ABSTRACT
The Ecclesiastical History rapidly came to have a life of its own in other company and at other times, but it originated from Bede’s fertile mind, and his purposes at the time necessarily determined both its style and content. What was Bede thinking as he was writing and then as he looked back over the work as he brought it to completion? These are important questions which should be born in mind when reading any section of the EH, but they are far from easy to resolve. Although he did discuss what he considered history to be and how he had pursued it herein, modern historians have understandably been loath to accept that his brief, introductory passage, added retrospectively, provides a sufficiently rounded vision of his purposes to pass unchallenged, or at least without considerable further development.2 Additionally, this is a very substantial and multi-faceted work, which it is reasonable to suppose addresses complex purposes, so Bede’s intentions need not be susceptible to simple definition, be that his or ours.
