Bede, Irish computistica and Annus Mundi.
Bede's decision to diverge from the mainstream chronological tradition, based on the Septuagint, in favour of the Vulgate for chronology has generally been explained by his concerns about contemporary apocalypticism. This essay will argue that Bede's choice of Annus Mundi was also greatly influenced...
| Published in: | Early Medieval Europe Vol. 23; no. 3; pp. 290 - 308 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Wiley-Blackwell
Aug2015
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| Summary: | Bede's decision to diverge from the mainstream chronological tradition, based on the Septuagint, in favour of the Vulgate for chronology has generally been explained by his concerns about contemporary apocalypticism. This essay will argue that Bede's choice of Annus Mundi was also greatly influenced by Irish computistica. These texts incorporate a chronological framework - influenced by Victorius of Aquitaine's Easter Table - that was implicitly and explicitly apocalyptic and provided a date for the Passion that Bede objected to. Bede was greatly indebted to Irish computistica but adopting the Vulgate Annus Mundi allowed him to assert his own views on chronology. |
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