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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How old was Wilfrid when Stephanus reported he left home to seek the kingdom of Heaven?

2. The saints who are detailed in "The Age of Bede" lived in what two centuries according to Farmer?

3. Over what issue did Wilfrid debate Bishop Colman according to Stephanus?

4. According to Farmer, each of the saints profiled in "The Age of Bede" were pioneers of what important church institutions?

5. Which Irish apostle, according to Farmer, became famous for the founding of the Bobbio and Saint-Gall monasteries.

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Bede claim that he wrote "The Life of Cuthbert"?

2. Who does Bede cite as helping him revise the text of "The Life of Cuthbert"?

3. What is Farmer's closing opinion of the texts of "The Age of Bede"?

4. Who does Stephanus report that Wilfred nominated to become abbot after his death?

5. Why does Farmer consider Bede's "Lives of the Abbots" historically significant?

6. Who does Stephanus claim supported Wilfred's desire to visit St. Peter's in Rome?

7. What does Farmer cite as the earliest work of "The Age of Bede," and what makes it different from the other four texts?

8. Why does Farmer consider "The Voyage of St. Brendan" an important text in "The Age of Bede"?

9. According to Farmer, why is Stephanus's "Life of Wilfrid" unique among all literature?

10. When and where does Farmer write the saints covered in "The Age of Bede" lived?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Stephanus reports several episodes during which Wilfrid's service is challenged and his life is even threatened. Choose one of those events and identify the cause of the challenge, how Wilfrid dealt with the challenge, how he was delivered from the challenge, and the eventual consequences of the challenge to Wilfrid and those who brought it.

Essay Topic 2

Identify three events in "The Life of Cuthbert" that are historically reasonable and coinciding miraculous or mystical events that occurred during those events. Use the intermingling of history with the miraculous to establish a pattern that can define Bede's purpose for writing "The Life of Cuthbert." Was it to entertain, teach, evangelize, or is there another purpose that you see.

Essay Topic 3

Benedict's plans for the monasteries helped to construct helped to bring innovations in both Christian and construction practices. Identify an innovation from each field that he introduced to England through the abbeys at Wearmouth and Jarrow.

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