A HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH AND PEOPLE Caedmon of Whitby

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A HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH AND
PEOPLECaedmon of Whitby

• By
• Bede
• (673-735)

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BEDE

• Known as Bede the Venerable
• Earliest English historian
• Earliest important prose writer

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BEDE

• Wrote A History of the English Church and People
• Originally written in Latin
• Helped the English people take pride in their
  past
• Contains legends, lives of saints, local
  traditions, and stories

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A History of the English Church and People

• Caedmon of Whitby
• Considered to be the first English religious poet

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Caedmon of Whitby

• Gifted with the ability to turn Scripture into
  beautiful poetry in the English language
• Scripture originally in Latin

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History of Caedmon

• Lived a secular life for many years
• At a feast, when it was his turn to sing, he left
  because he was not gifted in singing
• After leaving, fell asleep in the stables

• While sleeping, he dreamt he was visited by a man
  who asked him to sing a song about the creation
  of all things
• After originally refusing, Caedmon attempted to
  sing the song

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History of Caedmon

• Praise we the Fashioner now of Heavens
  fabric, The majesty of his might and his minds
  wisdom, Work of the world-warden, worker
  of all wonders, How he the Lord of Glory
  everlasting, Wrought first for the race of men
  Heaven as a rooftree, Then made he Middle
  Earth to be their mansion.

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History of Caedmon

• Poetic Devices
• Alliteration
• majestymightminds
• Simile
• Heaven as a rooftree

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History of Caedmon

• When he awoke, Caedmon remembered the verse and
  was able to compose other verses just as
  beautiful
• Caedmon performed before Church leaders, and all
  agreed he was gifted by God
• Caedmon joined the monastery

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Sang Songs About

• The Creation of the world
• The origin of the human race
• The whole story of Genesis
• Israels exodus from Egypt and entry into the
  promised land

• Christ
• Incarnation
• Passion
• Resurrection
• Ascension into Heaven
• The coming of the Holy Spirit
• The teaching of the Apostles

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Sang Songs About

• The terrors of the Last Judgment
• Hell
• The Kingdom of Heaven
• The blessings and judgment of God