Celtic Orthodoxy - An Enduring Testimony To Wholeness
Celtic Orthodoxy - An Enduring Testimony To Wholeness
Fifteen hundred years ago a weathered hand picked up the rudimentary writing tools of his age and transferred the burning zeal of his heart onto the sedimentary soul of the foreign land on which he stood thus leaving a lasting testimony. As a result the faith of these missionary adventurers still speaks to us today for on the Cook Farm in Wyoming County, West Virginia the outline of a ship watches expectantly with an undiminished hope from under a clefting rock. Along the lines of the ship with a mast in the shape of a cross are the characters of an almost forgotten language which has only recently been translated to read: “Christ was smitten and paid an abundant ransom for those who will allow His wind to drive their ship.” (He was smitten for our transgressions thus satisfying the demands of righteousness and He paid an abundant ransom thus satisfying the requirement of justice.)
One of the harbingers of wholeness is the rediscovery and the resurgence of one of the oldest extant forms of Christianity, Celtic Orthodoxy, which maintains a high degree of integrity. (Integration is an act or instance of incorporating or combining into a whole.) Their spirituality is woven into every aspect of their lives. They see nothing about life as outside the pale of the sovereign reign of Christ. Philip Jenkins in The Next Christendom writes, “Scholars studying medieval Europe are scathing about any attempt to draw lines between ‘religion’ and ordinary life, and doubt whether anyone living in those times could actually have understood the modern distinction between church and state.” In How The Irish Saved Civilization, Thomas Cahill credits these Celtic Christians and their holistic view of life as the instruments through which Western civilization was preserved through the Dark Ages. Also, Ray Bakke writes of Orthodox believers: “...they have reminded me that God’s redemption includes the whole cosmos, the whole creation.” The most important legacy that the Irish bequeathed to Europe was Irish Christianity. Irish missionaries would spread Celtic culture and Christianity all over the face of Europe. Even though the Irish Christians eventually submitted to Roman pressures, Irish Christianity had thoroughly permeated all of Europe. (Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Scotland, Brittany and possibly northen Spain are the last repositories of the Celtic peoples in Europe.)
Closer to home, there is reliable linguistic and now emerging archeological evidence that the first Christian missionaries to the shores of North America were Celtic monks from Ireland. This is what I wrote about in the first paragraph. Their writings are carved into the strata of our land, especially in the overhanging clefts of Appalachia. The majority of these messages, written in the ancient language of Oghum, are the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. These engravings date to 500-700AD, predating the Columbian era by a millennium. These messages are called petroglyphs. The one referred to above gives ample evidence to their Christian faith as well as reliable authentication that the people who carved their holistic witness into the sediment were a seafaring people. Indeed, the message is in the form of a sailing ship - also known as a “boat rebus.” The mast of the ship is composed of the two Greek letters Chi Ro which are the first two letters of Christ and is an early Christian symbol. I have had the privilege of laying my hand on this ancient inscription and experiencing the realization that my destiny and that of the land of my people is intrinsically linked with our wandering forbears. It can be no accident that the later sojourners and settlers in this region - the Scots-Irish - are the descendants of these ancient pilgrims. God’s plans will not be deterred by the passing of a few centuries.
The Celtic peoples were originally an Eastern people. As they migrated westward, often as a result of conquest, they carried with them the world-view that would not allow them to embrace the Greek or Western dualism of spirit and body; sacred and secular; natural and supernatural; righteousness and justice, individual and community, etc. When a culture begins to dichotomize one half will eventually exert itself over the other and gain preeminence in thought and deed. On a radio talk-show I recently heard Thomas Cahill say, “Greeks had very little sense of justice.” They had set justice aside and the individual reigned supreme over the community. A spirit of individual competition became the hallmark of their society - the Olympics. In religion this mind set expresses itself in the form of legalism. Christianity in the Western world has been sifted through this paradigm resulting in an inordinate emphasis on the individual. We can hear it in the frequent reference to Christ as “our personal savior.” In his book, Paul, the Spirit and the People of God, Dr. Gordon Fee addresses this issue with urgency: “...the goal was not simply to fit individuals for heaven but to create a people who by the power of the Spirit lived out the life of the future (the life of God himself) in the present age.”
