First let us look closely at the term. Noting it is most often show in Abramic Light and not Pagan or Druidic !
Pneumatology:
>>
pneumatology
[noo-muh-tol-uh-jee, nyoo-]
noun
> 1. Theology., doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit, the
belief in intermediary spirits between humans and God.
2.
the doctrine or theory of spiritual beings.
3.
Archaic. psychology.
4.
Obsolete, pneumatics.
Origin
of pneumatology :
1670-1680 1670-80;
pneumato- + -logy
Related
forms:
pneumatologic
[noo-mat-l-oj-ik, nyoo-, noo-muh-tl-, nyoo-] (Show IPA),
pneumatological, adjective
pneumatologist,
noun
Dictionary.com
Unabridged
Based
on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2015.
Historical
Examples:
There
has been a great change of late years in connection with the science
of pneumatology and with the manner of treating it.
Atlantic
Monthly, Vol. XII. September, 1863, No. LXXI.
Various:
The
first part is cosmology, the second rational doctrine of the soul,
pneumatology and theology.
A Commentary to Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason'
A Commentary to Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason'
Norman
Kemp Smith
But
neither the physiology, nor the pneumatology had been placed in
organic connection with the central cerebral science.
Buchanan's
Journal of Man, September 1887
Various
:
We
have now mind as mind, divested of its naturalness and subjectivity,
and as such, it is an object of pneumatology.
A
History of Philosophy in Epitome
Albert
Schwegler
As
to the psychic half of the cerebral functions, they omitted entirely
that portion which relates to pneumatology.
Buchanan's
Journal of Man, October 1887
Various
pneumatology
was no science, but the mere fancy of an excited imagination.
Atlantic
Monthly, Vol. XII. September, 1863, No. LXXI.
Various
British
Dictionary definitions for pneumatology :
pneumatology
/ˌnjuːməˈtɒlədʒɪ/
noun
> 1. the branch of theology concerned with the Holy Ghost and
other spiritual beings
2.
an obsolete name for psychology (sense 1)
3.
an obsolete term for pneumatics
Derived
Forms:
pneumatological
(ˌnjuːmətəˈlɒdʒɪkə l) adjective
pneumatologist,
noun
<<
REf.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pneumatology
>>
Pneumatology
is the study of spiritual beings and phenomena, especially the
spiritual aspect of human beings and the interactions between humans
and God.
Pneuma (πνεῦμα) is Greek for "breath", which metaphorically describes a non-material being or influence. Pneumatology as the study of the spirit is to be distinguished from psychology, the study of the soul.
As many religious denominations do not distinguish between soul and spirit, this has been somewhat problematic. In general, the ABCs of psychology are the study of cognition, affect, and connation, or to put it into words more generally recognized, thinking, feeling, and willing.
Thoughts, feelings, and acts of will (motivations, intentions, willfulness) is what fills the psyche, but when psychology is done what is primarily of interest is the actual nature of the collecting, organizing, and clarifying of thoughts, that is, thinking characterized as cogent, logical, run-on, disconnected, tautologous, symbolic, or psychotic (schizophrenic).
Similarly feelings may be brought to the center of attention, but in psychology what is of interest is the actual nature of feeling itself, characterized as intuitive, sympathetic, empathic, inappropriate, projective, easily changeable, fixed and not easily changeable, or psychotic (manic-depressive).
Similarly a person's will acts may be considered, but in psychology it is the actual nature of using the will that is of interest, characterized as unconscious, weak, self-serving, magnanimous, informed by thinking and feeling, overly influential over thinking and feeling, or psychotic (psychopathic or sociopathic).
In contradistinction to psychology, pneumatology involves the study of the spirit (German Geist, Greek pneuma). In general, the ABCs of pneumatology are the study of technique (craftsmanship, German Kunst, Greek techne), science (conceptualization of ideas, German Wissenschaft, Greek episteme), poetry (inspiration, German Einatmung, Greek poises), belief (opinion, German Glaube, Greek doxa), and recognition (holding in mind, German Erkenntnis, Greek gnosis).
Pneuma (πνεῦμα) is Greek for "breath", which metaphorically describes a non-material being or influence. Pneumatology as the study of the spirit is to be distinguished from psychology, the study of the soul.
As many religious denominations do not distinguish between soul and spirit, this has been somewhat problematic. In general, the ABCs of psychology are the study of cognition, affect, and connation, or to put it into words more generally recognized, thinking, feeling, and willing.
Thoughts, feelings, and acts of will (motivations, intentions, willfulness) is what fills the psyche, but when psychology is done what is primarily of interest is the actual nature of the collecting, organizing, and clarifying of thoughts, that is, thinking characterized as cogent, logical, run-on, disconnected, tautologous, symbolic, or psychotic (schizophrenic).
Similarly feelings may be brought to the center of attention, but in psychology what is of interest is the actual nature of feeling itself, characterized as intuitive, sympathetic, empathic, inappropriate, projective, easily changeable, fixed and not easily changeable, or psychotic (manic-depressive).
Similarly a person's will acts may be considered, but in psychology it is the actual nature of using the will that is of interest, characterized as unconscious, weak, self-serving, magnanimous, informed by thinking and feeling, overly influential over thinking and feeling, or psychotic (psychopathic or sociopathic).
In contradistinction to psychology, pneumatology involves the study of the spirit (German Geist, Greek pneuma). In general, the ABCs of pneumatology are the study of technique (craftsmanship, German Kunst, Greek techne), science (conceptualization of ideas, German Wissenschaft, Greek episteme), poetry (inspiration, German Einatmung, Greek poises), belief (opinion, German Glaube, Greek doxa), and recognition (holding in mind, German Erkenntnis, Greek gnosis).
