Celtic Missionary Movement

From Missiopedia

Much has been written about the Celts, who had a significant part in evangelizing the whole of Europe and preserving much of Christianity during the "dark ages" (after the Krakatoa eruption that so significantly changed the world). The Celts are unique in that they are perhaps the only nation in the world which became a missionary nation (Winter 2000).

See also Celtic missionaries.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Celtic Background 1.2 Celtic Conversion 1.3 Celtic Missions 1.4 Roman Influence 2 Missionary Methods 3 Footnotes

[edit] History

[edit] Celtic Background

The Celts were a migratory people who originated in Ireland but were found all over Europe. The following examples have been suggested and need additional citations:

• In 500 BC, Celts lived in France and northern Spain as well as in parts of Germany, Switzerland and Austria
• In 390 BC, the Celts plundered Rome
• It is possible that the church of Galatia was Celtic (based on similarity of CLT, GLT).
• Ankara, Turkey was originally a Celtic city
• Galicia, Spain was probably originally a Celtic city.
• Irenaeus (-212) was born in Asia Minor (Turkey), traveled to southern France, spoke Celtic, and evangelized Celtic peoples in southern Gaul.
• Hadrian's Wall was built in 142 AD across the island of Britain to keep the northern Celts out.
• There was an established church of the Roman tradition in Britain.

[edit] Celtic Conversion

• St. Patrick was captured as a young boy, enslaved, eventually escaped, spent 18 years at home (and perhaps on the European continent), then returned to spend the rest of his life evangelizing the Irish. As a result of his effort Ireland was converted and became one of the greatest missionary movements in history.

[edit] Celtic Missions

• Columba founded the monastery at Iona which became a missionary training center.
• Columban went from Ireland to Europe in 590 and worked among the Franks (predecessors of the French). The Franks had been nominally Christian since the conversion of Clovis in 496. Columbanus discipled them and also evangelized the waves of tribes coming from Central Europe. When he challenged corruption and immorality in the bishops of the church there, they expelled him. He went to Switzerland, and then to northern Italy where he founded a monastery and eventually died.
• Celtic missionaries ministered amongst the Scandinavians.

[edit] Roman Influence

• Gregory the Great, pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 590 to 605 sent Augustine of Hippo to England in 596, more to counteract the work of the Celtic Church which was of a more Eastern Orthodox than Roman Catholic persuasion (as exhibited in differences over the date of Easter and the hair style). The Roman Catholic leadership was concerned that much of Europe would become "Celticized." The Synod of Whitby eventually addressed these differences.

[edit] Missionary Methods

• Celts steeped themselves in the Bible. They studied it, learning Latin, Greek and Hebrew. They translated it into multiple vernacular languages. They copied it, producing beautifully artistic "illuminated" Bibles.
• Celts were evangelistic. They developed an evangelistically monastic missionary method. They would launch a monastery near a series of villages, and seek to develop a positive influence on those villages. As they did, they would slowly convert people form the villages. Once the villages were converted, a group of converts from the villages themselves would go out and form another monastery in a nearby region, laboring to convert that region.
• Celts were mobile. They called themselves peregrini or pilgrims for Christ. They went out knowing they would never return home to family and friends.
• Celts were known for extreme asceticism. They might sit in icy water for hours in order to subjugate the flesh. In a period of decay and chaos, the holiness of the Celts was very attractive to some.
• Celtic churches were established by and tied to the monasteries. Monasteries planted both churches and new monasteries.
• Celtics ordained missionary bishops who were not tied to a particular area. They had authority from Rome to act but did not have to come under the local bishop who might not be as interested in missions (see Sodality and Modality). They were specifically told to go where there were no churches and plant new churches there.

[edit] Footnotes

Winter, Roberta. The Celtic movement in the British isles. World Christian Foundations, Module 3, Lesson 12.