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!
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314 comments on “Bede vs. Cuthbert”
I found this a hard choice. I voted for Cuthbert , healer of relationship's .
So difficult! I decided to vote for Cuthbert, on account of repairing a schism in the church.
Tough one. Ended up with Cuthbert; at a time when the church is still being torn asunder (Diocese of South Carolina?) we could use someone who demonstrates "gifts for not only healing individuals but also in reconciling groups of people who disagreed vehemently with each other."
This was the hardest one yet-wanted to vote for both. Cuthbert was so humble he got my vote.
Caedmon's Hymn? The coming of the Anglo-Saxons? All those months studying Old English to be able to read Ecclesiaatical History? But then . . . Cuthbert. How cruel this contest is. I can't confess my vote without shame 🙁
St. Cuthbert for the Golden Halo. (If Bede were up against somebody else, though, I'd definitely vote for him.....)
My Cuthbert is a biased vote. I'm being cared for post surgery by my
peaceful, kind, reconciling Enneagram Nine husband. Nines almost never get the recognition they deserve.
Drat that rule of only one vote!
Although I love to study and pray like Bede I must vote for St. Cuthbert. He seems to emulate Jesus in so many ways. He truly walks the path of Jesus.
This was the hardest one so far. Bede gets my vote since we would not know about so much without him. Also, as a teacher myself, I know the call to teach is also the call to study and put others first, so Bede gets my vote on that count, too.
My daughter named her dog for Bede. It was tough but I had to go with him.
I believe this match up might cause Durham Cathedral, with Bede's remains housed at one end and Cuthbert's at another, to implode.
Cracking me up, Claire!
Since learning of him [before the Flood] in Brit Lit, I've always been inspired by the Venerable Bede. Without his meticulous writings, we would know much less of our Christian ancestry, including Cuthbert and his attendant drying otters. Although, it is possible that Bede didn't include the otters in his biography.
The Venerable Bede is the father of English church history - which of course means that all church historians need to cast their vote in his favor!
Both today are worthy of selection, so this is a difficult choice. Bede gets my vote today, though kind Cuthbert certainly followed in the modest and faithful ground that Bede trod before him. Who would ever consider Bede to be an underdog? Not me!
A diabolical pairing. I will be happy for either to win, but I have to go with Bede. How else would we know so much about Cuthbert?
Tough choice. Cuthbert is so inspiring, but that's in large part because of Bede's own efforts to chronicle a life worth emulating. This reader is very grateful for writers who notice and highlight kindness and humility, not just flashier attributes like courage or intelligence. So it was Bede for me, but it's a win-win either way!
Most unfair match-up ever. Wish we could have voted for both/and like a good Anglican.
JustMeJo: sea otters, cold water, healings, and miracles are not flashy enough? Grins.
I am going to consider that Bede indicated which person we were to vote for by saying so little about his own life, and so much about Cuthbert's. Like John the Baptizer, he seems to have pointed beyond himself to others he felt worthy of praise. So: Cuthbert has my vote.
This was a perverse pairing. Thumbs down to the SEC for this ill-considered decision! 😉 These two North Umbrian Saints are so closely related historically and geographically that choosing one over the other may amount to nothing more than coin toss. Seriously - as previously noted, the remains of both men are even in the same place, Durham Cathedral. At the end of the day, Cuthbert 'sold out' the Celtic liturgy in favor of that of Rome, so Bede got my vote.
Look at it this way: at least one of them will get through to the next round! 😉
Wow! This is definitely the toughest round. Both seem like worthy winners, serving God in their own ways. I've decided to go with Cuthbert, with the deciding factor being that Bede himself "voted" for him. In choosing Cuthbert, I can also honor Bede. I think both would be pleased with this choice.
Tough one, as has been stated. I admire them both, but Cuthbert tipped the scales just a little.
Cuthbert gets my vote. First of all, that's the name of my dog and his namesake. Second, I am a sucker for orphans. The clincher was the sea otter story. But inquiring minds want to know! Did they wait to get dry and use their fur? Did they lick his legs clean? Did he provide a towel which they utilized most effectively? I am hoping that we get some clarification as the season continues. Vote Cuthbert!
Going with Bede--I can identify with a calling to tell the stories of other people's ministries.
Hard choice--but how would
we know Cuthbert's story if
Bede hadn't told it?
Tough choice. As a fan of history and especially history of the British Isles, I like and respect Bede, but in the end I had to go with the words of Mike Myers. "If it's not Scottish, it's crap!" The Scotsman Cuthbert for me.
Tough choice! I voted for Bede, as someone with 5 earned degrees -- three at the doctoral level -- Bede as the teacher and writer resonates with me, but find people with the kindness of Cuthbert also heartening, so it was a touch choice!
"The Venerable," as churchy titles go has always seemed something out of the ordinary and worth noting. I once heard a bishop-elect on accepting his election state that we may have ruined a perfectly good archdeacon by electing him our bishop. He always seemed to embody the spirit of Bede more than that of Cuthbert. Bede the Venerable got my vote.
Bede's life as a writer-historian was not glamorous, but without him, we wouldn't know about Cuthbert at all.
Also, the decisions at the Council of Whitby can be seen as a defeat of the Celtic aspects of our faith, which Cuthbert represented, and which were highlighted in today's reading! I'd have to vote for Bede.
I want to vote for both of these saints! What a difficult decision. Each of them so full of grace, such active Christians, so useful to their communities - in such different ways. How to choose?