Sure, almost everything we know about Cuthbert, we learned through the writings of Bede. Had Bede known that he would one day square off against Cuthbert in the saintly smackdown, perhaps he would have written a different tune? Nonetheless, these two face one another in a rare battle of contemporaries. The winner will go up against Molly Brant.
Yesterday we saw one of the greatest routs in Lent Madness history with Kamehameha spanking William Laud 84% to 16%. He'll go on to face David Oakerhater in the Round of the Saintly Sixteen.
Speaking of routs, our bracketologists did a bit of digging to unearth where Kamehameha's victory ranked among the annals of Lent Madness blowouts. In 2013 Florence Li-Tim Oi, the first woman ordained in the Anglican Communion, defeated Chad of Lichfield by the same percentage, 84% to 16%. Talk about your hanging Chad...
But the greatest blowout in Lent Madness history, percentage-wise, came in the very first year this devotional started. In 2010, Francis of Assisi defeated Aelred of Riveaulx 87% to 13% in the Elate Eight. For the record, Francis lost to Julian of Norwich in the Faithful Four that year and is now back in the bracket for the first time since.
The Venerable Bede
The Venerable Bede is among Christianity’s greatest scholars, having produced numerous commentaries on scripture, hagiographies of the saints, and studies of chronology and timekeeping. He is best known for his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, the premier source of information about the development of Christianity in England from the time of Augustine’s arrival in 597 until 731 CE.
Very little is known about the details of Bede’s life. He was his own primary biographer, offering the briefest annotations at the beginning and end of his Ecclesiastical History. Preferring to remain a simple “servant of Christ and Priest,” Bede traced the broadest outlines of his life: he entered the monastery at Wearmouth at age seven, and, when a new abbey was founded at Jarrow in 682, he transferred there. He was ordained as a deacon at age nineteen and a priest at age thirty and ultimately remained at Jarrow for the vast majority of his life. Over the course of his life, he joyed in “wholly applying myself to the study of scripture, and amidst the observance of regular discipline, and the daily care of singing in the church, I always took delight in learning, teaching, and writing.”
Bede’s delight in learning, teaching, and writing provides us with much of the history of the Church in England. Bede reported Pope Gregory the Great’s dispatch of Augustine to England in 597, and after the baptism of Ethelbert in 601, Augustine’s appointment as the First Archbishop of Canterbury. Bede’s Ecclesiastical History introduced us to the tale of Alban, the first martyr in England, and his faithful confession that “I worship and adore the true and living God who created all things.” Through Bede we learn much of our history of the various abbots of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, most especially Cuthbert. And Bede introduces us to Hilda and the influence of her abbey at Whitby.
As one of the church’s saints, Bede’s witness shines brightest in his constant dedication in bringing the world to know the light of Christ shining in countless others, so that their witness may shine to the Church throughout all ages.
Collect for Bede
Heavenly Father, you called your servant Bede, while still a child, to devote his life to your service in the disciplines of religion and scholarship: Grant that as he labored in the Spirit to bring the riches of your truth to his generation, so we, in our various vocations, may strive to make you known in all the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne
In the Venerable Bede’s The Life and Miracles of St. Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindesfarne, we read, “He was affable and pleasant in his character...he would introduce, in the meekest way, the spiritual benefits which the love of God had conferred upon himself. And this he took care to do in a covert manner, as if it had happened to another person.”
Cuthbert’s life, marked by miracles and adventure, was also a life of profound kindness. He grew up an orphan shepherd and spent days in quiet solitude tending flocks in the pastures of Scotland. He took holy orders at age seventeen after having seen a vision of angels bearing a saintly man toward heaven. This vision coincided with the death of Saint Aidan — ostensibly Cuthbert saw the saintly man being carried to heaven.
Cuthbert became the abbot of Melrose but was always more comfortable in the wild solitude of nature. He often went out to the sea, standing waist-deep in freezing waters to pray. His communing with the natural world was such that it was said that sea otters dried his legs when he finished prayers. He spent eight years as a hermit on the island of Inner Farne and the animals of the island came under his protection.
When the yellow plague hit the land, Cuthbert traveled extensively to minister to victims. Miraculous healings began to be attributed to him, and he was famed as the “Wonder Worker of Britain.” He saw his journeys as a time to not only comfort the afflicted but also to renew their Christian faith.
His adroit handling of church matters and administration were amply displayed in his work at the Synod of Whitby (664), which fixed the date of Easter and aligned the liturgy of the Celtic Church with the liturgy of the Church in Rome. This repair of the breach with Rome demonstrated his gifts for not only healing individuals but also in reconciling groups of people who disagreed vehemently with each other.
