Bede, << beed, >> Saint (673?-735), also known as The Venerable Bede, was an English historian and theologian (person who studies God and religion). His name is also spelled Baeda << BEE duh >> .
Bede was born in northeastern England. At age 7, he entered the monastery of Wearmouth for his education. He continued his studies at the nearby monastery of Jarrow, where he stayed for the rest of his life as a monk.
Bede’s writings covered many subjects, including grammar, spelling, astronomy, and the Bible. He also wrote biographies of saints. Scholars consider Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People (731) one of the finest historical works of the early Middle Ages. It is the main source of English history up to that time, and it earned Bede the title The Father of English History. Bede’s History tells mainly of the conversion of the English to Christianity, and it includes many colorful tales. Bede was familiar with the writings of such earlier theologians as Saints Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory I (Gregory the Great), and Jerome. Bede was canonized (declared a saint) in 1899. He died on May 25, 735.
