Bede's Hymn to St. Agnes of Rome: The Virgin Martyr as a Male Monastic Exemplum

Through analyzing Bede's hymn to St. Agnes, Illuxit alma saeculis, this article explores the pliant nature of hagiography and reveals how alterations to the biblical language used in different versions of a saint's passion can dramatically alter how such a figure is perceived. After establishing that the principal hagiographic source underlying IAS is the Passio Sanctae Agnetis (Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina [henceforth BHL] 156), this article examines the biblical allusions embedded into the PSA's prose narrative. While the author(s) incorporated numerous Old and New Testament citations, the majority of such allusions appear to have been deployed to characterize Agnes as a Bride of Christ in very feminine language. A comparison of the biblical language used in IAS, however, reveals that Bede realigned Agnes's legend to one scriptural work: Apocalypse. The article concludes by using Bede's Expositio Apocalypseos to analyze how he modified the PSA in order to create a far more relevant spiritual exemplum for his brethren at Monkwearmouth-Jarrow.