Tra lettura e ascolto: la fruizione della Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum di Beda in lingua anglosassone

In his Ecclesiastical History of the English People Bede often states that his work is intended for both individual and public reading. Around the end of the 9th century, a translation of Bede’s History into Old English was produced. It greatly shortened the original, omitting most of the documents quoted by Bede and other non insignificant details. The translator probably regarded the work as in the first place one of religious edification. He was also aware of the fact that his audience demanded a different approach to the written text. Many element belonging to the original paratextual apparatus were thus modified to match the needs of a new reading public. Among other things, the list of chapter-heading provided by Bede at the opening of each book were affected. It can be demon- strated that this kind of textual revision was continued by scribes and rubricators in the whole process of textual transmission.