ABSTRACT
The analysis of Gregory the Great’s eschatological thought carried out in the previous chapter showed that Gregory’s eschatological perspective became sharper during times of crisis or periods of personal stress. This trait is also present in Bede’s In primam partem Samuhelis, a verse-by-verse commentary upon the Old Testament Book of 1 Samuel.1 The eschatological material of In primam partem Samuhelis can be set within the immediate context of the year 716, a year that proved to be particularly eventful in Northumbria and the wider Anglo-Saxon world. Bede attached considerable importance to his relationship with Abbot Ceolfrith and the termination of this relationship in June 716 affected him deeply. Gregory the Great often imbued specific historical events with eschatological significance in his letters, homilies and scriptural commentaries but Bede was not typically inclined to do the same. When Bede did issue urgent eschatological statements, he tended to do so in a rather more oblique manner and it is harder to tie those statements in to an exact historical context. Yet in parts of In primam partem Samuhelis, Bede reflects upon the last things with intense urgency and this makes the commentary a critically important text. The commentary on 1 Samuel presents a rare opportunity to read Bede’s exegetical interpretations with a precise historical setting in mind, and it enables a connection to be made between the turbulent events of summer 716 and the eschatological material in the commentary.
