Historical Setting: Jarrow, 793 C.E.
Perhaps Samuel, in particular, caught Bede’s interest as he, like Samuel, was dedicated to the priests at a young age.
Samuel, whose mother, Hannah, gave him to the temple priest to fulfill her promise to dedicate her child to serve God. As young Bede served Ceolfrith, young Samuel also served an elderly priest, Eli.
My own house with children was a simple house with few rooms, and a sleeping child is near enough that he can call out in the night for his mother, and my wife or, at times, I would go to him and take him in my arms to comfort him, wipe away his tears and promise the sun will rise again on a new day.
But in this story, young Samuel awakens alone in the darkness, and he is the one called from sleep with no parent answering, comforting, he stumbles through the darkness alone to answer the summons of the blind old priest and finds Eli still snoring. The child touches him to ask what he needs. He awakens, probably annoyed at first, then aware of the child asking him what he needs. Why did Eli call him?
“I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.”
I expect little Samuel goes back to that strange dark room again that echoes the emptiness, maybe thinking of his own mother, who we know from the story was also thinking of him. Every year she made him a new little robe to wear in these cold dark times. That was what she could do when she couldn’t rock him in her arms and sing promises of morning to him throughout each dark night.
He was probably less able to fall asleep again, when he very clearly heard that priestly voice once more calling his name. Again, he went to the old man’s bedside. And again, he awakened Eli and asked what he needed. This time, the old man realized that the child was answering someone. The old priest told little Samuel to listen to the voice of God calling him in the night.
Surely, Bede’s commentary on I Samuel was impacted by his own relationship as the once small child, serving the Abbot Ceolfrith, answering the call, himself. Bede was at work on his commentary on Samuel when he was so deeply pierced by the accusation of heresy, and Ceolfrith was no longer available to answer his fears.
(Continues tomorrow)
Lazarus Ink 