In 563, an Irish monk named Columba sailed in a primitive coracle (like a circular canoe) with twelve companions from Ireland, setting foot on a one by three mile isle of Iona, Scotland. A monastery was established. Eventually, others were built across Scotland, each becoming a learning center. The monks recovered portions of the Bible saved from the raveges of the barbarians. The monks painstakenly made copies painting the colorful calligraphy on their pages
Its east side is located across the Iona Sound from the much larger Isle of Mull, which is ferry ride to the Scottish mainland. The western side faces the Atlantic Ocean. If you cast off from Iona and head west, the next landfall is 2,300 miles away on Newfoundland.
Columba's mission was to bring Christianity to Northern Scotland. His method of evangelization was to build a monastery near a Celtic community. The monks established relationships with the pre-Christians treating them with kindness and respect. They won them over by example, not by the sword and oppresion. They even mingled the some the customs and ceremonies that were compatible with Christianity.
Celtic Christians borrowed from the pre-Christians that nature is the divine essence, which is "panentheistic," where everything exists within God, but God is greater. Dualism is a false doctrine. Creation and Spirit are One. The separation between the physical and the spiritual is as close "the thin spaces." There is no heaven nor hell. There is one Creation- spiritual and physical. God isn't "out there." God surrounds us and is within us.
This prayer is known as "Patrick's Breastplate." Christ within me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I arise."
Creation is the "second Bible" along with the written one. In other words, the Celts live Genesis 1:27-31 which says that "God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them.... God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good." That is their baseline for including all humanity and sentient beings as beloved of God. No exceptions.
In the fifth century, St. Augustine coined the phrase, "original sin." He ignored Genesis 1:27. He taught that even children are born in sin. Sex was sinful. Sex for procreation was tolerable. Eve was blamed for bringing sin into the world, because she first ate of the fruit in garden. Her disobedience to God justified that women were considered second class, to be dominated by men.
Augustine of Canterbury was sent by Pope Gregory the Great in 597 30 years after Columba arrived on Iona. His mission was to establish a Roman mission in Britannia, an outpost of the Roman Empire.
Roman Christianity was hierarchical consisting of the pope, bishops, and priests, in that order. The clergy were the authorities in Christian doctrine and theology. To be a Roman Christian meant that you obeyed the clergy. Only the priest could teach and interpret the Bible. The laity were forbidden from having a Bible.
Obedience to the priest was mandatory under the threat of excommunication or hell. The only way back to the fold was to recant by confessing one's sins. Only the priest could forgive sins by granting absolution, forgiving sin, or otherwise.
Celtic spiritualy, pre-Christian and Christian emerged in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Northern England where the Roman Empire had little or no influence. Celtic Christianity did away with the heresies of the Roman church and continued the teachings "of the Way," from the first century house gatherings.
Iona became the center if Celtic Christianity and spread throughut northern Scotland. Iona also became a learning center for missionaries who came even as far as central Europe. Many brought suriving manuscripts that would have been destroyed during the chaos fromthe fall of the Rome empire and conquering barbarians.
Iona and the other monastaries copied recovered books and portions of the Bible. Many had beautiful caligrophy adorning their pages.
The Vikings first attacked Iona in 795, and continued in 802, 806, and 825. Eventually the Iona community abandoned the island. For almost 400 years, there was no monastic activity.
What Christian presence did remain are two Celtic high crosses, St. John's and St. Martin's installed between the years 750 and 800. St. John's cross recently collapsed and its pieces are reconstructed in the Abbey musuem., along with St. Oran's and St. Matthew's cross. St. Martin's cross keeps vigil on the same spot at the abbey as it has for over 1200 years.
At around 1200, the Benedictines arrived on Iona revived monastic life by constructing an abbey and other structures made of stone. Most survive as ruins today. The Scottish protestant reformation in 1560-1561 caused the Benedictines to abandoned Iona. However pilgrims continued to arrive on Iona, through there was no established community on the island. A partial restoration of the abbey was completed in the late 18th century.
Then Presbyterian pastor and social activist George MacLeod led the movement for the full restoration of the abbey and the founding of the Iona Community. The abbey continues to be the destination of thousands of pilgrims to this day.
The Iona Community is formed by persons who foster Celtic spirituality with weekly prayer services morning and evenings and eucharist on Sundays. They host youth groups and volunteers who serve in the abbey and are taught by members of the community. The Iona community has a number of communities around the world. Their mission is to pray act for peace and justice, through the teachings of Jesus' sermon on the mount and the parables.
For learning more about Celtic spirituality and how Christianity was influenced by it, read "Listening from the Heartbeat of God," by John Phillip Newell.
To be continued in Part 2
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