Ancient Irish Christianity: The Now Little Known
Conflict with Rome!
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Patrick
reverenced as a Catholic Saint
Photo by Brian Dunne
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Having been raised an Irish
Roman Catholic in Dublin and the West of Ireland and educated in Irish
schools many ask me to talk about St Patrick and the origin of the day.
Here are some thoughts and notes.
A quick
internet search on Patrick reveals an interesting phenomenon. Many of
the websites will tell you that Patrick (during or after the death of
Pope Celestine around 437) was sent to Ireland to bring the Catholic
faith to the scattered Christians and a predominantly pagan land. But a
closer look into the writings of ancient Catholic historians reveals
major theological conflicts between Celtic Christian beliefs that
largely resulted from Patrick and that brought by Augustine sent from
Rome about 150 years later. It appears the early Celtic
Christians knew little of the Roman doctrine that came later and had a
simple belief in the supremacy of Christ.. Ancient Catholic
historians actually admit to changing the statements found in some of
the earlier Irish writings because of their contrary nature. They say
they "salted the ancient Celtic writings with Roman salt." The
word heretical is often used by the Catholic historians to describe
their content.
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Patrick’s own
writings are silent as to any commission given by a pope. His
autobiography even admits that his Celtic church community in North
Britain or Scotland had doubts about his singular conviction because
his years of slavery had prevented him from obtaining a proper academic
education. If he had been sent by a pope and they were under him it is
doubtful that this would occur. The fact is that early New Testament
Christianity spread in its primitive form by natural means without the
existence of a centralized control. If may well have originated from
Rome or any part of the Roman empire but that was not the Rome where
church and state had united in a corrupted form in which
doctrines were blended with paganism and bent for political control of
monarchs and nations. Roman Catholicism’s later centralized system grew
in power and sought to dominate scattered Christendom, but met with
much resistance. The history of Irish Christianity reveals accounts of
this conflict.
Patrick himself
states that his call came from conviction regarding a dream where he
saw the Irish calling him to share the gospel. His scope of reference
is his own, relatively isolated, Christian community. Christianity in
the north of England appeared to be small enough that it seemed to have
lost its foothold thereafter during the period of Christian growth in
Ireland and ironically, the Irish converted by Patrick later brought
its presence back into the region. Patrick felt called by Christ; and
he constantly refers to Jesus as the only authority that he
acknowledges as supreme King, who is above all earthly rulers. Some
supported him while others resisted his call. This caused him much
pain.
There is no
evidence of a pilgrimage to Rome or of knowledge of Rome as the "seat
of the church". It appears as though that early church was scattered
and that small Christian communities operated, largely independently,
based on common convictions of Scripture. As Celtic Christianity grew,
it became more organized, but when Augustine arrived in England about
150 years later to claim the Christians to Rome’s order there was
considerable conflict. Many quotations by early Catholic historians
refer to a schism between the two parties. In studying my Catholic
encyclopedia these particular conflicts are completely ignored except
for a brief mention of the Easter conflict which continued for over 200
hundred years. Its ending, they imply, was around the year 701 AD with
Iona’s final acceptance of the Catholic date.
The Celtic
Christians were actually ridiculed by Roman bishops for thinking they
could accomplish anything, being so few in number compared to the great
might and scope of Roman Catholicism. Yet over the next two centuries
when the obstinate little group made incredible inroads in Europe and
England, their missionary zeal is mentioned in the Catholic
encyclopedia, as though it was wholly driven and supported by Rome.
This claim is in clear denial of their own ancient historians, such as
Bede, who lamented the state of the Irish resistance to papal doctrine
and authority.
Catholic faith was
gradually introduced to the Irish but not without much long- standing
resistance by major members of the Celtic Church; records held by
Catholic historians clearly reveal this. It is interesting that what
trickles down now through Catholic sources is that Patrick, Columcille
(Columba), Aidan, Columbanus and others were all Catholic saints merely
extending Rome’s centrality. Even ancient Catholic sources testify that
nothing could be further from the truth.
It is likely that
later Catholic educators, with anxious feelings over the Protestantism
that arouse out of the belly of Catholicism in the 1500’s, took liberty
to withhold this information from the Irish and the general populace.
When Henry the VIII made his questionable change to Protestantism for
political benefit the then Catholic Ireland came under persecution and
conflict with Britain. Catholicism held its strength in attaching its
value in the hearts of the Irish to their national heritage, so it was
advantageous to paint these early Irish and British Christians as papal
emissaries. Had Rome admitted to the centuries of resistance by the
Irish church it might have weakened the unquestioning faith in her
supposed primacy and infallibility on earth.
The resistance to
Catholicism in the early centuries was not isolated to the Irish alone.
History attests to many other Christian communities throughout Europe
and beyond that resisted the papal shifts in doctrine. These shifts
were made to facilitate political dominion and win pagan minds to a
less objectionable and hybridized belief than simple New Testament
faith.
