Sacrifice and Will(s) in Bede

Abstract The theme of sacrifice is foundational to the thought of the Venerable Bede, providing a key force that unites the Church with Christ. Bede thinks of Christ’s death primarily as a sacrifice to God the Father that frees the elect from the devil and cleanses them of sin. His understanding of the Church in the present life is likewise characterized by sacrifice, as Bede sees the life of the saints on earth to be a participation in Christ’s sacrifice to the Father, undertaken by sharing Christ’s suffering and rejecting sins. In his accounts of both Christ’s sacrifice and the Church’s, Bede’s characteristic emphasis on unity in diversity animates his approach to the will: Christ’s sacrifice to the Father reflects both the unity of Christ’s person and the unity of the Trinity’s will, and the Church’s sacrifice represents the wills of the elect being united to God’s.