Bede, De Natura Rerum

Eoghan Ahern (University of Cambridge)

Ed. by Richard William Dance, University of Cambridge
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.01: English Writing and Culture: Old English, 500-1066.
Vol. editors: Richard William Dance (University of Cambridge), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast)

Domains

Philosophy (any)

Dates

First circulation or publication 731

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Treatise

Resources

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De natura rerum

(

DNR

) is a treatise by Bede on the structure and mechanics of the universe, encompassing all of creation from the heavens downwards. He wrote it in 703, at the age of 30, around the time he was ordained a priest. It was conceived as one half of a twin work, along with

De temporibus

(On Times); internal evidence in the latter text provides us with the date of composition. Though it is an early work that does not approach the complexity and innovation of Bede’s later thought,

DNR

provides us with an insight into the cosmological assumptions that undergird his understanding of theology and history.

Like all medieval cosmologists, Bede accepted without question the axioms inherited from Classical philosophy and this is reflected in DNR. He believed that the basic building

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694 words

Citation: Ahern, Eoghan. "De Natura Rerum". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 April 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=9640, accessed 24 November 2024.]