| Abstract | Paper -a:
While it is generally known that Beda Venerabilis disposed of a rich collection of works of Augustine of Hippo, it remains unclear precisely how many and which Augustinian texts were known to Bede, despite earlier attempts to assess the contents of his Patristic library. This paper presents a new reconstruction of Bede's Augustinian library, based, first, on a thorough (digital) source analysis of Bede's oeuvre and particularly his Collectio in Apostolum (a florilegium of 455 fragments from 38 Augustinian works, which has been neglected in earlier research and of which I prepare the first critical edition), and, furthermore, on a study of the Early Medieval transmission of Augustine's writings.
Paper -b:
This paper looks particularly at Bede's Homilies on the Gospels to explore his preaching and theological observations concerning Mary, the Mother of God. Scholars have noted that Bede did not comprehensively invocate Mary but his ideas concerning her were influential on later Marian piety. Bede's Marian perspective is Christologically orientated and he underscores Mary's role in relation to the 'divine nativity' of the Lord in his homiliary. Mary's virginity and humility receive acclamatory focus and some preaching could be considered a Marian paean. In addition, a close reading of Bede's references to Mary communicates further information with respect to his theology of her person. These include an estimation that incorporates Mary as an exemplaristic monastic model of humility and contemplation, a source of sacred memory and a perceptive interpreter of Hebrew Scripture and history albeit her insight was interior and unvoiced. Where applicable, certain homiletic reflections of Mary and her qualities in other Bedan works are briefly indicated.
Paper -c:
By the time Christianity had established itself in Roman society, various early writers had written treatises on virginity which befitted their time and culture. This enthusiasm about virginity did not fade even when the Roman world collapsed; it was redeveloped and redefined in the new era and transmitted across the channel to Anglo-Saxon England. As we would see in Aldhelm and Bede's writings, how to accommodate the notion of virginity brought forth by the early church fathers was a substantive issue of the early English church. Aldhelm and Bede provided two distinct responses of situating virginity as an ideal which conforms to the existing English marital practices. This paper explores their shared concerns and diverse attitudes in moulding virginity as a perfect status for the English church, arguing that their contextual concerns and individual purposes profoundly altered their interpretations of virginity.
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