[CHRISTIANS IN IRELAND BEFORE S. PATRICK.] stertens vecordia, leges Commentariorum. .... Nec recordatur stolidissimus, et Scotorum pultibus prægravatus, nos in ipso opere dixisse, Non damus digamos, immo nec trigamos, nec, si fieri possit, octogamos. [Opp., III. 527.] ID. ib. Lib. III., Præf. [c. A.D. 416].-Ipseque [diabolus] mutus latrat per Alpinum canem, grandem et corpulentum, et qui calcibus magis possit sævire quam dentibus. Habet enim progeniem Scoticæ gentis, de Britannorum vicinia: qui juxta fabulas poetarum, instar Cerberi, spirituali percutiendus est clava, ut æterno cum suo magistro Plutone silentio conticescat. [Opp. III. 586.] It seems the simplest interpretation of S. Jerom's words to refer them to Pelagius' coadjutor Cælestius. Pelagius himself is called a Briton by all authorities (S. Augustine, Prosper, Marius Mercator, Orosius, Gennadius). S. Jerom speaks of a "Scot" from the "neighbourhood of the Britons." Whether Cælestius was a Christian before he quitted Ireland is left uncertain. He wrote "ad parentes suos de monasterio," while still a young man (Gennad.); but it may be almost certainly taken for granted that the monastery in question was not in Ireland. Before A.D. 431. Christians in Ireland before Palladius, but Ireland as a country still Pagan a. PROSPER AQUITAN., Chron. in an. 431. [A.D. 455 × 463]-Ad Scotos in Christum credentes ordinatus a Papa Cælestino Palladius primus Episcopus mittitur. [Opp. I. 401, Bassani.] ID., Cont. Collat. XXI. [c. A.D. 432].-Ordinato Scotis Episcopo, dum Romanam insulam [Cælestinus] studet servare Catholicam, fecit etiam barbaram Christianam. [16. I. 197.] a S. Jerom also (Adv. Jovin. II.) speaks of seeing in Gaul, when a very young man, "Scotos gentem Britannicam humanis vesci carnibus." Little stress can be laid on S. Chrysostom's words, who thrice speaks of ras Βρεταννικὰς νήσους in the plural as Christian (see above, vol. I. pp. 10, 11) at the end of the 4th century. For Irish native legends of Irish Christianity before S. Patrick, see note b to the next article. A.D. 431. Abortive Mission of Palladius to Ireland. PROSPER AQUITAN. [as in last article]. V. S. PATRICII [earlier than A.D. 807; prob. c. A.D. 700].-Certe enim erat, quod Palladius, Archidiaconus Papæ Cælestini urbis Romæ Episcopi, qui tunc tenebat sedem Apostolicam quadragesimus quintus a Sancto Petro Apostolo, ille Palladius ordinatus et missus fuerat ad hanc insolam sub brumali rigore possitam convertendam. Sed prohibuit illum, quia neho potest accipere quicquam de terra [CHRISTIANS IN IRELAND BEFORE S. PATRICK.] nisi datum ei fuerat de cœlo. Nam neque hii feri et immites homines facile reciperunt doctrinam ejus, neque et ipse voluit transegere tempus in terra non sua; sed reversus ad eum qui misit illum. Revertente vero eo hinc, et primo mari transito, cœptoque terrarum itenere, Britonum finibus vita factus [leg. functus]. [Book of Armagh, fol. 2. a. a.b] a The Vita Secunda of S. Patrick, c. 23 (Colgan, Tr. Thaum. p. 13), makes Palladius die in Pictavorum finibus," meaning "Pictorum," and at Fordun. The Annotations of Tirechan on the Life of S. Patrick (Book of Armagh, fol. 16. a. a), state, that Palladius was also called Patrick, and that "martyrium passus est apud Scottos," i. e. in Ireland. The Scholia on Fiacc's Hymn (Colg. Tr. Th. p. 5) take him expressly to Fordun (see above, in vol. I. p. 18). And the balance of evidence, such as it is, seems in favour of modern as against ancient Scotland, as the locality of his death or martyrdom. See Todd's S. Patrick, pp. 286-306; and Bp. Forbes, Calendars of Scottish Saints, PP. 427-430. The same Vita Secunda (c. 24, Colg. Tr. Tb. p. 13), which is conjecturally dated c. A.D. 900, adds some particulars of his Irish proceedings, as that he landed among the Hy Garchon (in County Wicklow), built there three (wooden, so IV. Mag.) churches (which are named), and left, when he withdrew, some relics of SS. Peter and Paul and others, and a