His fame for miraculous healings, his competence in ministry, and his kindness in personal relationships caused him to be elevated to the bishopric of Hexham in 684 while still maintaining his see at Lindisfarne. His life was cut short by illness, and he died in 687.
Cuthbert is the most revered saint of the early Anglo-Saxon Church. In honor of his memory, the Gospels of Lindisfarne were commissioned and a church was built to house his relics. Even after his death, he continued to be credited with all manner of healings and miracles such that Bede compiled a collection of the testimonies and penned his famous work on Cuthbert.
Collect for Cuthbert
Almighty God, you called Cuthbert from following the flock to be a shepherd of your people: Mercifully grant that, as he sought in dangerous and remote places those who had erred and strayed from your ways, so we may seek the indifferent and the lost, and lead them back to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Vote!
[poll id="114"]
314 comments on “Bede vs. Cuthbert”
A hard choice but in the end I went with Cuthbert...out in the world doing and reconciling.
Cuthbert must be the one!
Profound kindness...affable personality sprinkled with solitude and love of nature...mixed with sea otter towels and being the first member of the "Polar Plungers" ,... An interesting spirituality!!!
Cuthbert in a landslide for me, primarily because my parish for 33 years was devoted to Aidan of Lindisfarne, with whom and which Cuthbert was closely associated.
Should have said, "Cuthbert hands down." Idiom slippage.
By the way, I can't find a link to the bracket. Can anyone help me there? You know, that decision tree that shows who won over whom at each level.
Anthony:
Go here -- https://www.lentmadness.org/bracket/
Rodger
We owe those early medieval historians a lot! I have to go with Bede, although Cuthbert is one of my sentimental favorites. This was a cruel choice....and I can see the SEC plans to have us make more cruel choices in the later stages...wicked, wicked persons!
This was the first hard decision for me. If you are an introvert with a monastic bent who loves to sing the services of the church, has some interest in scholarship (reading, not doing) and a love of solitude (I've loved singing Samuel Barber's Hermit Songs), how do you choose? Went with Bede at the end, but could have gone either way.
Not having read all the comments on other days, I'm wondering if others have noted that four of the first week's winners have been indigenous people of the Americas (if you include Hawaii, that is). That has to be a Lent Madness first.
I noticed that, Jack, and also that Oakerhater will face Kamehameha in the next round!
GO BEDE! GO BEDE! GO BEDE! They're both great, but the Episcopal chapel at the University of Miami is the Venerable Bede. GO BEDE!
This was a hard choice, between the modest but so important Bede and the kind yet passionate Cuthbert. I expect they're watching all this over cups of tea, chuckling and congratulating each other as each comment is posted. With his intense soul-searching and vigorous, healing ministry, Cuthbert won my vote by a sea otter's whisker.
Must share two prayer cards from Durham Cathedral:
A Prayer of the Venerable Bede
I implore you, good Jesus, that as in your mercy you have given me to drink in with delight the words of your knowledge, so of your loving kindness you will also grant me one day to come to you, the fountain of all wisdom, and to stand for ever before your face.
And the prayer used in Durham Cathedral on St Cuthbert's Day, 20 March
Almighty God who didst call thy servant Cuthbert from keeping sheep to follow thy Son and to be a shepherd of thy people, mercifully grant that we, following his example and caring for those who are lost, may bring them home to thy fold, through thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
It is a hard choice.
Thank you for posting these.
Thank you for posting these. Its a very difficult choice. Bad SEC!
St. Cuthbert, for the years I lived and worked at St. Cuthbert's House at Melrose, in Brewster, NY.
This did seem a bit unfair, Bede was a wonderful advocate for Cuthbert, he would be happy even though I didn't vote for him.
I felt that since Bede thought so highly of Cuthbert, I should too, and voted accordingly. But I agree that it is one of the dullest matchups ever.
. . . but surely one of the holiest matchups ever!
All hail the SEC for bringing their two powerful stories into Lent Madness.... albeit on the same day. Cuthbert and Bede are two of the saints dearest to me, so I face a prayerful dilemma today. These North Eastern British saints are well know in their secular society, even today, by people of all ages. As a British friend evocatively puts it, "There, the saints are in the soil". As a Friend of Durham Cathedral, where they are both honored, I find it's very difficult to choose.
Given that 40+ years ago I met my wife at the Chapel of St. Bede (in Autry House, supporting Rice University), how could I vote for anyone else???
Although they both represent the spirit of a Deacon in their actions and seemed to have shown true humility, I liked that Bede put other's before himself, in thought, word and deed. Although Cuthbert was most gracious in writing about Bede, I still felt a draw to Bede's work with the sick.
Had to go with Cuthbert. After his death, the monks kept digging him up and carrying him off to wherever they went to escape raiders. I hope he finds a final resting place in the Lent Madness finals and rests as peacefully as he is at Durham.
