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Sharing this, as I was pointed to it by one of my EO sisters in CHrist - it is A Hiberno-Latin hymn attributed to Saint Columba. ..and the translation below is by Bernard and Atkinson, London, 1898.
As said there (more shared in Altus Prosator | Celtic Orthodoxy ):
Was very blessed seeing the ways that they spoke on CHrist overcoming the Dragon (the enemy) and him ruling over all the powers of the world that the people respected. ...THE Entire Trintiy in focus.
That said, I have always been curious as to why it seems that there is so much angst toward Celtic Orthodoxy by many within the EO world . I can understand some of the dynamics behind why that is the case - some of it being connected to how there's more respect for the Byzantine world than the Celtic world, as I've been told. ..and of course, historically there was the reality that both Rome and Constantinople were in hot pursuit of both commercial interest and ecclesiastical supremacy in the British Isles (As Ireland was never part of the Roman Empire )- leading to the British Isles being a crossroads for the East and the West on many levels.
Nonetheless, when seeing the ways that the Lord has operated within that culture, I cannot help but wonder if there is any real reason for concern or having suspicion on Celtic Orthodoxy when many saints - be it St. Patrick, St. Kevin of Glendalough, St. Oran (who was the first Irish martyr -- St. Patrick's charioteer ) the Voyage of St. Brendan, the life of St. Colum Cille/Columba (iirc) or the history of Iona (another St. Oran there -- better known for the Irish expression "throw mud in the mouth of St. Oran") - and wonderful developments have occurred (more shared here and here and here).
I recall hearing from one priest that Celtic Spirituality is something you want to stay away from since so much of it is nebulous - even though I've found (in studying St. Patrick and the Irish Orthodox Church) that a lot of it is quite sound - and when it comes to identification, much of it has resonated with me. I understood a lot of his concerns when it comes to a lot of things done in the name of Celtic Spirituality from the Emergent/Emerging Church.
That I'm definitely against - but I don't know about the issue many have with the Western Orthodox Church. One of my EO friends - when I spoke to them on the issue - noted "I'm not "up" on more recent expressions of Celtic spirituality -- perhaps that is what he's referring to ? The more ancient form (Patrick's time until the schism) is thought among not a few EO to be valid and just "part of us"
With regards to the priest who had issue, it was noteworthy that I respected what he had to say (since he is more into the Eastern side of things and noted how the ROCOR has disconnected their Western Rite due to a host of issues) - but I do think there will be a part of me that disagrees. As it concerns thinking all things in Celtic Church are to be disconnected from - I can see why others say some of what developed may not be necessary to recreate since it was done for a time in the era it came in - near the brink of extinction falling a part - with civilization crumbling and others working with what they had.
To my knowledge, The early Celtic Church has been accepted as "Orthodox" for (as far as I know) decades at least and there's a British site with extensive information on Celtic and early British Orthodoxy - more at British & Celtic Orthodoxy - and for other places, one can go to [/COLOR][/LEFT][/SIZE][/FONT] ). Other places to investigate are Scotland the Brave - Orthodox Canada - A Journal of Canada and AngloSaxon & Celtic Orthodoxy: The Varangian Guard- The Vikings in Byzantine.
I think that what may've been the case was a confusion of terms - in the same way others say "The Charismatic movement is dangerous" (with a certain aspect in mind) and yet not considering where other Charismatics have been well aware of/avoiding of the dangers others have done......and the same with things like avoiding the New Apostolic Reformation (with people like Dutch Sheets or Chuck Pierce - the same folks who approved of the Todd Bently gig, had the Triumphalism ideology and pushed forward with the Dominionist mindset of voting for Sarah Palin who was like Esther ) - and then not realizing that not everyone is like that. And in that sense, when many in the Protestant world try to recreate a lot of the things done in Celtic Spirituality or the Celtic Church - in the same way it's done in camps like International House of Prayer or Emergent Churches (in an artificial sense and reinventing the Wheel ) - then it becomes problematic. Other organizations that have sought to address this (or similar issues ) are places such as Primitivism and Restorationism as Orthodoxy’s Siren Call | Red River Orthodox ( Eastern Christianities Engaging "the West") - or here in the following:
Is there anything with the poem shared that others were either blessed by or perplexed by? Additionally, as it concerns Celtic Orthodoxy, are there things within it that those outside of it are either thankful for or wary on? If anyone has any thoughts, I'd greatly appreciate it! Shalom...
As said there (more shared in Altus Prosator | Celtic Orthodoxy ):
A [Altus]
The High Creator, Ancient of Days, and Unbegotten
was without origin of beginning and without end;
He is and shall be to infinite ages of ages
with Whom is Christ the only begotten and the Holy Spirit,
coeternal in the everlasting glory of the Godhead.
