Bede used compositional techniques and strategies in the EH to which historians have tended not to pay enough attention. Yet when approaching any historical analysis of the EH it is vital to be aware of how Bede constructed his models of saintly behaviour. It was shown in a previous chapter that Bede was not averse to the rhetorical strategy of insinuation. In fact he seemed to relish it. It has also been illustrated that Bede both used directly and alluded to patristic and Roman texts to imbue the overall framework of his works with a sense of authority. In so doing, most of his historiae, whilst unique in some aspect, can still be placed in genres which had gained their status through being products of the revered Fathers of the Church. However, it is clear that Bede's intertextual connections in the EH were not just limited to genre considerations.

If Bede intended to imbue the overall framework with a sense of authority by placing a text within an established genre, it should perhaps be no surprise to the reader that such a connection with authoritative texts would be more profoundly evident in the manner in which Bede constructed his characterizations. Their inter-textuality can be seen to function on three main levels. He clearly borrows and reframes verbatim passages from patristic texts.