In short, the
isolation of the early Irish and Scottish Christians and its stark
difference to what later came from Rome’s new centralized religion,
reveals evidence that the Bible also supports. That is that Rome’s
doctrinal corruption from that simple faith of New Testament
Christianity was evident. It was met with shock by those communities
mercifully isolated from her subtle and gradual compromise.
Even if we were to
cast Irish history aside and believe the Catholic record now forwarded
to the general laity, the Bible itself raises grave concerns as to
Rome’s adulteration of the Truth of Christ.
The Book of Daniel
reveals that Pagan Rome, after the death of Christ, would undergo some
strange transition. It would claim God’s throne on earth. It would
exalt its throne to heaven and think to change times and laws (Daniel
7:25). It would also engage in the persecution of God’s people for a
period that fits the reign of papal persecutions which lasted up into
the late 1700’s. It was passages like this and Paul’s statements about
justification by faith that led the Catholic monks and priests, like
Luther and others, to take such strong positions regarding reform. The
gospel of Jesus was literally sold for the price of political power and
the control of men’s consciences. Some Catholic monks, seeing the
corruption and divine insight of prophecy, rose to denounce the
apostasy from the principles of Christ. Huss and Jerome, who preceded
Luther, were executed while yet Catholic, for their exposure of the
corruption.
Notes from The
Celtic Church in Britain by Leslie Harding: pages 2-20.
Sources generally
agree that Patrick was taken into slavery by Irish Celts in his young
manhood or teens. He may have lived originally in Scotland or
Northwestern England. He was most likely born around 388 AD, coming
from three generations of clergy. The remains of Christianity in these
regions is sparse and it seems to have somewhat died out by the time
Augustine arrived from Rome in 597 about a century and a half after
Patrick’s mission began. But from Patrick’s writings we can see
Christianity did exist there in communities much like the early church.
He spent about six
years, it seems, in captivity as a farm slave.
He escaped and got back to
what we now know as Great Britain’s mainland.
While there he received a
dream in which he saw the young people of Ireland calling him to bring
the gospel to them.
Patrick’s writings reveal
that he felt sorely inadequate because of his lack of learning. He also
was grieved that many in the church at his home did not
acknowledge his call and
thought him too unlearned.
Patrick set up churches in
Ireland, though there were some Christians already there.
In Patrick’s confessions
there are around 200 scriptural quotations. This shows his reverence
for the word of God.
Readings from the Confessions
of Saint Patrick:
I came to the Irish people
to preach the Gospel and endure the taunts of unbelievers, putting up
with reproaches about my earthly pilgrimage, suffering many
persecutions, even bondage, and losing my birthright of freedom for the
benefit of others.
If I am worthy, I am ready also to give up my life, without hesitation
and most willingly, for Christ's name. I want to spend myself for that
country, even in death, if the Lord should grant me this favor.
It is among that people that I want to wait for the promise made by
him, who assuredly never tells a lie. He makes this promise in the
Gospel: "They shall come from the east and west and sit down with
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." This is our faith: believers are to come
from the whole world.
More Notes from The Celtic Church in Britain by Leslie
Harding:
The Roman Empires wide range had afforded the spread of early New
Testament Christianity even to Ireland, one of the remotest parts in
the west, then known as Hibernia. But there would have been extremely
few Christians there. It is not known from whence they came in the
empire. It is possible that the invading Huns drove many of the learned
men westward, as is cited in some of the early writings. The Britons
were largely pagan. Briton in its early usage is inclusive of the
islands of Ireland and Great Britain.
Because of Britons extremity, the doctrines of Ireland and Scotland
remained largely unaffected by the progressive changes of Roman
centralized faith for some time.
When Palladius was sent by Pope Celestine and arrived in
approximately 431 AD, setting up three churches, he met with little
success in converting the Irish and died in England as he was making
his return to Rome.
Augustine had little success in convincing the Celtic Christians
that he was their superior by the Pope’s order. Since the time that
Christianity first reached Ireland and since Patrick evangelized
Ireland, Roman Christianity had become politically centralized and the
bishop of Rome had taken on a supremacy that would have hitherto been
rejected as unbiblical. Those Celtic clergy who met with Augustine were
instructed that if he did not treat them as their equal by rising from
his chair then they should not hear him. He not only remained seated
but commenced to give commands requiring their compliance to papal
mandates.
There are statements by Catholic historians that express concern
and horror at the apostate doctrines of the Celts and their differences
in ritual and festivals. In their first encounters, neither group
seemed to have understood the beliefs of the other and there was much
confusion over this.
Augustine sought to convert the Saxons to Catholic faith but the
Celts would not join in the evangelism. Yet the Celts continued
themselves to evangelize regions of England and beyond.