copy of the Old and New Testaments, which Pope Cælestine had given him, together with the tablets on which he himself used to write. The chief claim, of Irish origin, for the existence of an Irish Church before Palladius and S. Patrick, is in the eleventh century legends respecting the four Irish Munster Bishops, SS. Kieran, Ailbe, Declan, and Ibar, accepted by Colgan (Tr. Th. p. 250), and not rejected by Ussher (Antiq. Brit. Eccl. XVI.; Works, VI. 332, 342-348), but which Dr. Todd (S. Patrick, pp. 198-221) conclusively refutes; some of these bishops being connected, in fact, with the Second Order of Irish Saints, and all of them dying in years between A.D. 500 and A. D. 600. The fourth of them, Ibar, is connected with S. Brigit by the Litany of Aengus the Culdee, and by the hymn attributed to S. Brigit herself; as quoted in O'Curry's Lectures on Materials of Anc. Irish Hist., App. CXXIV. pp. 615, 616. There are also one or two indirect allusions in the legendary Lives of S. Patrick, which cannot bear much stress, although of ancient origin, e. g. the alleged discovery of an "altare mirabile lapideum in monte nepotum Ailello," i. e. in a district of Co. Sligo (Bk. of Armagh, fol. 11 b. a), by S. Patrick; to which the Vita Tripart. II. 35 (Colg. Tr. Th. p. 134) adds a “stone cave of wonderful workmanship," and "four glass chalices." See Todd (S. Patr. pp. 221-224). An allusion also occurs in the Book of Armagh (fol. 17 a. a), quoted by Dr. Petrie (Tara, p. 47, in Trans. of Royal Irish Acad., vol. xviii.), to a church of S. Colman at "Cluain Cain in Achud," which that Bishop gave over to S. Patrick, and which is presumed therefore to have been founded before S. Patrick came. That Sedulius, the Christian poet of the 5th century, was a Scot, rests solely upon his name (= Siudhul or Siadhal, and supposed to be modernized into "Shiel"), and upon a confusion between him and two others of the same name who were undoubtedly Scots, viz. the Bishop Sedulius of the Roman Council of A.D. 721, and the author of the Commentary on S. Paul's Epistles (see Art. Sedulius in Smith's Dict. of Ancient Biography). Cathaldus, Bishop of Tarentum, was certainly an Irish Scot, but he lived in the 7th century at the earliest (see Todd, S. Patr. pp. 195, 196). The legend of Brynach the Irishman, who settled in Pembrokeshire or Brecknock early in the 5th century (Lives of Welsh SS., pp. 1, sq.; Rees, Welsh SS., 150, 156), hardly deserves mention. U 2 [CATALOGUE OF IRISH SAINTS.] PERIODS II, III, IV, A.D. 440 (?)-665. (Introductory.) ANCIENT SKETCH OF THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE IRISH CHURCH a, 2 ANON. [c. A.D. 750]. Incipit Catalogus1 Sanctorum 2 Hiberniæ, secundum diversa tempora b. 3 4 First Order of Primus Ordo Catholicorum Sanctorum erat in tem Irish A. D. 440 (?)543. 7 8 Saints, pore Patricii. Et tunc erant Episcopi omnes, clari et sancti et Spiritu Sancto pleni, 'CCCL. numero, Ecclesiarum fundatores. Unum Caput Christum, et unum ducem Patricium, habebant; unam missam, unam celebrationem, unam tonsuram ab aure usque ad aurem sufferebant. Unum' Pascha, 'quarta decima luna' post æquinoctium vernale, celebrabant; et quod excommunicatum esset ab una Ecclesia, omnes excommunicabant. 10 Mulierum administrationem et consortia non respuebant'; quia super petram Christi fundati, ventum tentationis non timebant. Hic Ordo Sanctorum per quaterna duravit regna; hoc est, "pro tempore Læogarii 12, et 1 Aila Muilt', et 1Lugada filio Læogarii', et 15 Tuathail. 16 Hi omnes Episcopi de Romanis et Francis et Britonibus et Scotis exorti sunt'. Second Order 13 Secundus ordo 18 Catholicorum presbyterorum'. In of Irish Saints, hoc enim 19 Ordine pauci erant Episcopi et multi presA.D. 543-599. byteri, numero CCC. Unum Caput Dominum 20 nostrum habebant'; "diversas missas celebrabant', et diversas regulas: unum Pascha quartadecima luna "post æquinoctium, unam tonsuram ab aure ad aurem'. 