| Abstract: | The onset of the long eighth century demanded that churchmen develop new visions for their place in the changing social and political landscapes of Anglo‐Saxon England. The Anonymous Life of Saint Cuthbert (699–705) and Bede's Life of Saint Cuthbert (c.721) responded to these changes by offering two such visions. Each author made systematic divergences from his exemplars, articulated with a finesse often mistaken for emulation. Nevertheless, each of these texts offered a distinct vision for the church, giving particular attention to the role of monasticism in the changing circumstances of the long eighth century. |
