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DOCUMENTING MIRACLES in the AGE of BEDE by THOMAS EDWARD ROCHESTER

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DOCUMENTING MIRACLES in the AGE of BEDE by THOMAS EDWARD ROCHESTER SANCTITY AND AUTHORITY: DOCUMENTING MIRACLES IN THE AGE OF BEDE by THOMAS EDWARD ROCHESTER A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of History School of History and Cultures College of Arts and Law University of Birmingham July 2017 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Abstract This doctoral dissertation investigates the writings of the Venerable Bede (673-735) in the context of miracles and the miraculous. It begins by exploring the patristic tradition through which he developed his own historical and hagiographical work, particularly the thought of Gregory the Great in the context of doubt and Augustine of Hippo regarding history and truth. It then suggests that Bede had a particular affinity for the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles as models for the writing of specifically ecclesiastical history. The use of sources to attest miracle narratives in six hagiographies known to Bede from Late Antiquity are explored before applying this knowledge to Bede and five of his early Insular contemporaries. The research is rounded off by a discussion of Bede’s use of miracles in the context of reform, particularly his desire to provide adequate pastoral care through his understanding of the ideal bishop best exemplified by Cuthbert and John of Beverley. By examining Bede and the miraculous not only through the lens of his predecessors but also among his contemporaries, this thesis ultimately positions Bede as an innovative Anglo-Saxon scholar, though one clearly conscious of the traditions within which he was working. Dedicated to the memory of my grandparents Mary Rochester and Christopher Mortimore, as well as my first supervisor Prof. Nicholas Brooks, each of whom saw the start of this thesis but not the end of it. Soli Deo Gloria Acknowledgements To my two supervisors, Simon Yarrow and Peter Darby, who kindly stepped in at the last minute to assist following the loss of Nicholas Brooks only four months into the project. To say you were my rock would be a cliché worthy of Bede’s ‘non angli, sed angeli’, but your detailed advice and contributions have been invaluable. I could not have completed this thesis without you. To the Arts and Humanities Research Council for funding this project and providing a travel bursary to attend the Kalamazoo International Congress on Medieval Studies in 2015. To those in the Leicester MRC, Birmingham CeSMA and EMREM, and all who I have spoken to at Leeds and other conferences for your support, questions and comments that have helped shape this research. In particular I want to thank Jo Story for starting me off on this voyage of postgraduate study, Máirín MacCarron and Emma Vosper for all discussions Bedan, as well as Pragya Vohra Moon for her friendship and teaching me that the history of early medieval Britain and Ireland does not end in 735. To all the staff in the Main Library and Cadbury Research Library at the University of Birmingham for their excellent skill in finding obscure journals and Latin texts, particularly during the disruptive move to the new building and subsequent recataloguing. To all my friends and family who now know more about Anglo-Saxon monastic culture than they had ever dreamed of (or desired). To my parents, Caroline and Clive, who have supported me in a plethora of ways over the past eight years of university, thank you for all your trips up to visit with supplies, post and goodies. In answer to your question, yes it is finally finished! Finally to Jenny, who joined the PhD journey late in the day but has been a much-needed breath of normality, keeping me focused on the little things in life, and providing plenty of baked treats to keep me going! Thank you for putting up with Bede as the third wheel in our relationship! Tom Rochester University of Birmingham Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, 2017 Table of Contents List of Tables..................................................................................................................... iii Abbreviations..................................................................................................................... iv Introduction....................................................................................................................... 1 Historiographical Context: Bede......................................................................................... 2 Historiographical Context: Miracles................................................................................... 6 Thesis Outline.................................................................................................................... 13 Part One: Historic Precedent Chapter One – Bede’s Predecessors: Miracles, History and Truth.................................... 21 Bede and Gregory............................................................................................................... 22 Debating the Saints’ Cult in the Age of Bede: A Study in Doubt...................................... 30 Bede and Augustine............................................................................................................ 45 Chapter Two – Bede’s Historical Method.......................................................................... 70 Bede, Eusebius and Luke.................................................................................................... 72 Miracles in Eusebius’ Historia Ecclesiastica..................................................................... 93 Vera Lex Historiae.............................................................................................................. 99 Chapter Three – Hagiography in Late Antiquity.............................................................. 109 Counting Miracles and Monks: Methodology.................................................................. 110 Vita Antonii....................................................................................................................... 113 Vita Martini....................................................................................................................... 119 Vita Ambrosii.................................................................................................................... 124 Vita Augustini.................................................................................................................... 130 Vita Germani..................................................................................................................... 136 Dialogi............................................................................................................................... 140 Part Two: Truth and Doubt in the early Insular world Chapter Four – Bede’s Innovation: Sources, Evidence and Eyewitnesses....................... 147 Vita Sancti Cuthberti......................................................................................................... 150 Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum........................................................................... 151 i Martyrologium................................................................................................................... 152 Chronica Minora............................................................................................................... 154 Chronica Maiora............................................................................................................... 156 Bede’s Descriptions and Epithets of Sources for Miracle Stories..................................... 160 Chapter Five - Witnesses to Miracle Stories in Early Insular Literature: The Vita Sancti Cuthberti Auctore Anonymo, Stephen’s Vita Sancti Wilfrithi and the Vita Ceolfridi....... 173 Vita Sancti Cuthberti Auctore Anonymo........................................................................... 175 Vita Sancti Wilfrithi........................................................................................................... 184 Vita Ceolfridi..................................................................................................................... 192 Chapter Six - Witnesses to Miracle Stories in Early Insular Literature: The Whitby Vita Gregorii and Adomnán’s Vita Columbae......................................................................... 198 Vita Gregorii..................................................................................................................... 198 Vita Columbae................................................................................................................... 206 Part Three: Miracles and Reform Chapter Seven - Cuthbert, Æthelwald and John, HE IV.27-V.6: Miracles and Episcopal Reform............................................................................................................................... 219 The Sequence.................................................................................................................... 220
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