In
Christian theology
Main
article: Pneumatology (Christianity)
In
Christian theology pneumatology refers to the study of the Holy
Spirit. The English word comes from two Greek words: πνευμα
(pneuma, spirit) and λογος (logos, study of; teaching about).
Pneumatology would normally include study of the person of the Holy Spirit, and the works of the Holy Spirit. This latter category would normally include Christian teachings on new birth, spiritual gifts (charismata), Spirit-baptism, sanctification, the inspiration of prophets, and the indwelling of the Holy Trinity (which in itself covers many different aspects).
Different Christian denominations have different theological approaches. << Ref. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumatology
Pneumatology would normally include study of the person of the Holy Spirit, and the works of the Holy Spirit. This latter category would normally include Christian teachings on new birth, spiritual gifts (charismata), Spirit-baptism, sanctification, the inspiration of prophets, and the indwelling of the Holy Trinity (which in itself covers many different aspects).
Different Christian denominations have different theological approaches. << Ref. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumatology
For the Pagan Celt or Druid this defination should be the interactions with the Gods Goddesses, AOS Si / Creideamh Sí , genii locorum , Otherkind and all aspects of SummerLands - the World of Spirit or as many call it the Astral Planes.
Both sent from and by our Dindsenchas, Seanchas, Taibhsearachd and Ár nDraíocht Féin .
The point I hope people will see from the below article is the great
similarity between the Charismatic tales of early Irish Christian converts receiving “charismata” or special gifts and powers via pneumatology of (claimed) Holy Ghost, (I believe) .
And (to me) the Pre-Christianity “Celtic-Pneumatology” of Awen and (Imbas) “Iombhas Forosna”, creating truly ancient Charismatic Vates, Bards and Druids that received gifts from the Aos Si, Gods or Goddesses, SummerLands or other kinds of Otherkind.
While the below article only approaches our rich Druidic / Celtic heritages of these seemly magical realities.
It does serve as a great reference to us all to rediscover our true natures and powers:
TDK
Both sent from and by our Dindsenchas, Seanchas, Taibhsearachd and Ár nDraíocht Féin .
The point I hope people will see from the below article is the great
similarity between the Charismatic tales of early Irish Christian converts receiving “charismata” or special gifts and powers via pneumatology of (claimed) Holy Ghost, (I believe) .
And (to me) the Pre-Christianity “Celtic-Pneumatology” of Awen and (Imbas) “Iombhas Forosna”, creating truly ancient Charismatic Vates, Bards and Druids that received gifts from the Aos Si, Gods or Goddesses, SummerLands or other kinds of Otherkind.
While the below article only approaches our rich Druidic / Celtic heritages of these seemly magical realities.
It does serve as a great reference to us all to rediscover our true natures and powers:
TDK
Christianity
and the appeal of Celtic Pneumatology:
>>
179
NIGEL
SCOTLAND
Charismatic
Christianity and the
appeal
of Celtic Pneumatology
Nigel
Scotland notes that Celtic Pneumatology has become a significant
resource
for charismatics and post-charismatics in recent years. The
section
of this article considers some of the possible origins and content
of
Celtic culture and Christianity. Drawing on the writings of Bede and
other
early Christian writers, he reflects on the many stories of the
northern
saints under headings related to spiritual gifts: healing and
wholeness
conflict with the demonic and prophetic and knowledge gifts.
Charismatic
Christianity
The
word ‘charismatic’ derives from the Greek word ‘charismata’
which means gift
of
the Holy Spirit. Peter Hocken asserted that Harold Bredesen (b. 1918)
and Jean
Stone
(b. 1924) ‘have the distinction of coining the term ‘charismatic’
to denote
the
new movement of the Holy Spirit which emerged within the mainstream
denominational
churches in the late 1960s and early 1970s. At the end of their
article
entitled ‘Return of the Charismata’, they stated ‘we call this
movement “the
charismatic
renewal”’.1 Charismatic Christianity is a worldwide experience of
the
Holy
Spirit which is rooted in the Day of Pentecost. It emphasises an
‘overwhelming
filling
of the Holy Spirit’ and the practice of the gifts of the Holy
Spirit, most notably
speaking
in tongues, prophecy and healing but also other speaking, helping and
miraculous
gifts listed in the New Testament. Professor Max Turner has suggested
that
‘charisma’ means no more than ‘gift’.2 Charismatic
Christianity therefore
emphasises
the importance of the indwelling ‘Charisma’ or gracious gift of
the Spirit
and
the use of the ‘Charismata’ or gifts of Holy Spirit.
There
are a number of reasons why charismatic Christians have found
themselves
drawn to Celtic pneumatology. By the 1980s the charismatic movement
had
grown steadily and impacted on the life and worship of numbers of the
historic
denominational
churches but at the same time many were beginning to feel the
need
for a more ‘rooted’ spirituality. Charismatics knew what they had
reacted
against
but somehow they weren’t altogether sure what they should be
standing
for.
They still valued the filling of the Holy Spirit, the practice of the
charismata
and
freedom in worship, but there was now a growing sense that
charismatic
Christianity
had become introverted and insular and that the experience of the
Holy
1
Hocken, P., Streams of Renewal, Paternoster
Press,
Carlisle 1997, p 185.
2
See Turner, M., The Holy Spirit and Spiritual
Gifts:
Then and Now, Paternoster Press,
Carlisle
1996, pp 252-255.
