Roman vs. Celtic Christianity: 410 to 813 A.D.

When Rome fell to the Visigoths in A.D. 410, it ushered in “The Dark Ages” for most of Europe. But as the “matted unwashed barbarians descended on Roman cities, looting artifacts and burning books, the Irish, who were just learning to read and write, took up the great labor of copying all of western literature…” (Cahill, How the Irish Saved Civilization p.3)

According to Bede the Venerable, many pilgrim scholars came to Ireland from Britain and the continent of Europe to study and learn during the early middle ages. (450-750) “The Irish welcomed them all gladly, gave them their daily food, and also provided them with books to read and with instruction, without asking for payment.” (Wisdom of the Celtic Saints, p.22)

Celtic Christianity also pursued intense missionary outreach among the common people. Monks worked hard to maintain greater intimacy among church members, and built numerous small churches made of wood or stone in remote rural areas. Religious leaders ate sparsely and spent long hours in prayer. This ascetic privation was called “Green Martyrdom”, as opposed to the “Red Martyrdom” of suffering death for one’s beliefs.

In contrast, European Christianity had been greatly influenced by the social structure of the declining Roman Empire. Their church territory was divided into dioceses, with large churches and basilicas built primarily in urban areas. Their bishops wore fine vestments, and grew increasingly materialistic.

These same bishops used their influence as religious leaders to arrange alliances, which helped win wars for the Frankish and Lombard kings, who favored them in return. They also appropriated exclusive use of the title “Pope,” which had previously been used for the religious leader of any Christian community. “The Bishops of Rome often banned as heresy competing interpretations of Christianity, and the Irish often came dangerously close to official condemnation.” (Wandering Irish in Europe, p.64)

In the Roman Christian Church, women were increasingly isolated from positions of authority and kept from all religious relationships with males. But the Celtic Church, which was still influenced by the Celtic belief that women were equal to men and had similar legal rights, encouraged their leadership. The oldest monasteries of women recorded in Ireland are those of Brigit of Kildare, Moninne at Killeavy, and Ita at Killeedy.

Many more women held powerful ecclesiastical positions in communities consisting of both women and men. Monks and nuns lived in separate quarters, but worshipped together in a common church in which lay people joined them for liturgies. These “double monasteries” were evidently a normal feature of the earliest monastic life in Celtic Ireland and England.

In 521, the greatest Irish religious figure after Patrick was born. Columcille, prince of the Clan Conaill, and great grandson of Niall of the Nine Hostages, founded his first monastery in Derry in 546. Over the next 15 years, he set up 40 more monasteries in Ireland. Each began with an abbot and 12 ‘apostle’ monks.

He founded the famous monastery in Durrow in 551, and a church at Swords, where he left a gospel book written in his own hand. The spirit of these Irish monasteries was reflected in the supremely beautiful calligraphy, which they used to copy books.

In 560, Columcille’s abbot, Finnian, returned from Rome with the first copy of St. Jerome’s Latin translation of the bible - “the vulgate” - to come to Ireland. Columcille borrowed it and made a single copy of the book of psalms – a “psalter”. Finnian found out and demanded its return. The matter was submitted to the High King Diarmait, and he ruled in Finnian’s favor: “To every cow its calf; to every book its copy.” Columcille refused to part with the book with disastrous results.

Near Ben Bulben, a battle was fought between the forces of Diarmait and Clan O’Neill. Many were killed, and Columcille was either forced into exile or went voluntarily. In either case, he felt he must convert a pagan for each man who died, and never see Ireland again. He traveled north with 12 followers in 564, and founded the monastery at Iona. By the time of his death in the last days of the 6th century, sixty monastic communities had been founded in his name in Scotland.

His greatest spiritual heir, Aidan, did much the same in Northern England. With Columcille as their model, “Irish monks set off in every direction, bent on glorious and heroic exile for the sake of Christ.” This was “White Martyrdom” – going into voluntary exile to spread the word of God.