We set forth not three gods, but we say there is One God,
saving our faith in three most glorious Persons.
B [Bonos]
He created good Angels, and Archangels, the orders
of Principalities and Thrones, of Authorities and Powers,
that the Goodness and Majesty of the Trinity might not be inactive
in all offices of bounty,
but might have creatures in which
it might richly display heavenly privileges by a word of power.
C [Caeli]
From the summit of heaven’s kingdom, from the brightness of angelic station,
from the beauty of the splendor of his form,
through pride Lucifer, whom He had made, had fallen;
and the apostate angels too by the same sad fall
of the author of vainglory and stubborn envy,
the rest remaining in their principalities.
D [Draco]
The Dragon, great, most foul, terrible, and old,
which was the slimy serpent, more subtle than all the beasts
and fiercer living things of earth,
drew with him the third part of the stars into the abyss
of the infernal regions and of divers prisons,
apostate from the True Light, headlong cast by the parasite.
E [Excelsus]
The Most High, foreseeing the frame and order of the world
had made the heaven and earth. The sea and waters He established;
likewise the blades of grass, the twigs of shrubs;
sun, moon, and stars; fire and necessary things;
birds, fish, and cattle; beasts and living things:
and lastly man first-formed to rule with prophecy.
F [Factis]
So soon as the stars, the lights of the firmament, were made,
the angels praised for His wondrous handywork
the Lord of the vast mass, the Builder of the heavens,
with praise giving proclamation, meet and unceasing;
and in noble concert gave thanks to the Lord,
of love and choice, not from endowment of nature.
G [Grasatis]
Our first two parents having been assailed and seduced,
the Devil falls a second time, with his satellites;
by the horror of whose faces and the sound of whose flight
frail men, stricken with fear, should be affrighted,
being unable with carnal eyes to look upon them;
who now are bound in bundles with the bonds of their prison- houses.
H [Hic]
He, removed from the midst, was cast down by the Lord
The space of the air is closely crowded
with a disordered crew of his rebel satellites; invisible,
lest men infected by their evil examples and their crimes,
no screens or walls ever hiding them,
should openly defile themselves before the eyes of all.
I [Inuehunt]
The clouds carry the wintry floods from the fountains of the sea–
the three deeper floods of Ocean —
to the regions of heaven in azure whirlwinds,
to bless the crops, the vineyards and the buds;
driven by the winds issuing from their treasure houses;
which drain the corresponding shallows of the sea.
K [Kaduca]
The tottering and despotic and momentary glory
of the kings of this present world is set aside by the will of GOD!
Lo! the giants are recorded to groan beneath the waters
with great torment, to be burned with fire and punishment;
and, choked with the swelling whirlpools of Cocytus,
overwhelmed with Scillas, they are dashed to pieces with waves and rocks.
L [Ligatas]
The waters that are bound up in the clouds the Lord ofttime droppeth,
lest they should burst forth all at once, their barriers being broken
from whose fertilizing streams as from breasts,
gradually flowing through the regions of this earth,
cold and warm at divers seasons,
the never failing rivers ever run.
M [Magni]
By the divine powers of the great GOD is suspended
the globe of earth, and thereto is set the circle of the great deep,
supported by the strong hand of GOD Almighty;
promontories and rocks sustaining the same,
with columns like to bars on solid foundations,
immoveable like so many strengthened bases.
N [Nulli]
To no man seemeth it doubtful that hell is in the lowest regions,
where are darkness, worms, and dread beasts,
where is fire of brimstone blazing with devouring flames,
where is the crying of men, the weeping and gnashing of teeth,
where is the groaning of Gehenna, terrible and from of old
where is the horrid, fiery, burning of thirst and hunger.
O [Orbem]
Under the earth, as we read, there are dwellers, we know,
whose knee ofttimes bendeth in prayer to the Lord;
for whom it is impossible to unroll the written book —
sealed with seven seals, according to the warnings of Christ —
which He Himself had opened, after He had risen victorious,
fulfilling the prophetic presages of His Advent.
P [Plantatum]
That Paradise was planted by the Lord from the beginning
we read in the noble opening of Genesis;
from its fountain four rivers are flowing,
and in its flowery midst is the Tree of Life,
whose leaves for the healing of the nations fall not;
its delights are unspeakable and abounding.