180
ANVIL Volume 23 No 3 2006
Spirit
was an end in itself. There was increased concern that an unless the
‘anointing’
was related and directed into the surrounding world and its culture
it
would
dry up like an unused well. In short, it needed to be earthed in what
was
objective
and solid. It was at this point that some with an interest in early
church
history
began to discover that Celtic pneumatology had something very
definite
to
bring to this situation. The Celts like the Charismatics valued the
gifts and the
Baptism
of the Holy Spirit but their experience of his person was much more
integrated
with the life of God’s created universe. They loved to use the
gifts of
the
Holy Spirit and delighted in spontaneous worship but they focused
these
blessings
on the presence of Christ as they reverentially shared the bread and
wine
of
the sacrament of Holy Communion. The Celts also found that they could
draw
on
the Holy Spirit’s presence through the created world around them.
They
delighted
to stand in the sea to praise God or walk in the rain reciting the
psalms
or
share in the Eucharist in the open countryside. Indeed Patrick had
portable a
communion
table for this very purpose. The Celts also made much use of
Christian
art
forms and symbolism particularly the cross as another means of
allowing the
Holy
Spirit to direct their attention on to Christ. For the Celts
appropriate physical
touch
was also a way of making the Holy Spirit’s presence a practical
reality
particularly
in times of sickness, worry and uncertainty. Hence they valued
sacramental
oil, consecrated water, icons, art forms, holy relics and sacred
treasures.
Two
books in particular sought to demonstrate the possibilities of Celtic
pneumatology
for those Charismatics who were feeling rootless. These were
Michael
Mitton’s Restoring the Woven Cord: Strands in Celtic Christianity
for the Church
To-day
and Ray Simpson’s Exploring Celtic Spirituality: Historic Roots for
our Future.
Both
were published in 19953 and both sought to indicate the relevance of
Celtic
worship
and spirituality for Charismatic Christianity. Mitton asserted that
the early
Celts
were thoroughly comfortable with a God who would have readily
understood
John
Wimber’s concept of ‘Power Evangelism’. On a personal note he
also related
that
in Celtic spirituality he had ‘discovered something that he had
been searching
for
during the past twenty years’.4 Earlier in 1992, a group of
Charismatic Christians
that
included a Baptist minister, an Anglican Priest and a Roman Catholic
layman
established
the Northumbria Community in a large house that is situated in close
proximity
to the cave where Cuthbert’s body is said to have been taken by
monks
who
were seeking refuge from Viking insurgents. Then in 1994 a group led
Michael
Mitton
and Ray Simpson launched The Community of St Aidan and St Hilda which
aims
to bring healing to the land and calls its members ‘to commit
themselves to
reproduce
the quality of the lives of the Celtic Saints’. In 1996 Ray Simpson
left
his
Norwich parish and took up residence in a small cottage in
Lindisfarne from
where
he holds retreats, provides resources and actively encourages
interested
churches
to explore Celtic mission, worship and spirituality.5
Interest
in Celtic Pneumatology was further prompted by the ‘Toronto
Blessing’
which
began with a series of meetings at the Toronto Airport Church in
January
3
See Mitton, M., Restoring the Woven Cord:
Strands
of Celtic Christianity for the Church of
Today
Darton, Longman and Todd, and
Simpson,
R., Exploring Celtic Spirituality:
Historic
Roots for Our Future, Hodder and
Stoughton,
1995. See also Simpson, R., Celtic
Worship
Through the Year, Hodder and
Stoughton,
1997.
4
Mitton, R., Restoring the Woven Cord p1.
5
See Bradley, I., Celtic Christianity Making
Myths
and Chasing Dreams, Edinburgh
University
Press, 1999 pp 208-210.
181
1994
and spread all over the world. Indeed the Toronto experience is
ongoing in
many
places at the present time. It was and is associated with a variety
of emotional
and
religious phenomena, most notably seemingly uncontrollable ‘holy
laughter’,
people
falling and lying on the ground in a semi-conscious state, running on
the
spot,
pogoing, roaring like a lion and jerking or twitching like pigeon.
These
‘religious
exercises’ have since become the subject of much ongoing debate not
only
in the wider Christian world but among Charismatics themselves. To
many
this
was and is God moving in a ‘new wave’. It’s a time to ‘drink’
or ‘soak’ or in the
words
of one church notice-board ‘to come and have a spiritual carwash’.
For other
charismatics
the phenomena are regarded as a psychologically induced human
response
to preachers’ rhetoric coupled with a mild hypnosis generated by
lengthy
sessions
of calming worship songs. At best all this was held to be the
‘MacDonaldisation’
of charismatic Christian experience and at worst it was
unbridled
‘enthusiasm’. In the view of concerned Charismatics it had
depersonalised
the
Holy Spirit. In short, the Toronto experience resulted in the
emergence of ‘PostCharismatics’.
These
are Charismatics who still value and endorse the ‘Baptism of
the
Holy Spirit’ but they reject outright the phenomena associated with
Toronto
as
psychological aberrations that are without Scriptural precedent. They
also stand
four-square
against the irrationality of what R.T. Kendal rejoices in and calls
the
‘Yuk
factor’! The Yuk factor is happy to endorse what many might take to
be a
fetish
as the moving of God’s spirit.6 In summary, Post-Charismatics feel
that
Charismatic
pneumatology has ‘run thin’ on content and doctrine and lost its
Christological
focus. For the Post-Charismatics therefore Celtic pneumatology has
much
to offer because it gives greater weight to the rational and promotes
a Holy
Spirit
experience that has less potential to become an end in itself. At the
same
time
it embraces the world which the Spirit, as the third person of the
Trinity, helped
to
bring into being
Celtic
Christianity
The
origins of the Celtic race are shrouded in obscurity. They are
generally believed
to
have first emerged as a distinct linguistic group in the Black Sea
area about
1000BC.