Columba, known by the Irish as Saint Columcille, carried on the
missionary zeal of Patrick from the Island of Iona around 563, with his
small band of followers. Scotland and Northern England had remained
largely pagan, but Colomba succeeded in reestablishing Christianity
there. Other Irish missionaries reached out from the east of Ireland to
Gaul and other European settlements. As time passed, more and more
ventured to remote islands and then to other lands. This might have, in
part, been due to the pressure and persecution by Romanism. Some of the
Celtic bishops were converting to the Catholic faith, which led to an
uneasy conflict.
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Glenn
Columcille where Patrick is said to have resided.
He
set up a school on the Island of Iona.
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Ancient
Celtic Engraving
Photo by Brian Dunne
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Aidan, about 635 AD, set up base at the Isle of Lindisfarne and
succeeded in winning the aid of King Oswald and converted many in
Northumbria. Aidan succeeded where Augustine had had little success.
Scotland and England’s cradle of Christianity ironically came from the
Irish in the 600’s. It existed before that but in very meager expanse.
Columbanus, around the end of the 500’s or early 600’s moved to
northern France and began evangelizing there. Conflict, perhaps from
Roman Christianity, drove them through Switzerland and eventually into
Italy. King Agilulf there granted him lodging and a school of learning
was set up that established great reputation.
Some ventured north of Ireland to the Shetlands and Pharoe Islands
and from there to Iceland. It was in relation to these islands that a
Norwegian commentator reveals the opinion that these were Africans,
that is Jews. Most likely their Biblical doctrines and customs earned
them that name. Sabbath observance, practiced universally by the early
church, most likely left that impression. Sources reveal that even in
Rome the Jewish Sabbath remained in observance along with the Roman
Sunday up to about 400 years after Christ. But more isolated Christians
knew little of the observance of Sunday and kept Sabbath alone. It is
said of Columba that he laid down his labors in death on the day of
rest, which is the Sabbath. The commentator notes that it was his
custom to rest on that day.
Here is an ancient Irish song that suggests a resistance to the
popular idea of pilgrimage to Rome that Roman Catholic Christianity
called for:
Going to Rome, Going to Rome
Twill bring no profit only trouble
The King thou there wouldst quest
Not found shall be, if he go not in they breast
In other words, if you go there to seek Jesus, you
will not find Him there unless he be in your own heart. This would have
been a rebuke to those succumbing to the Roman ideals and following the
tradition of pilgrimage to Rome to enhance spirituality and acknowledge
the Papal See as the heart of spirituality.
Curroch or Coracle style boat.
Photo by Brian Dunne
The Irish Celts had an incredible zeal for spreading their faith in
dangerous circumstances and with little resources. One account mentions
men setting sail without oars in a small coracle with only enough food
and water for seven days. On the seventh day they arrived on the coast
of northern England and commenced their mission work. They literally
threw themselves in faith upon the mercy of God.
What is striking here are the parallels between the Celtic Church
and the Remnant Church of the last Days.
A small group, tiny
group in relation to centralized Roman Catholicism, succeeded in
impacting a huge area of Europe with the gospel. They had an incredible
publishing work….copies of the Word engineered by hand….. that spread
the knowledge of the Word of God. Copies of the early illuminations
still exist. These are astonishingly beautiful and contain much rich
art. Though the small bands of Celts were jeered by Rome for their size
and sparse resources they succeeded in a great Mission outreach.
They saw education
as a major tool and set up schools of learning wherever they went. The
Bible was their central source of education
As time progresses
the pressure of larger society succeeded in wresting their missionary
zeal from its purity. In order to avail of the resources of Roman rule
and support they began to compromise their unique faith. Though they
grew in number they shrank in biblical spirituality. Now as then there
is pressure to conform to centralized control and human kingly rule.
Revelation reveals this scenario same at the end. Those who have
connection with the Word and the Spirit do not yield to a human
authority which seeks to set itself up above God while ignoring the
counsel of the true witness. "Here are they that keep the commandments
and have the testimony of Jesus. And the testimony of Jesus is the
spirit of prophecy."
They had no pontiff
but prized skill in the Word and devotion to God as qualifiers of
authority. Their organization was not top heavy but respected the
priesthood of all believers.
Their eventual
compromise was met with invasion by the Danes and the monasteries and
schools were pillaged and destroyed. More and more they became
dependent on papal protection.
Rome met their
initial arguments with skillful higher criticism and established the
concept that the "mysterious" word of God could only be interpreted by
those learned men sanctioned by the pontiff. Higher criticism sought to
silence the prophets while claiming to support them. After al the
prophets were "just human" and needed help in what they were trying to
say. This approach was necessary to hide the obvious contradictions in
Roman practice and that of the Word. This trend is occurring regarding
the Scriptures and the writings of Ellen White today.
The shaking we will
face will be a terrible ordeal as was that of the Irish Church.
Brian Dunne.