Q [Quis]
Who hath ascended to Sinai, the appointed mountain of the Lord,
Who hath heard the thunders beyond measure pealing,
Who the clang of the mighty trumpet resound,
Who hath seen the lightnings gleaming round about,
Who the flashes and the thunderbolts and the crashing rocks,
Save Moses the judge of Israel’s people?
__________________The High Creator, Ancient of Days, and Unbegotten
was without origin of beginning and without end;
He is and shall be to infinite ages of ages
with Whom is Christ the only begotten and the Holy Spirit,
coeternal in the everlasting glory of the Godhead.
We set forth not three gods, but we say there is One God,
saving our faith in three most glorious Persons.
B [Bonos]
He created good Angels, and Archangels, the orders
of Principalities and Thrones, of Authorities and Powers,
that the Goodness and Majesty of the Trinity might not be inactive
in all offices of bounty,
but might have creatures in which
it might richly display heavenly privileges by a word of power.
C [Caeli]
From the summit of heaven’s kingdom, from the brightness of angelic station,
from the beauty of the splendor of his form,
through pride Lucifer, whom He had made, had fallen;
and the apostate angels too by the same sad fall
of the author of vainglory and stubborn envy,
the rest remaining in their principalities.
D [Draco]
The Dragon, great, most foul, terrible, and old,
which was the slimy serpent, more subtle than all the beasts
and fiercer living things of earth,
drew with him the third part of the stars into the abyss
of the infernal regions and of divers prisons,
apostate from the True Light, headlong cast by the parasite.
E [Excelsus]
The Most High, foreseeing the frame and order of the world
had made the heaven and earth. The sea and waters He established;
likewise the blades of grass, the twigs of shrubs;
sun, moon, and stars; fire and necessary things;
birds, fish, and cattle; beasts and living things:
and lastly man first-formed to rule with prophecy.
F [Factis]
So soon as the stars, the lights of the firmament, were made,
the angels praised for His wondrous handywork
the Lord of the vast mass, the Builder of the heavens,
with praise giving proclamation, meet and unceasing;
and in noble concert gave thanks to the Lord,
of love and choice, not from endowment of nature.
G [Grasatis]
Our first two parents having been assailed and seduced,
the Devil falls a second time, with his satellites;
by the horror of whose faces and the sound of whose flight
frail men, stricken with fear, should be affrighted,
being unable with carnal eyes to look upon them;
who now are bound in bundles with the bonds of their prison- houses.
H [Hic]
He, removed from the midst, was cast down by the Lord
The space of the air is closely crowded
with a disordered crew of his rebel satellites; invisible,
lest men infected by their evil examples and their crimes,
no screens or walls ever hiding them,
should openly defile themselves before the eyes of all.
I [Inuehunt]
The clouds carry the wintry floods from the fountains of the sea–
the three deeper floods of Ocean —
to the regions of heaven in azure whirlwinds,
to bless the crops, the vineyards and the buds;
driven by the winds issuing from their treasure houses;
which drain the corresponding shallows of the sea.
K [Kaduca]
The tottering and despotic and momentary glory
of the kings of this present world is set aside by the will of GOD!
Lo! the giants are recorded to groan beneath the waters
with great torment, to be burned with fire and punishment;
and, choked with the swelling whirlpools of Cocytus,
overwhelmed with Scillas, they are dashed to pieces with waves and rocks.
L [Ligatas]
The waters that are bound up in the clouds the Lord ofttime droppeth,
lest they should burst forth all at once, their barriers being broken
from whose fertilizing streams as from breasts,
gradually flowing through the regions of this earth,
cold and warm at divers seasons,
the never failing rivers ever run.
M [Magni]
By the divine powers of the great GOD is suspended
the globe of earth, and thereto is set the circle of the great deep,
supported by the strong hand of GOD Almighty;
promontories and rocks sustaining the same,
with columns like to bars on solid foundations,
immoveable like so many strengthened bases.
N [Nulli]
To no man seemeth it doubtful that hell is in the lowest regions,
where are darkness, worms, and dread beasts,
where is fire of brimstone blazing with devouring flames,
where is the crying of men, the weeping and gnashing of teeth,
where is the groaning of Gehenna, terrible and from of old
where is the horrid, fiery, burning of thirst and hunger.
O [Orbem]
Under the earth, as we read, there are dwellers, we know,
whose knee ofttimes bendeth in prayer to the Lord;
for whom it is impossible to unroll the written book —
sealed with seven seals, according to the warnings of Christ —
which He Himself had opened, after He had risen victorious,
fulfilling the prophetic presages of His Advent.
P [Plantatum]
That Paradise was planted by the Lord from the beginning
we read in the noble opening of Genesis;
from its fountain four rivers are flowing,
and in its flowery midst is the Tree of Life,
whose leaves for the healing of the nations fall not;
its delights are unspeakable and abounding.