By 600BC they had moved from this central European base to the
Pyrenees
in the south, the Rhine basin in the north and as far as Ireland in
the
west
and to what is now Rumania in the East. During the years 400 to
1000AD
the
Celts came to dominate Ireland, Scotland and parts of Wales and the
West
Country.
The
Romans first established the province of Britannia in 50AD but they
never
really
exerted much influence north of Hadrian’s Wall which had been built
for
defensive
purposes in 122 A.D.. Celtic peoples were chiefly located in the
geographical
regions of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. However by the time of Bede
Celts
were settled in many parts of England and the influence of Celtic
Christianity
stretched
as far south as the Thames estuary. It is probable that Roman
6
See Kendall, R.T., Out of the Comfort Zone
(Hodder
and Stoughton, 2005) especially pp
154-155
where he describes how Rodney
Howard
Brown prayed for Randy and Nancy
Wall.
Nancy was ‘left with an urge to utter
Ho!
Involuntarily whether at home, church
or
in a restaurant’. She asked Kendall why
she
had this urge. He replied, ‘God does this
to
see if you want the anointing more than
anything
else in the world’. She immediately
cried
out, ‘Ho!, Ho!, Ho!’.
Nigel
Scotland Charismatic Christianity and the appeal of Celtic
Pneumatology
182
ANVIL Volume 23 No 3 2006
administrators
and soldiers were the first to impact the indigenous Celtic peoples
of
the province of Britannia with the Christian faith. Their influence
was
supplemented
by monks from Gaul.
In
409 Rome was taken by the Goths and from that point on Roman rule
came
to
an end in Britain. After about 410 onwards the Roman military began
to withdraw
from
England and the country was invaded by Angles, Saxons and Jutes from
various
parts
of Europe. This meant that for much of the fifth and sixth centuries
Celtic
Christianity
was pushed north and west by the pagan invaders. Expressions of
Celtic
Christianity
were nevertheless in evidence in the British Isles until about 1000
AD
but
it was most prominent in the period before the Venerable Bede
completed his
Ecclesiastical
History of the English People in 731. The golden age of Celtic
Christianity
is
usually regarded as mid fifth to the mid seventh century. This was
the era which
saw
the best known of the Irish and British Saints. Patrick’s arrival
in Ireland in or
about
432 and marks its start. Others followed in his steps – Brigid,
Ninian, David,
Columba
and Aidan whose death in 651 represents the end of the era.
With
the coming of Augustine, the monk from Rome, sent by Pope Gregory in
597,
the influence of Roman Christianity began to mingle with and
eventually
predominate
over the Celtic expressions of the faith. Bede detects two campaigns
from
Rome against the Celtic tradition. The first was about the beginning
of the
seventh
century under Augustine of Canterbury against the British Church in
the
West;
the second was made at the time of Bishop Wilfrid at the Synod of
Whitby
in
663 when the issue turned on the date of Easter.7
As
has been noted Charismatic Christianity places particular emphasis on
the
Holy
Spirit experience and the practice of the Holy Spirit’s gifts. What
therefore
follows
is an examination of the appeal for Charismatics of these two aspects
within
the
life and worship of the Celtic Church. The principal sources for this
are found
in
Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People, his Life of
Cuthbert written in
716
and the writings of Patrick, most notably his Confession written
about 470.
The
Venerable Bede (673-735), a priest and monk at Jarrow, was the first
great
English
Church historian. He wrote of the period between Caesar’s invasion
of
Britain
in 55BC and the year 731 and described the situation in both Britain
and
Ireland.
He makes mention of a British King called Lucius who ruled under the
Romans
and who sent a letter to the Bishop of Rome in 167 asking to be made
a
Christian.
Before Bede began his work, he collected and sifted his materials
which
included
ancient traditions and sources, recent letters and acts of church
councils.
However,
although Bede checked and sifted his witnesses, he is rarely
questioning
of the evidence they produced or the stories which they related. De
Paor
criticised Bede’s work on the ground that he took some of his
information
from
Gildas, a Welsh monk, who wrote about 540 AD and whose knowledge of
the
events a century and a half before his own time was very far from
perfect.8
Against
that, it should be noted that Bede did have access to the library at
Jarrow,
which
was almost unequalled by any in England and he did cross-check his
evidence
with
other sources and with other individuals whom he knew personally. In
summing
up his account of Aidan in Book 3 of his History, Bede made it clear
that
7
See Chadwick, N.K., The Age of the Saints in
the
Celtic Church, OUP, London 1963, p 121.
8
De Paor, L., St Patrick’s World, University of
Notre
Dame Press, Dublin 1993, p 11.
183
he
aimed to be faithful to his sources. He wrote, ‘…as a truthful
historian, I have
given
an accurate account of his life, commending all that was excellent
and
preserving
his memory for the benefit of my readers’.9
It
is generally acknowledged however that Patrick, Columba and other
Celtic
saints
had their reputations enhanced with additional accounts of the
miraculous
by
later generations for varying reasons. Sometimes it was to strengthen
the status
of
a particular See or to promote their relics as a means of increasing
pilgrimage
and
racheting up monastic income. Bradley is of the view that Bede
‘almost
certainly
over-exaggerated both the peculiar missionary zeal and the monastic
character
of the Irish church’.10 Leaving aside these criticisms for the
present, it
has
to be said that many of the miracles in the Celtic Church which Bede
records
are
not out of keeping with the writings of his contemporaries.
