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”
Keeping true to the lessons of Lent Madness, I am learning about our far flung saints and this year am voting for the saints with the longest names.
Bede tells us that during the years Cuthbert was a monk at the monastery in Melrose he would disappear for weeks and even a month at a time. He would be out visiting and preaching in far distant inaccessible places, where "others feared to visit and whose barbarity and squalor daunted other teachers. Cuthbert, however, gladly undertook this pious task...". In the museum in Durham there is preserved his traveling mass kit, two pieces of wood, covered with remaining bits of silver, attached by fragile straps, which served as his portable altar. He was a "priest's priest". Thank you, Bede, for these stories. Cuthbert, even though it would make you weep, you get my vote.
Difficulty choice today. I voted for Cuthbert but am holding Bede "souly" responsible for my decision.
Back and forth, back and forth.......cruel choice! Had me at Lindesfarne, but then we wouldn't even know about Cuthbert were it not for Bede, but then trying to bring Rome and Celtic Christianity together, but then.....the otters did it! Who could reject a man beloved of otters?!
Darned auto-correct kept changing Bede to Beer. I'll lift a pint to him, but I'm still voting for Cuthbert!
I was born in Northumbria and grew up near Monkwearmouth, where Bede wrote. He was a terrific writer, but did not really get the way the gospel was being presented by the Celtic saints to King Oswald and the everyday people of these Northern British lands.
My vote is with Cuthbert, definitely called by a vision, and a humble man who struggled with a hermit calling, while submitting to the need for leadership at Lindisfarne. For those who have never been there, make sure you go before you die, it must be one of the holiest places on earth...
I am baffled by those who find these two uninteresting or boring! For me it is a relief, and a balm to my soul to be reminded of the Celtic Saints and their deep peace. These two, so earthy, humble in the "humus" sense, and so centered in their relationship with God live the Incarnation. They embody Holiness and see Holiness in all other bodies. They cause me difficulty in choosing in the same way that I could not choose one grandson over another. Many others in our beloved brackets cause me angst because, woven in with their faith or adherence to Christian religion, is an alliance with the Powers that Be. Or they have been overpowered and must find a path among the ashes. Give me Bede and Cuthbert any day - they are Christ-like examples of negotiating warring factions with unitive consciousness. Now how in the world am I going to vote???
I wish I could say I share your bafflement, but the latent anti-intellectual arc through many of the comment threads has already been disconcerting me.
On behalf of St. Bede's Library, housed at my parish, I cast my vote for the Venerable.
I must go with Bede!
tough choice!
I fear today is the day my bracket gets busted, but Bede gets my vote.
The Bede's devotion to Jesus, his scholarship and his love of music influenced me..thought he would be a great addition to my Wed morning bible class and our choir as well...maybe no miracles but what a contribution he made. I
A Scot versus a presumed Englishman. Not a difficult choice.
Bede made a lasting contribution to our Anglican awareness of our heritage, and is even key in any secular study of English-language historiography. Cuthbert was kind, and liked animals, and is worthy of admiration. But a lot of people, saints included, do. There is no comparison to what Bede has provided to our understanding of the historical evolution of our faith.
If Bede's claim to fame is writing about Cuthbert, and Cuthbert's claim to fame is BEING Cuthbert, then Cuthbert wins in my book.
i feel like there has been a problem with intellectuals throughout this year. it makes me kind of sad.
I'm a lifelong lover of history, and a singer, and feel blessed by Celtic spirituality...I'm settling on the Venerable Bede. After Easter, I'll have to start some serious study in the Drew U. library.
This is a tough choice. As a person who admires scholarship, I have to go with Bede.
Terrible choice. I was all poised to vote for the Venerable Bede who was one of my favorite authors as I studied history, but I so appreciate Cuthbert's relationship to nature and the animals, as well as his kind approach to all matters, I voted for him. And I think Bede would approve.
What a difficult decision! WOW -both deserving, deciding factor for me was level of regard, respect & love Bede had for Cuthbert for many years to come during his time.
I had to go with Cuthbert. Even Bede liked him enough to write about him. And who can't love a guy who gets up and close and friendly with otters!
We now have a school mouse to add to the dry otters, the ravenous seals, the little purple snails, the lovely ferret — but please no recipes for any of these.
Another tough one, and I predict that the results will be close. All credit to Cuthbert for his devotion to God and others, particularly the sick, and his skills in negotiation. As colorful as they are, the stories about "ravenous seals" and sea otters drying legs elicit the "Oy vey!" response from me. That said, my main reason for choosing Bede is that I'm an inveterate school mouse. May the spirit of Bede wander about and bless the stacks in libraries everywhere.
Elaine, you and I are twins by different mothers!
Cuthbert. Nothing got in his way.
Dang . . . Bede vs Cuthbert. Just about my two favorite saints. We wouldn't know about Cuthbert if it hadn't been for Bede. And after all, Bede does have his own theme park (http://www.bedesworld.co.uk). So I voted for Bede.
RE: Cuthbert:
"His communing with the natural world was such that it was said that sea otters dried his legs when he finished prayers."
Ravenous seals would never have stood a chance!
(Seriously, can there be a loser with this bracket? Thank you, SEC!)
I went for Cuthbert because of his attempts to reconcile the Celtic and Roman churches.
Bede simply because without him we wouldn't know about Cuthbert.
Hey! Bede should be the patron saint of Lent Madness! He's the first "Celebrity Blogger" collecting all that information about previous saints and writing it up for our edification. Go Bede!
I love this!
From the descriptions both men were gentle, kind, and humble men who devoted their lives to Christianity and the church. In trying to make a choice it came down to a simplistic formula; a man who made history vs a man who recorded history. My next cat shall be named Cuthbert!
Both have been foundational in my faith. Awfully hard to choose, although I think I'd like to see the otters against the ravenous seals.
At Durham Cathedral you can see the line at the entrance to the nave where women were forbidden to go further, so that they were never allowed to get within a hundred yards of Cuthbert's shrine. Later the cathedral relented on this and rebranded Cuthbert to make him more attractive to women pilgrims. Cuthbert was an extreme ascetic whose warmer qualities probably come from this later softening. I go with Bede.