Greek thought more readily embraced righteousness because it is easier to codify than justice. It is thus reduced to a set of rules and regulations–very effectively dismissing the need for the power of God. Justice, then, when viewed through this paradigm becomes judgement and although Biblically derived from the same word takes on a completely different connotation. Through these lenses we judge one another and as noted earlier, legalism is the result–compassion is supplanted by cruelty. Without the full effect of righteousness and justice the wisdom of God is usurped by the wisdom of this world and James notes its consequences: “This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” James 3:15-16
The past emphasis of righteousness over justice has caused the worth of the individual to eclipse the worth of the community. This singular emphasis marks the beginning of the dissolution of a society and if left unchecked will preside over its eventual demise. The history of the nation of Israel between the period of the Judges and the Kings charts just such a course when it is said of them: “...everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25b) and “...the word of the Lord was rare in those days” (1 Samuel 3:1). A form of righteousness can exist in just such an autonomous society. Justice can only exist in community–it is incapable of standing on its own. The witness of justice is dependant on equitable relationships. Community and accountability go together. It could be said that the integration of righteousness and justice throughout the entire fabric of the life of the community is representative of Orthodox Christianity. This is the legacy of the efforts of Celtic missionaries who kept alive the light of Christ throughout the Dark Ages and they carried His flaming witness with them to the shores and interior of North America.
Celtic society was tribal and kinship-based. The smallest unit of this organizational structure was called the clan. The clan provided identity and protection–disputes between individuals were always disputes between clans. There was no “rugged individualism” to be found in their social structure. One of the prominent institutions among the Celts was the blood-feud in which murder or insults against an individual would require the entire clan to violently exact a retribution. At least in Ireland, a professional class of jurists would mediate disputes and exact reparations on the offending clan–justice! From this historical witness we see that justice takes root and grows into fulness in the firm soil of community. This is pleasing to the heart of the Father: “For I, the Lord, love justice,” Isaiah 61:8a.
We have a contemporary witness to this vital integrity from Erwin McManus whose surname may well indicate his own Celtic heritage: “Perhaps the best summary of integrity is that the heart of God is joined with the heart of man. The heartbeat of God pounds within our chests; His blood flows through our veins. What brings God pleasure brings us pleasure. What angers God brings our blood to a boil. Integrity will not stand by and watch the wicked oppress the weak. Like David, we make ourselves strong, not for the purpose of judging those who are afraid, but for delivering them from their fear.” The fierce defensive spirit of the Celtic warrior (e.g. Braveheart) is unmistakable in these words!
This determined refusal to accept a schismatic world view found its expression once again in the brave hearts of the people of Scotland. Scotland, Ireland and Wales are the chief repositories of the Celtic westward migrations before multitudes slipped their European moorings and set sail for North America. In Scotland “The National Covenant of 1638" declared the firm determination of the Kirk (Church) of Scotland to resist trans-local authority in the affairs of their church and their nation. They bound themselves together with God for their nation and they believed that out of the strength of this covenant the Lord Jesus Christ would truly express His Lordship. This fierce commitment to an un-compromised world view led to what has come to be known as “the killing time.” During the period 1680-1688 some 18,000 joined the voice of the slain from beneath the altar of God for they would acknowledge neither prelate nor prince (outside their covenant) as the authoritative voice of God for their nation. The spirit of their National Covenant exalted Jesus Christ as the Head of His Church–He alone is the ultimate, benevolent Despot. The royal blue banner under which they struggled and died declares, “For Christ’s Crown and Covenant!” It has been said that their blood flowed more freely than streams to the sea. On January 11, 1681, young Marion Harvie stood at the foot of the scaffold and proclaimed to her persecuters, soon to be her murderers: “I am come here today for avowing Christ to be head of his church, and King in Zion. O seek him, sirs, seek him, and ye shall find him; I sought him and found him, I held him, and would not let him go.” This passionate appeal was the last words uttered by this courageous lass before the hangman’s noose set her spirit eternally free. These brave souls are known to us today simply and succinctly by what may be called a nom de guerre: The Covenanters. They refused to exchange transformation for conformation.
Indeed, covenant, it might be defined, is the irresolute joining together of disparate parts into a congruent whole. To sever the destiny of their nation from the purposes of God and the furtherance of His Gospel was inconceivable to them. They refused to acknowledge that their Lord was the Master of only one sphere of His creation. To bow to anything less than His complete sovereignty would be blasphemy. He was either Lord of all or not at all.
The Celts were an oppressed people. They were pushed all the way from the Galatian Region of Asia Minor in their westward migration to the enclaves of Wales, Scotland, Ireland and possible the Pyrenees Mountains of Northern Spain and finally into the mountainous hinterlands of North America which is known today as Appalachia. For those who are so persecuted–they must see all things as part and parcel of the Father’s provision. Nothing can be seen to be outside the sway of His sovereign mercy.
