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The Coming of Saint Columba

In this article I would like to argue the survival of elements of the


Pre-Christian religion in the Age of the Saints from a native point of view. To
do this I will attempt to show that the advent of Christianity did not destroy
the older beliefs, in fact it embraced and preserved them intact for many
centuries. In fact, many people today who are Christian still hold to practises
of which the origins are obviously much older.
Christian mythology would have it that in the year 450 AD there arose one Colum
Cille or St. Columba. The life of the real historical person himself has become
somewhat obscured by the myths that have grown up surrounding his life. The most
well known account comes from Adomnan, abbot of Iona, whose Life of Columba was
written about a century after the saint's death. What is remarkable about this
book is that it is not at all written as a historical biography. It gives us few
facts or dates concerning the life of the saint. In fact, it reads more like a
Celtic wonder legend, of the type that the people would no doubt have been
accustomed to hearing. As such, it stays true to the native tradition of myths
and sagas as told by the filid.
The book is actually composed in three parts. Book one narrates the prophetic
revelations of the Saint; book two deals with the 'miracles of power' attributed
to him, and book three describes angelic visitations that the Saint encountered.
It seems clear that the main aim of Adomnan was to emphasise the Sainthood of
Columba, and show that he was specially chosen by God. While we can see some
borrowing from Biblical myths of the Old Testament, it is also clear that the
book draws heavily on native saga, weaving a tale of this great and powerful
Celtic hero priest, as gentle as the dove but as cunning as the wolf, that would
have found receptive ears and hearts.
Columba himself, we are told, started preaching the monotheistic gospel of
Christianity, bringing an end forever to the heathen beliefs of our islands.
However, does reality match the myth? Was Columba really preaching the Christian
gospel? Certainly Colum had embraced the Christian God, but it seems likely that
this new theology was woven inextricably into the web of ancient Celtic belief
and custom, of ancestor and hero worship, admittedly in a very central role.
Thus we have the start of what became Culdeeism or Celtic Christianity, a
strange mixture of Christian and Pagan belief which was to shape the form of
Catholicism until well into the Middle Ages when it came into conflict with the
inquisitional changes of Rome.
The onset of Christianity did not herald the end of the older beliefs or
practises in Eire or Alba. Also if we look at early Christianity as taught by
Columba and his followers we would have great difficulty in seeing any marked
points of demarcation between the new and the old. Remember we are now into the
period known as recorded history. Ian Finlay points out in his book Columba the
following: "The active presence of Paganism in Ireland in the Age of the Saints
is more easily recognised than the routes by which the new faith was
introduced". Unlike Rome where Christianity was born in a bloodbath of martyrs,
the new faith came to the Celts of our isles without the bloodshed of its
heralds. Why?
To answer this we have to look at the background of the people who were the
progenitors of this new faith and also the religious beliefs of the Celtic
peoples who embraced these new ideas. Columba was no incomer with new ideas; he
was Colum Cille a high born noble of the Northern branch of the Ui Nialls. The

Ui Nialls claimed to trace their descent back to Niall Noigiallach (Niall of the
Nine Hostages) and were undoubtedly at that time the most powerful clan in
Ulster. Colum Cille himself was entitled for consideration as a candidate for
the Ard Righ (the High King of Eire). In choosing to follow a religious and
monastic path, it seems likely that Columba gave up this right. However it is
clear that even as a priest of the new Church, he was involved in many of the
most important political events of the era in both the North of Ireland and the
west of Scotland.
In 574 Columba inaugurated the new king of Dalriada, Aedan mac Gabrain, the
first ceremony of its kind, and prophesised that as long as Aedan's descendants
gave Columba his rightful place, they would continue as kings of Dalriada. This
arbitration and negotiation by priests with kings and noble families was
certainly nothing new. The Druidh of the old religion were the advisors to
kings, and held great political influence. In the Irish Celtic tradition both
kings and Druidh priests were seen to hold their position by the grace of divine
Providence, so long as they fulfilled their obligations with honour. Columba was
simply following a centuries old tradition.
There are many other signs that the early Celtic church maintained ties with
older traditions. In the monastic communities themselves we can see broadly the
same social structures of family and clan as those to be found in sixth century
Ireland and Scotland as a whole. The early Saints were the 'founding fathers' of
these religious communities, each of them being independent, self sufficient
units. The abbot would fulfil the role of the Celtic chieftain, guiding his
people. Another important role which the monasteries 'usurped' from the old
Druidh caste was that of teaching. The monasteries were not simply centres of
religion, but also, in time, became great centres of scholarship and learning.
In early Celtic society land was granted to certain families by the king, in
return for their loyalty and their services. This is exactly how Columba gained
Iona, so that: "the monks were not an invading spiritual sect owing allegiance
to far-off Rome, but were rather an element in the web of loyalties which held
society together." (Finlay, p.45).
Columba in his journeys to the Continent had come into contact with this new
Roman religion which had spread throughout Europe. As a trained priest with
knowledge of the older traditions of his country, he surely must have seen no
religious conflict in the idea of a new Sun King emerging and dying for the
greater benefit of Mankind; after all, this was the continuity of pagan beliefs.
However, it is well documented that Columba had no ambition of destroying the
pagan beliefs of his people, but only preached the acceptance of this new God
King into the greater Celtic cosmology.
Copyright: 1992 Sammy McSkimming
Dalriada Celtic Heritage Trust, Isle of Arran

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