St. Cuthbert and Western Saints

April 21, 2009

#27

StGeorge wrote:

I just finished Bede's Ecclesiastical History. Overall, I was surprised at how many distinctly Latin Catholic beliefs there were expressed, namely:

1) The Pope of Rome's supreme authority over all the churches of Christendom.

2) Confirmation done personally by the bishop.

3) Viaticum - the receiving of the Eucharist by the dying.

4) Emphasis on Catholic = Roman

Bede does a great job in presenting the lives of holy saints. However, it seems to me that, even centuries before the great schism, the West and East were not on the same exact page of things.

Bede\'s view of the Papacy was not held by all, or quite possiblythe majority of clergy in acient Britain. It seems to me that I read something saying some of Bede\'s writings had been edited, if you will, later so as to make him agree with the Latin views at Whitby. I don\'t know if this is true since ancient Britain\'s history is clouded by legends.

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