Many today are finding a rich vibrancy in the rekindling of this ancient expression of Christ in community. They are finding their moorings in the prophetic hope spoken by Hosea and carried forth into the New Testament through Peter: “for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:10
Fifteen hundred years ago a weathered hand picked up the rudimentary writing tools of his age and transferred the burning zeal of his heart onto the sedimentary soul of the foreign land on which he stood thus leaving a lasting testimony. As a result the faith of these missionary adventurers still speaks to us today for on the Cook Farm in Wyoming County, West Virginia the outline of a ship watches expectantly with an undiminished hope from under a clefting rock. Along the lines of the ship with a mast in the shape of a cross are the characters of an almost forgotten language which has only recently been translated to read: “Christ was smitten and paid an abundant ransom for those who will allow His wind to drive their ship.” (He was smitten for our transgressions thus satisfying the demands of righteousness and He paid an abundant ransom thus satisfying the requirement of justice.)
One of the harbingers of wholeness is the rediscovery and the resurgence of one of the oldest extant forms of Christianity, Celtic Orthodoxy, which maintains a high degree of integrity. (Integration is an act or instance of incorporating or combining into a whole.) Their spirituality is woven into every aspect of their lives. They see nothing about life as outside the pale of the sovereign reign of Christ. Philip Jenkins in The Next Christendom writes, “Scholars studying medieval Europe are scathing about any attempt to draw lines between ‘religion’ and ordinary life, and doubt whether anyone living in those times could actually have understood the modern distinction between church and state.” In How The Irish Saved Civilization, Thomas Cahill credits these Celtic Christians and their holistic view of life as the instruments through which Western civilization was preserved through the Dark Ages. Also, Ray Bakke writes of Orthodox believers: “...they have reminded me that God’s redemption includes the whole cosmos, the whole creation.” The most important legacy that the Irish bequeathed to Europe was Irish Christianity. Irish missionaries would spread Celtic culture and Christianity all over the face of Europe. Even though the Irish Christians eventually submitted to Roman pressures, Irish Christianity had thoroughly permeated all of Europe. (Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Scotland, Brittany and possibly northen Spain are the last repositories of the Celtic peoples in Europe.)
Closer to home, there is reliable linguistic and now emerging archeological evidence that the first Christian missionaries to the shores of North America were Celtic monks from Ireland. This is what I wrote about in the first paragraph. Their writings are carved into the strata of our land, especially in the overhanging clefts of Appalachia. The majority of these messages, written in the ancient language of Oghum, are the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. These engravings date to 500-700AD, predating the Columbian era by a millennium. These messages are called petroglyphs. The one referred to above gives ample evidence to their Christian faith as well as reliable authentication that the people who carved their holistic witness into the sediment were a seafaring people. Indeed, the message is in the form of a sailing ship - also known as a “boat rebus.” The mast of the ship is composed of the two Greek letters Chi Ro which are the first two letters of Christ and is an early Christian symbol. I have had the privilege of laying my hand on this ancient inscription and experiencing the realization that my destiny and that of the land of my people is intrinsically linked with our wandering forbears. It can be no accident that the later sojourners and settlers in this region - the Scots-Irish - are the descendants of these ancient pilgrims. God’s plans will not be deterred by the passing of a few centuries.
The Celtic peoples were originally an Eastern people. As they migrated westward, often as a result of conquest, they carried with them the world-view that would not allow them to embrace the Greek or Western dualism of spirit and body; sacred and secular; natural and supernatural; righteousness and justice, individual and community, etc. When a culture begins to dichotomize one half will eventually exert itself over the other and gain preeminence in thought and deed. On a radio talk-show I recently heard Thomas Cahill say, “Greeks had very little sense of justice.” They had set justice aside and the individual reigned supreme over the community. A spirit of individual competition became the hallmark of their society - the Olympics. In religion this mind set expresses itself in the form of legalism. Christianity in the Western world has been sifted through this paradigm resulting in an inordinate emphasis on the individual. We can hear it in the frequent reference to Christ as “our personal savior.” In his book, Paul, the Spirit and the People of God, Dr. Gordon Fee addresses this issue with urgency: “...the goal was not simply to fit individuals for heaven but to create a people who by the power of the Spirit lived out the life of the future (the life of God himself) in the present age.”
