From the Sunrise to the Sunset of Celtic Christianity

1. Patrick
Exploring our
Irish Christian
Heritage

2. The Evidence of an Ancient Christianity

3. Important Questions
When did Christianity
come to Ireland?
Was ancient Irish
Christianity Roman
Catholic?
The Reformation did
not introduce
something new
Early Christianity
existed in the world
before the
development of
Roman Catholicism

4. How Did Christianity Arrive in Ireland?
“...if it had been possible ye would
have plucked out your eyes and
given them to me” Galatians 4:15
• A Celtic People.
•Among the first to
receive the Gospel.
•The Celts spread through
Europe and populated
Ireland

5. Roman Britain
“Hibernia is situated between
Britain and Spain, and is very
accessible from the shores of
Gaul. In size it is smaller than
Britain yet larger than the islands
of the Meditternean. Its soil,
climate, manners and habits of
the people are similar to those of
Britain. It’s ports are well known
to merchants” (Agricola)

6. Christianity Before Patrick
 Missionaries travelled
with the trade.
 From an early time close
to theApostolic Age
Christianity was
introduced to Ireland

7. The Scoto-Irish Church
 Regarded by Archbishop James Ussher as the
most ancient example of a true Christian Church.
 In the 3rd Century Cormac, Chief King of
Ireland, turned from paganism “to the adoration
of God”.
 Early in the 5th Century the Irish are recorded as
“believing in Christ”.

8. Paganism in Augher

9. The Paganism of Ireland
 Druidism, witchcraft abounded.
 The veneration of HolyWells and belief in the
“wee folk” are lingering examples of a ancient
paganism.
 Although Christianity existed there remained a
need for a missionary to evangelise the Irish.

10. Patrick: The Apostle of Ireland

11. Source Material
1: Complete copy of the
NewTestament.
2: Letter to Christians
3: Confession
4: Biographical material
The Book of Armagh
(807 AD)

12. His Early Life
 He was born in Scotland.
 His Father was a priest or a minister.
 At 16 bandits captured him and took him as a slave to
Ireland.
 On the hillsides around Slemish he drove his master’s
cows and sheep.
 It was at this time he said he was “converted with my
whole heart unto the Lord my God”.
 After 6 years he escaped and returned home to
Scotland.

13. Patrick’s Call
 In a dream he saw a man calledVictorious.
 He gave Patrick a letter called the “Voice of the Irish”.
 He heard the people cry, “We entreat thee holy youth to
come and walk henceforth among us”.
 He devoted his life to preaching and establishing churches
throughout this island.

14. Early Missionary Travels

15. Tara
 Seat of Ireland’s most dominant King.
 Centre of
PaganWorship

16. ANCIENT IRELAND

17. An Easter Story
 Patrick lit his camp fire on Easter Eve.
 The King who was celebrating a Pagan Festival when only his
fire should be seen was enraged.
 A series of confrontations between Patrick and the Pagan
magicians.

18. Onward and Upward
 Some of the courtiers accepted Christianity
 The King, however, only nominally showed deference to the
Gospel.
 Opened the gateway to the rest of Ireland.
 In every Irish Kingdom he left his footprint.

19. His Ministry
 He conducted extensive evangelistic tours.
 The places that bear his name bear witness to this
fact.
 He wrote,“I am greatly a debtor to God who
hath vouchsafed me such great grace that many
people by my means should be born again to
God, and that clergy should be ordained
everywhere for them.”

20. Did Patrick Really
Drive Out The Snakes?

21. Patrick’s Dates
 Late in the 5th Century.
 Death is most likely to have taken place on
17th March either 465 or 493.
 The Irish claim he was buried in Down-
Patrick although the English also claim his
burial site in Glastonbury.

22. A Catholic Saint or an Early Protestant?
 He never mentioned the Pope
in his writings.
 Mary was not spoken of.
 Confession was not practised.
 Purgatory was unknown.
 His Father was married.
 In doctrine he was
Trinitarian, Christ exalting
and was evangelical believing
in the new birth.
 He emphasised the
scriptures.
 In Church Government he
ordained one bishop per
church.
 Was he a Presbyterian?

23. Admnan – The Celtic Scholar
• Monastery of Iona.
• Wrote a book on the
Holy Places of
Palestine.
• Wrote the life of
Columba within 100
years of the death of the
latter

24. Columba: From Donegal to Iona

25. The First 40 Years
• Born in Donegal – 520 AD.
• Educated at Clonard.
• Established 300 Churches in Ireland as a missionary.

26. Blotting His Copybook
 Columba borrowed a Latin Psalter from
Finnian of Moville.
 He copied it to Finnian’s annoyance.
 The King of Meath, ruled against Columba.
 “to every cow belongs it’s calf, so to every
book belongs it’s copy”.

27. Insight into Ancient Irish Life
• Columba led the Ulstermen in a war with
the south.
• Thousands were dead, Ulster won.
• Columba was exiled from Ireland and sent
to Scotland as penance for his sins.

