Bede and Irish Scholarship: Scientific Treatises and Grammars

Abstract:This paper revisits the question of Bede's debt to Irish scholarship. It attempts to show exactly which texts of Irish origin Bede used, not only in his scientific treatises but also in his exegetical works, and, perhaps more importantly, how he used them. He seems to have appreciated the synthetic approach of the Irish masters, but did not hesitate to query their scholarship, supplementing their information with classical and Patristic texts. On the other hand, he failed to understand their humour and is found to be led astray by the witticisms of Virgilius Maro Grammaticus. Although Bede does not acknowledge any of Irish masters, his attitude toward the Irish may not have been as negative as it would appear from a modern standpoint.