The Ecclesiastical History of the English People

The Ecclesiastical History of the English People (731 AD) is Bede's most famous work. A scholarly monk working in the north-east of England, Bede wrote the five books of the History in Latin. Starting with the invasion of Julius Caesar in the fifth century, he recorded the history of the English up to his own day. In particular, he described their conversion and the complex ways in which Christianity was spread among them. As well as providing the authoritative Colgrave translation of the Ecclesiastical History, this edition includes a new translation of the Greater Chronicle, in which Bede examines the Roman Empire and contemporary Europe. His Letter to Egbert gives his final reflections on the English Church just before his death, and all three texts here are further illuminated by a detailed introduction and explanatory notes.