24 Abnegabant mulierum administrationem, separantes eas a monasteriis'. Hic Ordo per quaterna adhuc regna duravit; hoc est, ab extremis 26 Tuathail, et per totum Diarmata Regis 25 7 1 Ordinum, add. F. 2 in Hibernia, F. 3 divisa, F. quinquaginta, F. 6 colentes, add. F. sequentes, F. celebrationem missæ, et unum, F. "' scilicet, F. pellebant, var. read. given by Ussher. add. F. navit, F. 17 15 add. F. 11 a, F. 4 B om. F. 5 quadringenti 14 tonsuram habentes, et unam 10 Nec laicos nec fœminas de Ecclesiis re12 filii Neil, qui regnavit XXXVII. annis, 13' Ailildi cognomento Molt, qui XXX. annis regnavit, F. Lugadii, qui VII. reget hic Ordo Sanctorum usque ad tempora extrema Tuathalii, cognomento Moel Garbh, duravit, F. 1 Hi... sunt, om. F. et add., sancti Episcopi omnes permanserunt. 18 Sanctorum talis erat, F. vero, 19 secundo, add. F. 20 colentes, F. 21' diversos celebrandi ritus habebant, F. 22 vivendi, et, add. F. 23' celebrabant; et hi uniformem tonsuram, scilicet ab aure usque ad aurem, faciebant, F. 24' Mulierum quoque consortia ac administrationem fugiebant, atque a monasteriis suis eas excludebant, F. 25 scilicet, F. 26 Tuathalii cognomento Moel Garbh temporibus, et XXX. annos quibus Dermitius Mackearvail regnavit, et pro tempore quo duo nepotes Muredachi qui VII. annis regnaverunt, et pro tempore quo Aidus filius Anmirei qui XXX. annos regnavit, F. [CATALOGUE OF IRISH SAINTS.] 2 regnum, et duorum Muredaig nepotum, et Ædo filii Ainmerech'. 'A Davide Episcopo et Gilla et a Doco Britonibus missam acceperunt. Quorum nomina hæc sunt': duo Finiani, duo Brendani, Jairlaithea Tuama, Comgallus, Coemgenus, Ciaranus, Columba, Cainecus, Eogenius Mac Laisreus, Lugeus, Ludeus, Moditeus, Cormacus, Colmanus, Nesanus, Laisreanus, Barrindeus, Coemannus, Ceranus, Comanus, [Endeus, Adeus, Byrchinus,] et alii multi 3. Third Order of Irish 13 8 Tertius Ordo Sanctorum erat talis. 9 4 Erant presbySaints, teri sancti, et pauci Episcopi, numero centum: qui in A.D. 599-665. locis desertis habitabant, et oleribus et aqua et eleemosynis [fidelium] vivebant, propria devitabant, et' diversas regulas et missas habebant, et diversam tonsuram (alii enim habebant coronam, "alii cæsariem), et 12 diversam solemnitatem Paschalem 1 (alii enim "Resurrectionem XIV. luna 15 vel XVI., cum duris intentionibus', celebrabant). 16 Hi per 17 quaterna regna 18 vixerunt; hoc est, 19 Eda Allain (qui tribus annis, 20 pro cogitatione mala, tantum regnavit), et 21 Domnail, et filiorum Mailcobi et Æda' Slaine 22 permixta tempora; et usque ad mortalitatem illam magnam * perduraverunt. Hæc sunt' nomina 25 eorum: Petranus Episcopus, Ultanus Episcopus, Colmanus Episcopus, 20 Murgeus Episcopus', Ædanus Episcopus, 27 Lomanus Episcopus, Senachus Episcopus,-hi 28 sunt Episcopi 20;-et alii plures. Hi vero presbyteri : Fechinus presbyter, Airendanus, Failanus, 50 Comanus, 31 Commianus, Colmannus, Ernanus, Cronanus; et alii 32 plurimi 3 presbyteri. 24 30 33 36 34 Nota, quod primus Ordo erat 35 sanctissimus; secundus, sanctus sanctorum'; tertius, sanctus. Primus sicut sol in fervore claritatis calescit; secundus sicut luna pallescit; tertius sicut aurora splendescit. Hos tres Ordines beatus Patricius, superno oraculo edoctus, "Hi ritum celebrandi missam acceperunt a sanctis viris de Britannia, scilicet a S. David, et a S. Gilda, et a S. Deco. Et horum nomina sunt hi; scilicet, F. "Finnianus, Endeus, Colmannus, Congallus, deus, Queranus, Columba, Brandanus, Bricyninus, Cainnechus, Caimginus, Lasreanus, Lasreus, Lugeus, Barrideus, F. Lasreus is given as an alternative for Lasreanus, in the Cod. Salmantic. 