 In 1899 , Bede was made a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII ; he is the only native of Great Britain to achieve this designation ( Anselm of Canterbury , also a Doctor of the Church , was originally from Italy ) . Bede was moreover a skilled linguist and translator , and his work made the Latin and Greek writings of the early Church Fathers much more accessible to his fellow Anglo @-@ Saxons , contributing significantly to English Christianity . Bede 's monastery had access to an impressive library which included works by Eusebius and Orosius , among many others . 
