — one of the greatest historical works of the early medieval period — dedicated to King Ceolwulf and explaining the purpose of the work. Bede, servant of Christ and priest of the monastery of Wearmouth and Jarrow, to the most glorious King Ceolwulf, greetings. I send you the Ecclesiastical History of the English People, which you requested and which I have now, with God's help, completed. I ask you to read it carefully, and if you find anything that needs correction, to tell me. The purpose of the work is stated in my preface, but I want to say it again here in a letter where I can speak more directly. I have written a history of the English church because I believe that history teaches — that the examples of those who have lived before us, both the examples worth following and the examples worth avoiding, are among the most powerful guides to conduct that any generation possesses. The English church has a remarkable history: the mission of Augustine from Rome, the separate tradition of the Celtic church from the north and west, the collision of those traditions at Whitby, the theological controversies, the missionaries who carried the faith to the continent, the scholars who made our islands a center of learning when the continent was in darkness. This story is worth knowing. It is worth knowing particularly by those who govern the church and kingdom of which it is the history. I commend the work to your prayerful reading. Bede, your humble servant