‘He would gather us priests into one’: Bede’s Martyrology, priestly education, and the Carolingian project in the ninth century

Bede’s Martyrology ( c . 725–31), a calendrical list of martyrs, is found within ninth‐century manuscripts that may be inferred to have been for the use of Carolingian bishops or priests. Contemporaneous normative texts authored by some bishops prescribed the ownership and use of martyrologies by priests. Pastoral and/or educational manuscripts that contain Bede’s Martyrology provide evidence for the implementation of these prescriptions. I argue that this manuscript evidence reveals the potential role of martyrologies as an edifying resource within pastoral curricula, and also shows how priests and bishops outside of the court circle may have shaped the Carolingian endeavour.