Additionally, many
of
them resonate with the miracles reported by Luke in the Book of Acts.
The
Holy Spirit Experience in Celtic Christianity
Contemporary
Charismatic Christianity is generally held to begin with an
overwhelming
presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. This kind of
experience
was by no means unusual among the Celts. Early in the fourth century,
shortly
after the martyrdom of Alban, Bede related that Germanus, a bishop
who
had
come from Gaul, was ‘filled with the Holy Ghost, called on the name
of the
Trinity’
and restored a girl’s eyes ‘in the sight of them all’.
Patrick
(385-461) was a British man who was captured in a raid and taken to
Ireland
as a slave for six years. He then escaped to Gaul where he trained as
a
monk.
He eventually found his way back to Britain from where he was
commissioned
to take the gospel to Ireland. Towards the end of his life he wrote
in
his Confession: ‘He who wants can laugh and jeer, but I shall not
keep silent nor
keep
hidden the signs and wonders which have been shown to me by the Lord
before
they took place as He who knows all things before the world began’.11
Patrick
is quite clear that these miraculous occurrences were accomplished by
the
power of the Holy Spirit. He reminds his readers at the beginning of
his
Confession
that Jesus ‘poured out on us abundantly His Holy Spirit, the gift
and
pledge
of immortality, who makes those who believe and obey to be sons of
God
and
heirs along with Christ’.12 Patrick recalled how when he first
reached Ireland
as
a captive, he was able to pray before dawn in all weathers, snow,
frost and rain
‘because
the Spirit was fervent within me.’13
On
occasion Patrick was profoundly conscious of the Holy Spirit praying
from
deep
within his own spirit. His description of this experience is not
dissimilar from
that
recounted by people who pray in tongues or who enter a state of
constant
intercession
by praying the Jesus Prayer. Patrick related.
I
saw Him praying within me and I was, as it were, inside my own body
and I
heard
His voice above me, that is to say above my inner self, and He was
praying
there powerfully and groaning; and meanwhile I was dumbfounded and
9
The sources for the descriptive material
related
to the lives of the Celtic saints are
Bede’s
History and Bede, Life of Cuthbert,
Penguin
Books ,Harmondsworth 1986,
unless
otherwise stated.
10
Bradley,I., Celtic Christianity, Edinburgh
University
Press, Edinburgh 1999, p 27.
11
Patrick, Confession, Declaration 45.
12
Patrick, Confession, Declaration 4.
13
Patrick, Confession, Declaration 16
Nigel
Scotland Charismatic Christianity and the appeal of Celtic
Pneumatology
184
ANVIL Volume 23 No 3 2006
astonished
and wondered who it could be that was praying with me, but at
the
end of the prayer He spoke and said that He was the Spirit … The
Spirit
helps
the weaknesses of our prayer; for we do not know what to pray for as
we
ought; but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspeakable
groans
which
cannot be expressed in words. (Romans 8.26) and again: ‘The Lord
our
advocate
intercedes for us.’ (cf 1 John 2 v 1) 14
When
he later reflected on his time in Ireland as a captive exile, Patrick
wrote that
God
protected him from all evils ‘because of His Spirit dwelling in
me’.15
In
his Life of Cuthbert Bede also stressed the work of the Holy Spirit.
He wrote
that
it was the bishop’s in the habit to go round the diocese ‘giving
saving counsel
in
all the houses and hamlets of the countryside, and laying his hand on
the newly
baptised
so that the Grace of the Holy Spirit might come down upon them.’.
On
another
occasion Bede reported that Cuthbert (634-687) arrived in a certain
village
where
‘he preached twice to the milling crowds and brought down the grace
of
the
Holy Spirit by imposition of hands on those newly regenerated in
Christ’. It is
clear
therefore that in the years up until the time of Bede that Christian
people
sought
for and cultivated a conscious awareness of the Holy Spirit’s
presence in
their
lives. Equally, it is evident that they expected the charismata or
gifts of the
Holy
Spirit to feature in the Church’s life, ministry and worship.
Spiritual
Gifts in Celtic Christianity
Of
the charismata or gifts of the Holy Spirit which were in evidence in
this early
Celtic
churches, healing and wholeness, conflict with the demonic and
prophetic
and
knowledge gifts appear to have been particularly prominent.
Healing
and Wholeness
The
writings of Bede and Patrick abound with examples of healing. In the
case of
Bede
however it has to be said that some of his sources may have suffered
from
embellishments
either through word of mouth or as written creations in the years
before
he encountered them in his researches in the monastic library at
Jarrow.
Leaving
the possibility of such fabrication aside for a moment, what is not
in
question
is the fact that Bede himself evidently valued the gifts of the Holy
Spirit
and
believed them to be a vital aspect of the church’s life and
worship.
The
New Testament emphasises healing as one of the gifts of the Holy
Spirit.
Bede
certainly gives many instances of its use in the Christian churches
in the
years
before his own time. For example, he related the case of a youth
whose
arm
was healed by the power of the cross, which King Oswald (d. 642) had
erected
before going into battle in 634. Some years after the King’s death,
this
young
man, a brother named Bothelm from the Church at Hebron, who Bede
stated
‘is still living’, slipped on the ice and fractured his arm which
caused him
agonising
pain. At length another brother decided to go up to the site of the
cross
and
brought back a piece of its revered wood. At supper he passed a few
strands
of
the old moss that grew on the surface of the cross to the injured
man. He
had
nowhere to put it and so thrust it next to his breast. When he awoke
next
14
Patrick, Confession, Declaration 25. 15 Patrick, Confession,
Declaration 33.
