 In 708 , some monks at Hexham accused Bede of having committed heresy in his work De Temporibus . The standard theological view of world history at the time was known as the six ages of the world ; in his book , Bede calculated the age of the world for himself , rather than accepting the authority of Isidore of Seville , and came to the conclusion that Christ had been born 3 @,@ 952 years after the creation of the world , rather than the figure of over 5 @,@ 000 years that was commonly accepted by theologians . The accusation occurred in front of the bishop of Hexham , Wilfrid , who was present at a feast when some drunken monks made the accusation . Wilfrid did not respond to the accusation , but a monk present relayed the episode to Bede , who replied within a few days to the monk , writing a letter setting forth his defence and asking that the letter also be read to Wilfrid . Bede had another brush with Wilfrid , for the historian himself says that he met Wilfrid , sometime between 706 and 709 , and discussed Æthelthryth , the abbess of Ely . Wilfrid had been present at the exhumation of her body in 695 , and Bede questioned the bishop about the exact circumstances of the body and asked for more details of her life , as Wilfrid had been her advisor . 