28. Establishing a Christian Settlement
• Given Iona by the King of Dalriada.
• The Celts believed the Monastery was a
fitting way to show the pagans the power of
Christianity in daily life.
• It was a place of faith, education, culture,
art, of agriculture.

29. Missionary Endeavour
• Reaching far into the Pict Kingdom many
were converted to Christ.
• King Brude himself was converted.
• Columba appointed,Aidan, King of
Dalriada, crowned on the Stone of Scone.

30. A Peaceful Passing
• Reading Psalm 34 he signaled a halt at the
10th verse.
• He passed away on June 9th 597AD before
the altar.
• “…a face calm and sweet, like that of a man
who in his sleep had seen a vision”

31. The Life of Columbanus
The Celtic Church and a Passion
for Missions

32. Record of an Irish European
 The writings of Columbanus – Monastic
Rules, Daily Penances, 17 sermons, 8
PrincipleVices, 5 Letters.
 Biography written by a contemporary.
 General history of the age in which he lived

33. Education
• Born – 543AD
• Early education in
one of Lough
Erne Schools.
• Continued at
BangorAbbey
Theology, Hebrew, Greek,
Latin, Classic Greek
Literature

34. Missionary Passion
 The work of Columba had fuelled his interest
in missionary work.
 Heard of the corruption of France:
The King who burned his rebellious son and
wife.
The Bishop who burned a man to seize the
estate he coveted.

35. His Qualifications
 Latin and the old Celtic Language would take him
anywhere in Europe.
 A belief that the Gospel could transform society.
 A love for lost souls.
 He set sail for France never to return to Ireland.

36. Refusing to Conform
The French flocked to hear the Irish
preacher.
He refused to adopt the European
practices, the tonsure and Easter.
Was returned to Ireland.

37. Final Turbulent Years
• Set back to land after a storm.
• Settled in Switzerland.
• Broke boilers, burned temples and smashed
idols.
• Journeyed onto Northern Italy, crossing the
Alps.
• Called home – November 21st 615 AD.

38. Columbanus and the Pope
• Writing to Pope Gregory.
• Denounced the Roman Easter.
• Described it as “a dark paschal
system”.
• Compared the Pope to a “dead
lion”.
THE ATTITUDE OF ONEWHO
SUBMITTEDTOTHE
PAPACY?

39. The Sunset of the Celtic Church
The Descent into
Darkness

40. The Easter Controversy
• The Roman Church followed the calendar of Julius
Caesar (46 BC).
• Papacy was obsessed with uniformity.
• From Munster to Ulster Ireland gradually accepted.
• Whitby Conference – 664AD, decisive
• By the end of the 7th Century there was uniformity.

41. Augustine of Ireland
• 7th Century writer.
• Wrote a work on theWonders of Scripture.
• Held to same doctrine on the Canon of
Inspiration as the Protestants.
• Rejected theApocrypha.
• Rome as yet had not gained supremacy.

42. Viking Ireland
Plunder AD 795 – 850
SettleAD 850 – 950
ConquestAD 950-1000

43. Viking Influences
• Vikings adopted Christianity – 9th Century.
• Danish Kingdom of Dublin had Bishops who
accepted the authority of the Roman See.
• The Papacy used this Kingdom to further her
influence in Ireland.
• The Catholic Church established the See of
Dublin in opposition to the Celtic See of
Armagh.

44. The Arrival of the Normans
 By 1066 theViking Kingdom had collapsed
and the Normans had conquered England.
 One of their ambitions was to unify the
Churches of England, Ireland andWales.
 The spiritual vigour of the old Celtic Church
had waned.
 Corruption had crept in during the long
years of strife and war.
 Roman discipline was finally imposed upon
the Church of Ireland by Malachy.

45. Pragmatism, Power, Prestige
1140 AD
Malachy knelt
Before
Innocent 3rd
Surrendering
Ireland in exchange
for Papal Legate

46. Resistance To Rome
 Ireland was the last country in these islands to
be subject to theVatican.
 Successive Church Synods in the 12th Century
attempted to impose prelacy upon the people.
 Local villages insisted upon electing their own
arch-presbyters to oversee the work of God in
their districts.
 The Synods of the Roman Church were
therefore ignored by the people.

47. The English Pope and the Gift of Ireland
 In 1155Adrian 4th gave Henry 2nd the authority to
extend his own Kingdom as well as the Church by
invading Ireland.
 The Pope was to receive 1 penny per year from every
household in Ireland.
 In 1171 Henry landed atWaterford and assumed
sovereignty over Ireland.

48. Ireland Before The Reformation
 The Bible disappeared from the land.
 England found parts of the country ungovernable,
lawlessness prevailed.
 The Bishops assisted by the Government rode
roughshod over the people.
 The Bishops were noted for their greed and
immorality.

49. Would the Gospel Return to Ireland?
Only the Protestant Reformation 400
Years later would bring a new dawn