185
morning
he was perfectly healed. Bede went on to relate several other
miraculous
cures
that took place at the site of Oswald’s death. ‘Many people’,
he wrote, ‘took
away
the very dust from the place where his body fell, and put it in
water, from
which
sick folk who drank it received great benefit.’ Bede felt this to
be no
surprise,
for during his life time Oswald ‘never failed to provide for the
sick and
needy
and to give them alms and aid’. A paralysed young girl was healed
on being
laid
down at the place of Oswald’s death and even a horse that happened
to fall
at
the spot was soon restored and ready to ride. Stories about other
Celtic saints
also
featured miraculous healings. St Brigid (c450-523) of Ireland cured a
child
who
was mute.16 It was not always the actual person who caused the
healing.
The
relics of the saints, or a visit to a saint’s tomb, often brought
about miracles.
Bede
gives the account of a man named Baduthegn who suddenly became
paralysed
on one side of his body from head to foot. The man crawled on his
hands
and knees to the tomb of Saint Cuthbert. He prayed and fell asleep
there,
and
when he awoke he was completely cured. Another individual with a
tumour
on
his eyelid was suddenly cured by the goodness of God and by means of
Cuthbert’s
relics. Cuthbert brought healing to a woman who sipped water that
he
had blessed and to a bed-ridden man called Hildmer who ate bread
which he
had
blessed and to Aelfflaed, a nun who was unable to walk, who touched a
linen
cincture
which he sent to her. Whilst not all Charismatics or
Post-Charismatics
will
be happy with the use of relics there is something of importance
here. There
has
been a tendency among some Charismatics, possibly stemming from
Protestant
roots, to shy away from the physical. To be able to sip water that
has
been
consecrated in the name of the Trinity or to hold a small wooden
cross
can
be a powerful aid to the faith of someone who is sick or discouraged.
Cuthbert
not only healed people but his prayers also brought healing to the
land.
Bede recounted how Cuthbert went to live alone on Farne Island, a few
miles
to
the south east of Lindisfarne. He was, says Bede, ‘the first brave
man to live
there
alone’, for the island ‘had no water, corn or trees and being the
haunt of evil
spirits
was very ill-suited to human habitation’. However, when Cuthbert
arrived
he
ordered all the evil spirits to withdraw, and the island became quite
habitable
and
‘a rich crop quickly sprung up’. Here we observe an important
outward thrust
to
Celtic pneumatology with obvious practical implications for C21st
Christianity.
For
Charismatics who feel that their worship or personal experience of
the Holy
Spirit
has become too introverted, Cuthbert and his associates present us
with a
pneumatology
that seeks to bring healing of the created order.
Bede
also recounted healings by Bishop John, first of Hexham then of York.
The
information was given to Bede personally by Berthun, the bishop’s
deacon.
Among
many instances, a dumb youth who had many scabs and scales on his
head
and
was partially bald, began to speak freely after ‘the bishop took
him by the chin
and
made the sign of the holy cross on his tongue’. Later ‘with the
assistance of
the
bishop’s blessing and prayers his skin healed, and a vigorous
growth of hair
appeared’.
When he was at York, John blessed and prayed over a nun who was
lying
in bed with a wounded and badly swollen arm. Just as the bishop was
leaving,
‘the
pain left her, the swelling subsided and the girl gave thanks to our
Lord and
16
Liam de Paor, St Patrick’s World, Four Courts
Press
Ltd., 1993, p 212.
Nigel
Scotland Charismatic Christianity and the appeal of Celtic
Pneumatology
186
ANVIL Volume 23 No 3 2006
Saviour’.
Another individual with a tumour on his eyelid was suddenly cured by
the
goodness of God and by means of Cuthbert’s relics. On another
occasion he
prayed
for one of his clergy who had fallen from his horse and cracked his
skull.
The
bishop spent the night with him in prayer asking God to restore him.
Early
next
morning the priest was able to sit up and talk and within a short
while was
again
riding his horse.
Conflict
with the demonic
Early
Celtic Christianity both understood and grappled with the demonic.
The
Celts
lived in a world that they felt to be populated not only by Christ,
angels
and
saints, but also with demons and wicked spirits. It has been
suggested that
part
of the reason for this may have been the pagan religious practices
and
backgrounds
out of which the Celts had been converted. Ian Bradley posited that
the
pattern known as the Celtic Knot was used to ward off the devil’s
powers.
Patrick,
when evangelising the Irish, had many a conflict with the forces of
darkness.
For instance when he came to the heathen city of Tara he discovered
there
was an idolatrous feast which was kept at the same time as Easter. By
tradition
no one could light a fire before one was kindled in the King’s
house.
Unconcerned
by this pagan custom Patrick began his Easter celebration with an
enormous
fire. The result of this was that the King went with a number of his
counsellors
and wizards to remonstrate with Patrick. One of the wizards called
Lochra
spoke against the Catholic faith in ‘the most arrogant terms’. In
response,
Patrick
shouted out aloud, ‘O Lord, who can do all things … may this
impious
man
who blasphemes your name, be now carried out of here without delay.’
