Perspective

The Age of Bede contains two sets of perspectives, those of the editors and translators, J. F. Webb and D. H. Farmer, and those of the authors of the major texts within The Age of Bede, particularly the Venerable Bede, Eddius Stephanus and the anonymous authors of the latter two pieces. The first set of perspectives is of great interest. The editors treat the monks of the period with great respect. Like the monkish authors, they rarely criticize the major figures represented in the book. They also refrain from claiming that because the texts all cite miracles that none of them are historically accurate.

In fact, the only text they claim is largely fictional is The Voyage of Saint Brendan which is stocked with an enormous number of miracles and literally magical events, including demons talking in the form of birds and an Ethiopian boy that lives in...