Though Cuthbert is truly worthy, I have to vote for Bede. He is teacher who also adored scholarship and writing. My teacher/professor/Episcopalian heart is, in part, because of Bede. I also choose Bede in honor of one of the contemporary Episcopal Church's living monks, the Reverend Bede Thomas Mudge, who is a living example of servitude and love, wisdom, and great good humor, especially for young people. If any of you were part of Diocese of Kansas youth ministries in the 1980s, we are who we are in no small measure because of Bede. So while Cuthbert is good, my heart and my vote belong to Bede.
Why is the Supreme Executive Committee making this so hard? I wanted to vote for Cuthbert but then thought if it wasn't for the Venerable Beds we might not know about the former. Ouch!
Bede it is- he is remembered on my day of birth, and I have always felt a strange affection for him!!
I'm afraid to vote for anyone except Bede!
Whoops typo in the previous post. Should be Venerable Bede!
A toughie. In younger days when I first served on the Vestry of St. Bartholomew's in White Plains, NY, we would do our annual retreat at the Community of the Holy Spirit's St. Cuthbert's House in Brewster, NY. On the Friday night of my first retreat there, after compline, I went to the library and found a book on the life of St. Cuthbert, parts of which I read so I knew more about the saint after whom the retreat and conference center was named. I have since had an abiding affection for Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, his life and his ministry. It feels like I have been visited by an old friend this morning!
Modesty and Kindness are unparalleled virtues in Leadership. Cuthbert deserves the crown, ummm halo...maybe.......probably.
I haven't checked the voting yet, but from the sentiments expressed above, I have a feeling Cuthbert is taking it. I am torn as well, both seem humble and kind and loving. I love Cuthbert's story (and his name), particularly those helpful sea otters. But in the end I pick Bede as emblematic of the quiet many who do their best to serve God behind the scenes while the Cuthberts of the world gain the glory (albeit deservedly).
Bede's life of Cuthbert also led me to vote for the latter. Cuthbert's attunement to nature awed his contemporaries, as the miracles attributed to him attest. And the Synod of Whitby has lessons for Anglicans today. We could all benefit from the saintly introverts among us!
Just because of his nickname - the Venerable Bede.
Two iconic Anglicans. But Cuthbert is my guy. The epitome of the Celtic Chrustian Church. The Pope attempts to bring Chrustianity to Engkand and the Cekts had a full Chrustian Church in place. Cuthbert should be seen as one of the great leaders in religious history from his work at the Synod at Whitby. Rather than resisting another Church he embraced it since he believed God and Christianity should be universal so joined the Roman Catholics in the belief of the universal Christian Church. So different than the reformation and the splintering of the churches post reformation. An iconic Chrustian leader. Beds on the other hand is the iconic scholar that passed down all the wonderful stories of Christianity in the British Iskes.
As an Anglican, I admire these two saints tremendously, but it hard to say they were Anglicans, since that church was established by Henry VIII and built by Elisabeth I, a millennium later. St. Patrick was also not really a Catholic, as the Celtic saints had informal organizations that predated both those churches.
I'm expecting Cuthbert to win because Bede doesn't sound nearly as impressive in your descriptions. Having looked up Bede more, however, he's pretty impressive.
Since we know about Cuthbert can be attributed to Bede's writing, and Bede intended him to be a good example, perhaps Bede should get the credit?
Consequently I voted for the "under dog" today!
He's behind in the voting already, but this is why it's Bede for me:
"Over the course of his life, he joyed in 'wholly applying myself to the study of scripture, and amidst the observance of regular discipline, and the daily care of singing in the church, I always took delight in learning, teaching, and writing.'"
Plus, as we are about to install an archdeacon in the Diocese of Fond du Lac, I'll give a shout out to another who was "Venerable."
I totally agree anyone who loves learning has my vote!
An absolute no brainer for me. Though I appreciate Bede's historical purview of English spirituality, I am an ardent fan [dare I say "groupie"?] of Cuthbert. I've had the privilege of rather frequent visits to Lindisfarne and have traversed Cuthbert's Way from Melrose to Holy Island and stayed in retreat with the Northumbria Community at Nether Springs. Cuthbert just speaks to me in a very deep way. I do hope that he moves ahead, so my little vote goes for him!
Bede had my vote at "among Christianity’s greatest scholars". Then I learned more about Cuthbert and realized it is indeed a tough choice. But I still have to go with Bede. There is so much we know only because of the work of biographers, historians, and other scholars. (And, of course, those who preserve those works. Have there been any librarians, archivists, scribes, copyists, or similar preservers of knowledge in contention for the Golden Halo?)
I'm with you. Without scribes,librarians, and other preservers of history we would not know any of this