Almost
immediately the man fell headfirst and crashed his head against a
stone
and
died.17
Patrick
recorded another instance during his labours in Ireland when he was
attacked
by the devil. He wrote in his Confession: ‘I was asleep, and Satan
attacked
me
violently, something which I shall remember as long as I am in this
body;
and
there fell on top of me a huge rock, as it were, and I was completely
paralysed’.
He was, he says, on shouting out, aided by Christ and his Spirit and
set
at liberty.18
Celtic
Christians developed a range of prayers and rituals to invoke God’s
protective
powers against evil and fear. In times of danger some would draw a
circle
round themselves and their loved ones.19 Using their index fingers
they would
point
and turn round sun-wise while reciting a prayer. The breastplate
prayers, of
which
the one attributed to Patrick is best known, seek in a similar way to
surround
those
who pray with the protective clothing of God’s presence. This of
course has
clear
Scriptural precedent in Ephesians chapter 6 verses 1 – 10 where
Christians
are
exhorted by the apostle Paul to take to themselves the whole armour
of God.
The
verses of Patrick’s breastplate show clearly the wide range of
powers which
the
Celts invoked for protection – the strong name of the Trinity, the
life, death
and
resurrection of Jesus, the angelic hosts, the faith of the confessors
and the
word
of the apostles.
17
Muirchu, Life of Patrick, paragraph 17.
18
Muirchu, Life of Patrick, Declaration 20.
19
Bradley, I., The Celtic Way, Darton, Longman
and
Todd, London 1993, p 47
187
Christ
be with me, Christ within me,
Christ
behind me, Christ before me,
Christ
beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ
to comfort and restore me
Christ
beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ
in quiet, Christ in danger
Christ
in hearts of all that love me,
Christ
in mouth of friend and stranger.
Cuthbert,
like Patrick, was acutely conscious of a personal conflict with the
devil
and
evil spiritual forces. While preaching on one occasion he warned his
hearers
to
be on their guard whenever they heard the mysteries of the Kingdom of
Heaven
being
preached. For, as he went on to say, the devil ‘has a thousand
crafty ways of
harming
us.’ A little later Bede described how the wife of Hildmer, King
Egfrid’s
sheriff,
was possessed of a devil. ‘She was’, says Bede, ‘so sorely
vexed that she
would
gnash her teeth, let out frightful howls, and fling her arms and legs
about’.
‘It
was’, Bede reported, ‘a terrifying sight to see her.’ However
as the man of God
came
to Hildmer’s house the situation was transformed. Bede records that
‘as they
approached
the house the evil spirit, unable to bear the coming of the Holy
Spirit
with
whom Cuthbert was filled, suddenly departed’ and the woman’s
affliction
vanished.
Bede wrote of Cuthbert: ‘He became famous for miracles, for his
prayers
restored
sufferers from all kinds of disease and affliction. He cured some who
were
vexed
by unclean spirits not only by laying on of hands, exhorting, and
exorcising
–
that
is by actual contact – but even from afar, merely by praying or
predicting
their
cure, as in the case of the sheriff’s wife’. Cuthbert, Patrick
and other Celtic
church
leaders demonstrate a thoroughly positive Trinitarian and
Christocentric
way
of dealing with the forces of evil. At the same time Bede does not
give the
impression
that the Celts were overly captivated by the demonic or engaged in
lengthy
exorcism sessions. Yet they nevertheless had a quiet authority which
recognised
that the power of God’s Spirit was released through godly and
prayerful
living.
Some
years later Wilfrid (634-709) who was nurtured in the Celtic
traditions of
the
monastery of Lindisfarne, became bishop of York. But he then spent
further
time
at Lyons and Rome and became an intransigent supporter of Roman
church
customs
against the Celtic ways of northern England. After his return to his
native
homeland
he was imprisoned at the command of King Egfrid. He had not however
lost
his Celtic openness to the Holy Spirit. When therefore the wife of
the sheriff
who
had put him behind bars was in a paralysed and dying state, Wilfrid
agreed to
be
taken to her. He sprinkled her face with holy water and poured some
drops into
her
mouth. She thanked God aloud and then like Peter’s
mother-in-law,ministered
to
them.20
Prophetic
and Knowledge Gifts.
Celtic
Christians also valued and practised prophetic and knowledge gifts.
In his
Confession
Patrick recounted eight visions which he saw in dreams, all of which
20
Eddius Stephanus, Life of Wilfrid (circa 720),
chapter
37.
Nigel
Scotland Charismatic Christianity and the appeal of Celtic
Pneumatology
188
ANVIL Volume 23 No 3 2006
were
direct messages from God. The most vivid and most important in so far
as
his
life’s direction was concerned was his divine summons to return to
Ireland and
to
proclaim the gospel. His call as he described in his Confession is
written in the
style
of Paul’s vision of the man in Acts chapter 16 verse 19 saying come
over to
Macedonia
and help us.
And
then I saw, indeed in the bosom of the night, a man coming as it were
from
Ireland, Victorinus by name, with innumerable letters, and he gave
one
of
them to me … And while I was reading aloud the beginning of the
letter, I
myself
thought indeed in my mind that I heard the voice of those who were
near
the wood of Foclut, which is close by the Western Sea. And they cried
out
thus as if with one voice, ‘We entreat thee, holy youth, that thou
come,
and
henceforth walk among us.21
One
of Patrick’s contemporaries, St. Ailbe, prophesied the coming of a
great
bishop.
He noticed a pregnant woman in the congregation and then was filled
with
the
spirit of prophecy. He told the priest, who was unable to speak at
that moment,
‘This
is why you are unable to speak: God wished that first you would hear
the
news
of the infant whom that woman carried in her womb. He will indeed be
a
chosen
one of God, a renowned bishop and he will be called David’.22 David
was
born
soon after and later became the principal bishop in Wales.
