Monday, May 24, 2021

St Bede the Venerable: Classical Scholar


 

Today we read about a saint that I HAVE heard of. St Bede the Venerable is well known in scholastic circles. He was a priest in the 8th century who was well versed in writers like Virgil and Ovid. He wrote many books and was regarded as one of the, if not THE, most educated man of his time. Yet, he also had a reputation for being very humble. 

You can read more about him here.

St Bede, along with others like St Augustine or St Thomas Aquinas, remind us that we need not fear the wisdom and books of the world. We don't have to draw a hard line between religious and "secular" works. We can find inspiration and wisdom everywhere, even in the writings of other religions. Of course, there IS garbage from which we will not gain anything by reading it, such as Fifty Shades of Grey. But most works of literature have something they can teach us.

God, thanks for the wonderful scholarly example of this venerable writer. St Bede the Venerable, pray for us.

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