Greek thought more readily embraced righteousness because it is easier to codify than justice. It is thus reduced to a set of rules and regulations–very effectively dismissing the need for the power of God. Justice, then, when viewed through this paradigm becomes judgement and although Biblically derived from the same word takes on a completely different connotation. Through these lenses we judge one another and as noted earlier, legalism is the result–compassion is supplanted by cruelty. Without the full effect of righteousness and justice the wisdom of God is usurped by the wisdom of this world and James notes its consequences: “This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” James 3:15-16
The past emphasis of righteousness over justice has caused the worth of the individual to eclipse the worth of the community. This singular emphasis marks the beginning of the dissolution of a society and if left unchecked will preside over its eventual demise. The history of the nation of Israel between the period of the Judges and the Kings charts just such a course when it is said of them: “...everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25b) and “...the word of the Lord was rare in those days” (1 Samuel 3:1). A form of righteousness can exist in just such an autonomous society. Justice can only exist in community–it is incapable of standing on its own. The witness of justice is dependant on equitable relationships. Community and accountability go together. It could be said that the integration of righteousness and justice throughout the entire fabric of the life of the community is representative of Orthodox Christianity. This is the legacy of the efforts of Celtic missionaries who kept alive the light of Christ throughout the Dark Ages and they carried His flaming witness with them to the shores and interior of North America.
Celtic society was tribal and kinship-based. The smallest unit of this organizational structure was called the clan. The clan provided identity and protection–disputes between individuals were always disputes between clans. There was no “rugged individualism” to be found in their social structure. One of the prominent institutions among the Celts was the blood-feud in which murder or insults against an individual would require the entire clan to violently exact a retribution. At least in Ireland, a professional class of jurists would mediate disputes and exact reparations on the offending clan–justice! From this historical witness we see that justice takes root and grows into fulness in the firm soil of community. This is pleasing to the heart of the Father: “For I, the Lord, love justice,” Isaiah 61:8a.
We have a contemporary witness to this vital integrity from Erwin McManus whose surname may well indicate his own Celtic heritage: “Perhaps the best summary of integrity is that the heart of God is joined with the heart of man. The heartbeat of God pounds within our chests; His blood flows through our veins. What brings God pleasure brings us pleasure. What angers God brings our blood to a boil. Integrity will not stand by and watch the wicked oppress the weak. Like David, we make ourselves strong, not for the purpose of judging those who are afraid, but for delivering them from their fear.” The fierce defensive spirit of the Celtic warrior (e.g. Braveheart) is unmistakable in these words!
This determined refusal to accept a schismatic world view found its expression once again in the brave hearts of the people of Scotland. Scotland, Ireland and Wales are the chief repositories of the Celtic westward migrations before multitudes slipped their European moorings and set sail for North America. In Scotland “The National Covenant of 1638" declared the firm determination of the Kirk (Church) of Scotland to resist trans-local authority in the affairs of their church and their nation. They bound themselves together with God for their nation and they believed that out of the strength of this covenant the Lord Jesus Christ would truly express His Lordship. This fierce commitment to an un-compromised world view led to what has come to be known as “the killing time.” During the period 1680-1688 some 18,000 joined the voice of the slain from beneath the altar of God for they would acknowledge neither prelate nor prince (outside their covenant) as the authoritative voice of God for their nation. The spirit of their National Covenant exalted Jesus Christ as the Head of His Church–He alone is the ultimate, benevolent Despot. The royal blue banner under which they struggled and died declares, “For Christ’s Crown and Covenant!” It has been said that their blood flowed more freely than streams to the sea. On January 11, 1681, young Marion Harvie stood at the foot of the scaffold and proclaimed to her persecuters, soon to be her murderers: “I am come here today for avowing Christ to be head of his church, and King in Zion. O seek him, sirs, seek him, and ye shall find him; I sought him and found him, I held him, and would not let him go.” This passionate appeal was the last words uttered by this courageous lass before the hangman’s noose set her spirit eternally free. These brave souls are known to us today simply and succinctly by what may be called a nom de guerre: The Covenanters. They refused to exchange transformation for conformation.
Indeed, covenant, it might be defined, is the irresolute joining together of disparate parts into a congruent whole. To sever the destiny of their nation from the purposes of God and the furtherance of His Gospel was inconceivable to them. They refused to acknowledge that their Lord was the Master of only one sphere of His creation. To bow to anything less than His complete sovereignty would be blasphemy. He was either Lord of all or not at all.
The Celts were an oppressed people. They were pushed all the way from the Galatian Region of Asia Minor in their westward migration to the enclaves of Wales, Scotland, Ireland and possible the Pyrenees Mountains of Northern Spain and finally into the mountainous hinterlands of North America which is known today as Appalachia. For those who are so persecuted–they must see all things as part and parcel of the Father’s provision. Nothing can be seen to be outside the sway of His sovereign mercy.
Many today are finding a rich vibrancy in the rekindling of this ancient expression of Christ in community. They are finding their moorings in the prophetic hope spoken by Hosea and carried forth into the New Testament through Peter: “for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:10
posted by Pastor Ron Thaxton | 2:29 AM
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