Visions
while awake were common among the Celts. Columba (521-597) who
landed
on the island of Iona in 563 with twelve disciples and founded a new
monastery
was said on several occasions to have seen angels. He wrote that
‘Heaven
has granted to some to see on occasion in their mind, clearly and
surely,
the
whole earth and seas and sky’.23 In his Ecclesiastical History Bede
gives an
extended
account of the Irish monk, Fursey , or sometimes Fursa, (d. 648). He
was
born in Ireland and first came to England fairly late in his life,
sometime after
630
and was welcomed by King Sigebert of the East Angles who was
encouraged
by
the work of Felix at Dunwich. Fursey proved to be an effective
evangelist and
established
a monastery probably at Burgh Castle near Yarmouth. Bede relates that
many
were ‘inspired by the example of his goodness and the effectiveness
of his
teaching.’
Many unbelievers were converted to Christ and a large number of
believers
were provoked to greater love and faith.
Once
when Fursey was ill ‘God gave him a vision in which he was directed
to
continue
his diligent preaching and to persevere with his routine of vigils
and
prayer’.
Prompted by what he saw, Fursey lost no time in constructing a
monastery
on
a site given to him by King Sigbert. On another occasion, Fursey had
an
experience
which appears to have been something akin the Apostle Paul when he
was
caught up in the third heaven.. Fursey entered a trance and felt that
he had
quitted
his body. He was then carried up to a great height and told to look
down
on
the world. From this vantage point he saw four fires burning in the
air and was
informed
that they were Falsehood, Covetousness, Discord and Cruelty. He was
then
informed that these fires destroy men’s bodies and that after death
everyone
must
make due atonement for their sins by fire.
21
Patrick, Confession, Declaration 23.
22
De Paor, L., Op. Cit., p 234.
23
Bradley, I., The Celtic Way p 93.
189
Aidan,
(d. 651) another Irish monk, came to England about the same time as
Fursey
and settled in the north of England at Lindisfarne. He was
consecrated a
bishop
and encouraged by King Oswald made long journeys on foot establishing
missionary
and teaching centres. Aidan evidently had a strong gift of prophecy
since
on one occasion he burst into tears and foretold the death of
Oswald’s
successor,
King Oswin. Aidan declared, ‘the King will not live very long; for
I have
never
before seen a humble King. I feel that he will soon be taken from us,
because
this
nation is not worthy of a King’. Bede noted that not very long
afterwards the
bishop’s
foreboding was borne out by the King’s death. Bede goes on in his
narrative
to
relate how Aidan foretold a storm at sea and gave the seafarers holy
oil to calm
the
waves. He summed up Aidan’s life stating that ‘he took pains
never to neglect
anything
he had learned from the writings of the evangelists, apostles and
prophets,
and
set himself to carry them out with all his powers.’ There is no
doubting that
the
Celtic churches took the prophetic with seriousness. Knowledge and
prophecy
certainly
helped to envision evangelistic enterprise and church planting. What
we
don’t
know from Bede and the other early historians is to what extent
prophecy
failed
or led men and women into extremes of behaviour.
Conclusion
In
summary, it is clear that while some of what Bede relates may have
been
embellished
either by himself or by those from whom he derived his information,
miraculous
stories of charismatic gifts were regarded as an important and
integral
part
of the Christian faith. It must also be remembered that Bede claimed
in his
own
words to be ‘a truthful historian’ who accurately recounted the
facts as he
knew
them to his readers. What he appears to do, is to use his historical
sources
in
a similar way to the gospel writers. Sometimes there is extended
narrative but
at
certain points there are core events which are presented in a form
and style
which
he anticipates will persuade the readers of the truth of the
Christian faith.
Contemporary
charismatic Christians clearly share the Celtic experience of the
Holy
Spirit that awakened their awareness of Christ’s presence and
deepened their
love
and respect for the earth’s resources. Some Anglican and Roman
Catholics
Charismatics
can fully identify with those Celts who had an almost sacramental
view
of the universe and literally found themselves able to imbibe God’s
presence
as
they delighted in the landscape and the changing of the seasons. Not
only were
they
respectful of the land, they prayed and worked for its healing and
transformation
much in the way that contemporary Charismatics have been doing
in
parts of Africa and South America.
In
the matter of conflict with the forces of evil there is much in
Celtic life and
worship
which resonates with contemporary charismatic experience. Celtic
Christians
shared the charismatic heightened awareness of the presence of evil
and
spiritual conflict in both the socio-political and domestic spheres.
It does
however
seem to have been the case that the Celts did not share the
tendencies
of
the more extreme section of contemporary Charismatics, some of whom
display
a
capacity to interpret everything which goes amiss as the work of
malevolent
beings.
Nigel
Scotland Charismatic Christianity and the appeal of Celtic
Pneumatology
190
ANVIL Volume 23 No 3 2006
From
this brief survey it is clear that Celtic pneumatology has a wealth
of riches
to
give to both Charismatics and Post-Charismatics. At a moment in time
when
many
are re-assessing and seriously questioning aspects of their Holy
Spirit
experience,
Celtic Christianity offers a solid Trinitarian, contemplative,
practical
and
applied biblical Pneumatology which is rooted in British
ecclesiastical and
historical
tradition.
Dr
Nigel Scotland is Field Chair, Theology & Religious Studies,
University of
Gloucestershire
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