The Ancient Celtic Christians and the Apostle John

Larry Koester

To the left is the image of the page in the Book of Kells preceding John's gospel.

St. John's Gospel was an important influence on the early Celtic Christians. He was the disciple they most related to. The best explanation I've found is in J. Philip Newell's Listening for the Heartbeat of God. From page 97:

"John's way of seeing makes room for an open encounter with the Light of life wherever it is to be found. As the history of Celtic spirituality shows, it is a tradition that can stand free of the four walls of the Church, for the sanctuary of God is not separate from but contained within the whole of creation."

(Newell goes on to talk about the tradition of Peter, and how it is equally important. However the two traditions clashed at the Synod of Whitby in 664AD, and the Celtic beliefs and preferences were pushed to the fringes of civilization. It's an important discussion and should not be missed.)

I'm a newcomer to church history, so all this fascinates me. In Shirley Toulson's The Celtic Year, A Celebration of Celtic Christians, Saints, Sites, and Festivals, she writes on page 137:

"Nowadays we celebrate the feast of St. John the Evangelist on 27December, but until the late Middle Ages his festival was also kept on 6 May, and it seems fitting that we should remember the writer whose words were a glorification of the 'light that darkness could not overpower' during the months of the longest days...John's gospel, written at Ephesus toward the end of the first century, is deeply imbued with Jewish ritual and custom. This affinity would have appealed to the Celtic mind, for the nomadic Israelites, like the tribal Celts, realized God's presence in all creation and had prayers for every occasion..."

As I mentioned in my last post, it's the season of Beltaine, the light half of the year, and that's what got me thinking about John. Your thoughts???

The Secret of Kells

Saw the movie yesterday. It was very creative with amazing artwork (which a movie about the Book of Kells would have to have!)

It was a little surprising that the book in the movie was so small. Obviously the real thing is much larger, unless the characters were giants. Well, actually the abbot of Kells did look pretty tall!

Of course the depictions were symbolic. The abbot was in charge, and the hero, Brendan, was only 12, so of course the adults loomed large. I loved the imagery of the boy overcoming his fears. When he did, he was actually able to use them to add depth and beauty to his artwork. I also loved the fairy girl, Aisling (a name that means dream). Was she real? Did she turn into a white wolf? Was she the spiritual help the boy needed in a form he could accept?

The Vikings (called Northerners) who reeked havoc on the abbey, were black blocks with only eyes, carrying swords and flaming arrows--the image of a nightmare, which I'm sure pretty sure described how the Irish monks saw them.

The film has been nominated for an Oscar. Read an interview with the filmaker here. If the movie is not playing near you, it should be out on DVD soon.

I blogged earlier about The Book of Kells. You can read the first part here.

Watch the movie trailor here:
http://www.thesecretofkells.com/

The Book of Kells

©Cindy Thomson

photo via creative commons
by Michael 1952

Many of the Celtic designs you see on merchandise today were inspired by the artwork in the Book of Kells. Sometimes I forget that not everyone knows what the Book of Kells is. It's an 8th century illuminated manuscript (vivid illustrations that seem to glow) created by Irish monks. Its name in Irish is An Leabhar Cheanannais. It is written in Latin and contains the four Gospel books of the New Testament along with some indexes and other texts. As I said, it's lavishly illustrated, and it's those illustrations that have mesmerized people for hundreds of years.

The four apostles are illustrated along with symbolism. Below is John the Evangelist.

photo via creative commons by Larry Koester

In the 12th century Gerald of Wales wrote about what many believe was the Book of Kells. He viewed the book at Kildare, so some wonder if he was talking about another book now lost. Maybe, but these books were passed around from monastery to monastery. Scholars believe it is the work of more than one monk--probably several. The scribes were probably not the illustrators. Gerald of Wales's description of the book he saw matches the Book of Kells. Part of what he wrote:

"You will make out intricacies, so delicate and so subtle, so full of knots and links, with colours so fresh and vivid, that you might say that all this were the work of an angel, and not of a man."

photo via creative commons by Patrick Lordan

So delicate, so subtle.... These illustrations do merit careful observation and contemplation. Just what do those symbols mean? Why are certain animals depicted?

One of the best sources of information I've found on the Book of Kells is a video.

I saw a replica book at a library once. The photo of the open book above is from that exhibit.

It's amazing to think about the craftsmanship and dedication to perfection that the men who created this book put forth. They were monks who lived in service to God, so surely they could do nothing but their best. I hope I can put forth half the effort they did when I write.

I'm going to continue talking about Ireland's national treasure this week.