The 600th Episode

According to the early church historian Bede, Caedmon was an illiterate herdsman at a monastery who was miraculously gifted with a poet’s hand. Today, Stephen Nichols tells us about the poem on Genesis attributed to Caedmon.

Welcome to the 600th episode of 5 Minutes in Church History. And to celebrate, I thought we would go back to the year 600 AD. In that year there was an outbreak of the bubonic plague in various places like Constantinople and other cities. And the Pope at the time, the Great Gregory I, introduced the phrase, “God bless you,” after someone sneezes as a way to try to bring God’s blessing of protection so they would be spared from the plague. But let’s not talk about the bubonic plague when we’re trying to celebrate an anniversary. So then, I thought, let’s talk about 600 reasons why I love church history. Ready? Number one… Well, of course we’d never get through that list.

So then I thought, let’s discuss a 600 page book. And I found a review of an almost 600 page book. It’s a book titled An Accessible Intro to Systematic Theology. And it’s by a friend of mine, Christopher Morgan. The review that I read said that it’s a generously-spaced book, and it has rather small pages. And I quote, “600 pages isn’t as bad as it might sound.” Well, every author knows that’s just a great review to have of your book. Well, speaking of books, I thought I could do a book from the sixth century to celebrate our 600th episode. And I remembered that Beowulf is from the sixth century, but then I forgot that we’ve already done an episode here at 5 Minutes on Church History on Beowulf. So we’ll have to pass on that. So, I thought, well, let’s go back to Gregory the Great. He’s such an important figure in church history. Certainly, we have things to say about him, but it turns out I’ve covered him quite a bit already in different episodes throughout these past 600 episodes together.

So, back to the books I went, and there it is, Caedmon’s poem from the 600s. We know about the poem, and we know about Caedmon largely through Bede, that great church historian of the late seventh and eighth century. We know of Caedmon’s hymn, but this is Caedmon’s poem on Genesis. Some doubt that Caedmon wrote it. In Bede’s account, Caedmon was a herdsman. He tended the animals at a monastery, and he was illiterate. And then in a miraculous way, God gifted him with a poet’s tongue and a poet's hand. Who’s to know? But let’s hear book one from his poem, it’s epic. Caedmon begins, “Right is it that we praise the King of Heaven, the Lord of hosts, and love him with all our hearts. For he is great in power, the source of all created things, the Lord Almighty. Never has He known beginning, neither comes an end to his eternal glory. Ever in majesty he reigns over celestial thrones; in righteousness and strength he keeps the courts of heaven which were established, broad and ample, by the might of God for angel dwellers, wardens of the soul. The angel legions knew the blessedness of God, celestial joy, bliss. Great was their glory! The mighty spirits magnified their Prince saying his praises with gladness, served the Lord of life, and exceedingly blessed in his splendor. They knew no sin nor any evil; but dwelled in peace forever with their Lord. They wrought no deed in heaven, save right and truth, until the angel prince in pride walked in the ways of error. Then no longer would they work their own advantage, but they turned away from the love of God. They boasted greatly, in their banded strength, that they could share with God his glorious dwelling, spacious and heavenly bright.”

Well, there it is, Caedmon’s epic poem. And of course we know what happens next is history. In fact, it is all of history that flows out of that moment. Well, that’s the number 600, the year 600, a pope, a poem, a book about slaying a monster and a monster’s mom, and the century of the six hundreds. And I’m Steve Nichols, and I sure have enjoyed all of these 600 episodes with you. Thanks for listening to 3,000 minutes of 5 Minutes in Church History.