Q [Quis]
Who hath ascended to Sinai, the appointed mountain of the Lord,
Who hath heard the thunders beyond measure pealing,
Who the clang of the mighty trumpet resound,
Who hath seen the lightnings gleaming round about,
Who the flashes and the thunderbolts and the crashing rocks,
Save Moses the judge of Israel’s people?
Was very blessed seeing the ways that they spoke on CHrist overcoming the Dragon (the enemy) and him ruling over all the powers of the world that the people respected. ...THE Entire Trintiy in focus.
That said, I have always been curious as to why it seems that there is so much angst toward Celtic Orthodoxy by many within the EO world . I can understand some of the dynamics behind why that is the case - some of it being connected to how there's more respect for the Byzantine world than the Celtic world, as I've been told. ..and of course, historically there was the reality that both Rome and Constantinople were in hot pursuit of both commercial interest and ecclesiastical supremacy in the British Isles (As Ireland was never part of the Roman Empire )- leading to the British Isles being a crossroads for the East and the West on many levels.
Nonetheless, when seeing the ways that the Lord has operated within that culture, I cannot help but wonder if there is any real reason for concern or having suspicion on Celtic Orthodoxy when many saints - be it St. Patrick, St. Kevin of Glendalough, St. Oran (who was the first Irish martyr -- St. Patrick's charioteer ) the Voyage of St. Brendan, the life of St. Colum Cille/Columba (iirc) or the history of Iona (another St. Oran there -- better known for the Irish expression "throw mud in the mouth of St. Oran") - and wonderful developments have occurred (more shared here and here and here).
I recall hearing from one priest that Celtic Spirituality is something you want to stay away from since so much of it is nebulous - even though I've found (in studying St. Patrick and the Irish Orthodox Church) that a lot of it is quite sound - and when it comes to identification, much of it has resonated with me. I understood a lot of his concerns when it comes to a lot of things done in the name of Celtic Spirituality from the Emergent/Emerging Church.
That I'm definitely against - but I don't know about the issue many have with the Western Orthodox Church. One of my EO friends - when I spoke to them on the issue - noted "I'm not "up" on more recent expressions of Celtic spirituality -- perhaps that is what he's referring to ? The more ancient form (Patrick's time until the schism) is thought among not a few EO to be valid and just "part of us"
With regards to the priest who had issue, it was noteworthy that I respected what he had to say (since he is more into the Eastern side of things and noted how the ROCOR has disconnected their Western Rite due to a host of issues) - but I do think there will be a part of me that disagrees. As it concerns thinking all things in Celtic Church are to be disconnected from - I can see why others say some of what developed may not be necessary to recreate since it was done for a time in the era it came in - near the brink of extinction falling a part - with civilization crumbling and others working with what they had.
To my knowledge, The early Celtic Church has been accepted as "Orthodox" for (as far as I know) decades at least and there's a British site with extensive information on Celtic and early British Orthodoxy - more at British & Celtic Orthodoxy - and for other places, one can go to [/COLOR][/LEFT][/SIZE][/FONT] ). Other places to investigate are Scotland the Brave - Orthodox Canada - A Journal of Canada and AngloSaxon & Celtic Orthodoxy: The Varangian Guard- The Vikings in Byzantine.
I think that what may've been the case was a confusion of terms - in the same way others say "The Charismatic movement is dangerous" (with a certain aspect in mind) and yet not considering where other Charismatics have been well aware of/avoiding of the dangers others have done......and the same with things like avoiding the New Apostolic Reformation (with people like Dutch Sheets or Chuck Pierce - the same folks who approved of the Todd Bently gig, had the Triumphalism ideology and pushed forward with the Dominionist mindset of voting for Sarah Palin who was like Esther ) - and then not realizing that not everyone is like that. And in that sense, when many in the Protestant world try to recreate a lot of the things done in Celtic Spirituality or the Celtic Church - in the same way it's done in camps like International House of Prayer or Emergent Churches (in an artificial sense and reinventing the Wheel ) - then it becomes problematic. Other organizations that have sought to address this (or similar issues ) are places such as Primitivism and Restorationism as Orthodoxy’s Siren Call | Red River Orthodox ( Eastern Christianities Engaging "the West") - or here in the following:
Is there anything with the poem shared that others were either blessed by or perplexed by? Additionally, as it concerns Celtic Orthodoxy, are there things within it that those outside of it are either thankful for or wary on? If anyone has any thoughts, I'd greatly appreciate it! Shalom...
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