3 qui erant de secundo gradu Sanctorum, add. F. enim, add. F. 5 hi, F. 6 add. F. "' et omnia terrena contemnebant, et omnem susurrationem et detractionem penitus evitabant. Hi, F. 8 diversos celebrandi ritus, F. ❞ etiam, add. F. 10 aliqui, F. 11 aliqui, F. 12 hi, add. F. 13 habebant, add. F. om. F. 16 Hic Ordo, F. 17 XIII., F. 19 18 duravit, F. quatuor, F. pro tempore Aidi, F. per tempora Moelcavæ, et pro tempore Aidi, F. et hic Ordo, F. 24' Quorum, F. sunt hi, F. om. F. om. F. om. F. 31 Cumenianus, F. 21/ 30 25 26/ 22/ 27 Lompnanus, F. 32 add. F. om. F. 33 plures, F. 3 The paragraph, Nota... conspexit, stands thus in the earlier of the MSS. used by Ussher-Primus Ordo sanctissimus, secundus Ordo sanctior, tertius sanctus. Primus sicut sol ardescit, secundus sicut luna, tertius sicut stella. The text is here taken from Ussher's 2nd MS., and alludes to a vision of S. Patrick described in Jocelyn's Life. 35 sanctus sanctissimus, F. 36/ sanctior, F. [CATALOGUE OF IRISH SAINTS.] intellexit; cum in visione illa prophetica vidit totam Hiberniam flamma ignis repletam, deinde montes tantum ardere, postea lucernas ardere in vallibus conspexit. Printed by Ussher (Brit. Eccl. Antiq. XVI., Works, VI. 477-479), from two MSS., from the earlier of which he gives the first three paragraphs as above printed, and adds to the fourth its longer form from the other and later one. Another form of the same document was subsequently printed by Fleming (Collect. pp. 430, 431) from another MS., of which the various readings are given here, marked F. There is a copy of it in the Codex Salmanticensis, fol. 78 b. a (a MS. vol. of Lives of Irish Saints, in the Burgundian Library at Brussels); which was probably among Fleming's authorities, as its readings appear to agree almost exactly with his: if we may judge by an extract kindly communicated by Dr. Reeves. It appears to have been appended to MS. Lives of SS. Keranus and Finnianus. O'Conor (Rer. Hib. Scriptt. II. 162-165) reprints it after Fleming and Dr. Todd (S. Patrick, pp. 88, 89) translates it from Ussher. It has been conjecturally attributed to Tirechanus, but is at all events not later than the middle of the 8th century. See Todd (as above), and Reeves (ad Adamn. Add. Notes, p. 334 n): and for a full commentary upon it, see Ussher and Todd as above quoted. b The following list of the Kings named in the document or included within its range (from Ussher, as above, pp. 514, 515, and Todd, p. 256), and of their probable dates, will supply the proof of the chronology above given; with the addition, that A.D. 440 is taken for the commencement, as the most probable approximation to the date of S. Patrick's mission, and A.D. 665 for the termination, as being the year of the death, by the great plague, of Kings Blathmac and Diarmait; that plague raging in England, A.D. 664, according to Bede (H. E., III. 27). Period I. (1) Laoghaire Mac Neil, A.D. 428-463. (2) Oilioll Molt, A.D. 463-483. (3) Lugaidh Mac Laoghaire, A.D. 483-508. [Interregnum, A.D. 508-513.] (4) Muirchertach Mac Erc, A.D. 513-533. (5) Tuathal Moelgarbh, A.D. 533-544. Period II. (1) Diarmait, A.D. 544-565. (2) Domhnall and Fergus, sons of Muirchertach Mac Erc, A.D. 565, 566. (3) Baotan and Eochaidh, A.D. 566-568. (4) Ainmire Mac Sedna, A.D. 568-571. (5) Another Baotan, A.D. 571, 572. (6) Aodh Mac Ainmerech, A.D. 572-599. [Ussher inverts the order of (3) and (4) and omits (5).] Period III. (1) Aodh Rimhe, A.D. 599-605. Sláine and Colman (2) Aodh Uariodh nach, A.D. 605-612. (3) Maolcobha, son of Aodh Mac Ainmerech, A.D. 612-615. (4) Suibhne Meann, A.D. 615-628. (5) Domhnall, son of Aodh Mac Ainmerech, A.D. 628-642. (6) Cellach and Conall Caol, A.D. 642-658. (7) Blathmac and Diarmait, sons of Aodh Sláine, A.D. 658-665. O'Conor's dates differ slightly; and those given in Fleming's copy of the document itself, considerably. But the Annals, which are Ussher's and Todd's authorities, are the better evidence. It appears by this, that Roman ecclesiastics were among S. Patrick's company; although the language of the Hymns of S. Sechnall and of S. Fiacc, and of S. Patrick's own Confessio, and the silence of Prosper, besides chronological difficulties, disprove, upon purely historical grounds, the supposed mission from Rome of S. Patrick himself; which first appears in the Scholia on S. Fiacc's Hymn. See Todd at length. |