Bede's miracles reconsidered



Ahern, Eoghan ORCID: 0000-0001-9353-4746
(2018) Bede's miracles reconsidered. EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE, 26 (3). pp. 282-303.

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Abstract

<jats:p><jats:italic>The miracles depicted by the Venerable Bede – particularly in his</jats:italic> Historia ecclesiastica <jats:italic>– have proved problematic for historians. This article will first recapitulate the argument that miracles were not a clearly defined category for Bede in the way they would become for later philosophers and as is often assumed by modern commentators. It will then explore the idea that Bede's miraculous episodes can best be appreciated as</jats:italic> signa <jats:italic>that point to a meaning beyond the literal. In particular, it will argue against the idea that Bede thought that extra‐biblical history could not be read allegorically in the same way as sacred history. It is imperative that we develop a more refined understanding of Bede's conceptualization of the miraculous if we are to better comprehend the mechanics of his celebrated narrative of the English church</jats:italic>.</jats:p>

Item Type: Article
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 09 Dec 2019 10:22
Last Modified: 19 Sep 2023 01:01
DOI: 10.1111/emed.12277
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3065144