Following in Columcille’s footsteps, Columbanus departed Ireland for Gaul, (modern France and Belgium) along with 12 companions. They founded monasteries in Annegray, Fontaines, and Luxeuil.

Before long, Columbanus clashed with Roman-appointed bishops, who were upset by his presence. They were “still employing the old Roman Episcopal pattern of living urbanely in capital cities and keeping close ties with those who wear crowns.” Columbanus was not impressed by them: “a man who will take no step to proclaim the Good News beyond the safety and comfort of his own elite circle is a poor excuse for a bishop.” (Cahill, p.188)

The bishops held a synod in 603, and demanded that Columbanus come in for questioning. He answered them with a sharp letter, taking the bishops to task for their worldly habits and lack of spiritual industry. He urged them to “choose to be humble and poor for Christ’s sake”.

The bishops then conspired with the Visigoth princess Brunhilda to have Columbanus deported. He made his way to Northern Italy, and there wrote letters chastising Pope Boniface IV, and later Pope Gregory.

To Columbanus, the pope was one of the brothers, a father abbot worthy of respect, by all means – but also in need, like any man, of an occasional jab in the ribs.” (Cahill, p.191) To Irish Christians, the bishop of Rome was “a distant figure whose wishes were little known and less considered.” (Cahill, p.181) They also

believed that abbots and bishops should not be appointed by either church or secular authority, but in keeping with Celtic traditions, the people should elect their own leaders.

Celtic missionaries evidently traveled quite frequently with women companions, called “conhospitae”, who sometimes helped with the celebration of the Eucharist.

This practice was condemned in a sixth century letter to Irish missionaries written by Roman bishops in Gaul:

We appeal to your charity, not only to restrain these little women from staining the holy sacraments by administering them illicitly, but also not to admit to live under your roof any woman who is not your grandmother, your mother, your sister or your niece.” (Wisdom, p. 20)

In 664, sixty-seven years after the death of Columcille, the Synod of Whitby was held to resolve various conflicts between the Celtic and the Roman churches. The only professed issues were the date for celebrating Easter, and the tonsure, or haircut, of Irish monks.

Bishop Colman spoke for the Irish church regarding Easter. He said they were all

following the example of Columcille of Iona and his followers, “men beloved of God.”

Wilfred, speaking for Rome, said: “Though your fathers were holy men, do you think that a handful of people in one corner of the remotest of islands is to be preferred to the universal church of Christ, which is spread throughout the world? Even if that Columcille of yours – yes and ours too, if he belonged to Christ – was a holy man of mighty works, is he to be preferred to the most holy chief of the apostles, to whom the Lord said, “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, and I give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven?” (Wisdom, p.142)

When Colman did not deny Christ’s words to Peter, and could not show an equal authority given to Columcille, the Synod ruled in favor of Rome.

Arnold Toynbee, in his Study of History, says, “It will be seen that in the contest between Rome and Ireland for the privilege of becoming the creator of the new western civilization, Rome only just succeeded in getting the upper hand.” (Columcille, p.46)

Celtic and Roman Christian leaders often operated at cross-purposes, according to historian Kenneth Clark. While Irish monks made copies all the classics they could find, “St. Gregory himself was credited with having destroyed many volumes of classical literature, lest they seduce men’s minds away from holy writ.”

Whenever Irish monks explicitly criticized the relative luxury and political involvement enjoyed by Roman Christian priests and bishops, they, in turn, would be condemned for some deviance from Roman Christian doctrine.

In 813, the Council of Tours censured these wandering Irish monks – “Hiberniae epicsopi vagantes” – for their extreme asceticism. “The ostensible reason for this censure was that in following such a strict, forbidding ideal, the Irish ascetics presented a remote, harsh picture of Christianity, which could interfere with the aim of converting the pagan populations of Europe to the religion. But the real reason the Irish were censured, so it seems, was that their asceticism sharply contrasted with the comforts and political influence enjoyed by Roman Christian clergy.” (Wandering, p.65)