The Book of Kells (detail view)

Mid-8th century.  Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

How The Irish Saved Christianity: Lessons From St. Patrick   

By Dan Carollo | posted 03/15/2001

Just hearing the word Ireland brings beautiful images to my mind: Celtic crosses and illuminated manuscripts; the melancholy whine of uillean pipes, the pounding of the bodhran -- and of course, the rolling, green hills and steep cliffs of the Irish coast.

When people think of religion in Ireland, the often think of the bloody conflict between Protestant and Catholics that has plagued Northern Ireland for the last 30 years.  The roots of the conflict are varied and complex, but it may be argued that the conflict is more political, rather than religious in nature.  Recent years have shown signs of hope, however, with a cease-fire in 1997 and the Good Friday Agreement of April 10, 1998  (read more about the Northern Ireland Conflict here). 

In stark contrast to this bloody conflict is the rich history of Celtic Christianity dating back at least to St. Patrick in the 5th century (and possibly earlier).  Ireland is one of few places where Christianity was introduced without violence or persecution.  Rather, the spread of Christianity in Ireland was marked by warmth and compassion and embracing all of life as sacred.   The well-known St. Patrick may have been the first outspoken Christian to oppose slavery, and has even been credited for the end of the slave trade in Ireland.  

Celtic Christianity was noted for was its accommodation to Celtic culture (love of nature, beauty, music, poetry and story) while at the same time, integrating  Christian spiritually into Celtic life.  The Book of Kells is perhaps the most beautiful artifact from early Celtic Christianity.  The Book of Kells was produced about 800 A.D. in a monastery founded by Irish monk St. Columcille on the island of Iona.  The illuminated manuscript is written on vellum and contains the Latin text of the four gospels along with prefaces and other notes.  The design elements of the manuscript were borrowed largely from pagan Celtic art. The illustration here depicts the Gospel of John (represented as an Eagle).  The manuscript was given to Trinity College at Dublin in the 17th century and can still be viewed today. 

Timothy Joyce, a Benedictine monk of Irish descent, writes in his book Celtic Christianity:   "The Celts quickly, easily, and thoroughly embraced the Christian faith.  It spoke to their soul" (pg. 18)

Historian Thomas Cahill in How the Irish Saved Civilization, observes that while the spread of Christianity on the European continent (after Constantine) was often superficial and associated with political advantages, the situation in Ireland was much different.  St. Patrick, he notes, was unable to offer worldly improvement to the Irish and, "had to find a way of connecting his message to their deepest concerns" (pg. 126).  For example, one way he did this was to transmute the Celtic pagan virtues of loyalty, courage and generosity into the Christian equivalents of faith, hope and love.   

Because persecution and martyrdom of Christians was essentially unknown in Ireland, Celtic Christianity became famous for its “Green Martyrdom”, in which some Irish Christians would subject themselves to unusual and harsh trials. Some would set out to sea in a boat without any oars – simply letting the current and the wind take them wherever it willed.  In a more extreme example, Kevin of Glendalough was known to strip himself naked, stand for hours in the icy waters of the lake before hurling himself into a bush of nettles. 

The Celtic Christians also played a significant role in the preservation of learning and knowledge long before the renaissance swept the European continent.  In fact, Cahill's book could have been titled "How the Irish Christians Saved Civilization", for it was the Irish monasteries that were responsible for the preservation of ancient civilization through copying and preserving both secular and religious literature.

Cahill notes the practices of the Irish monastic universities:  "Once they learned to read the Gospels and other books of the Holy Bible, the lives of the martyrs and ascetics, and the sermons and commentaries of the fathers of the church, they began to devour all of the old Greek and Latin pagan literature that came their way.  In their unrestrained catholicity, they shocked conventional churchmen, who had been trained to value Christian literature principally and give a wide berth the dubious morality of the pagan classics." (pg. 159)

Just as the Celtic Christians may be honored for "saving civilization", so to could they be honored for "saving Christianity".  There are several important lessons the modern church might learn from the Celts:

  • A recognition that all areas of life were sacred (ie. no false dichotomy between the “sacred” and “secular”)

  • A love of nature, art, beauty, story, music and learning.

  • A concern for the oppressed.

  • An strong emphasis on spiritual disciplines and the rejection of sin.

  • A compassionate and empathetic evangelism (bringing Christ to people where they’re at – instead of imposing on them a presumed, and often mistaken, notion of  “Christian culture”)

To learn more about the Celtic tradition of Christianity, see the following links...

 

To respond to this message, please send your emails to: dcarollo@hotmail.com

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