Celtic Christianity (The "Elements of..." Series) [Paperback]

Anthony Duncan (Author)

Book Description

Series: The "Elements of..." Series | Publication Date: August 1997

This text provides an examination of Celtic Christianity, a religion which flourished in Britain during the Dark ages, and which, in its profound respect for the dignity and sanctity of nature, had far more in common with Buddhism than with the later institutional Christianity of the West. The author describes the essence of the Celtic spirit, and how it manifests itself in Celtic Christianity's reverence for the earth, creatures, sea and sky - an aspect which has parallels with the Native American tradition, the Aboriginal tradition, and Britain's native Druidic shamanism.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Element Books Ltd; 2nd edition (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1862041385
• ISBN-13: 978-1862041387
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,517,583 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Concise, Poignant & Almost Academic, December 11, 2001

By 

Randall A Stevenson (Baton Rouge, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celtic Christianity (The "Elements of..." Series) (Paperback)

Duncan's presentation is fast paced and to the point. It mixes academic research with some clearly identified personal opinions. The main thrust of the book is that St. Augustine is responsible for forcing the Romanization of the Church in Celtic lands. His influence carried over into the reformation -- Luther was an Augustinian monk. Duncan claims that Augustine's renounciation of human sexuality was the result of his attempts to deal with his personal demons, including the putting away of his concubine. Duncan, an Anglican priest, is understanding of Augustine and tries not to portray the 'Doctor of the Church' as a villian, but as a human.

Personally, I found this book answered many of my questions about the Celtic Church. It presents the issues and history of the Celtic Church in a context that is, in my opinion, fair and not idealistic or 'a romantic faery tale'. It is for the serious reader and has a theological tone.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Natural Elements of Celtic Christianity +++, October 7, 2005

By 

Kevin Kiersky "oceaneagle" (Olympia, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Celtic Christianity (The "Elements of..." Series) (Paperback)

I find the following description quoted from the back side of this great little book to be quite true -- "The Elements of Celtic Christianity provides a thought-provoking examination of the spirit religion which flourished on the islands of Britain during the Dark Ages, and which was notable for its great simplicity, austerity and profound respect for the dignity and sanctity of nature." I also find the following paragraph to be an interesting sample of this great little book [quoted from page 103] -- "Celtic spirituality is 'green' through and through, and quite unselfconsciously. It approaches everything in personal terms, again unconsciously. It was never necessary to articulate the proposition that a personal Creator would be unlikely to create anything that was not -- in some sense -- a person. There are no 'things', for everything is a person. The insights of a Teilhard de Chardin, that consciousness is inherent in the hydrogen atom, is wholely consistent with the Celtic vision of things and, indeed, of the Celtic experience of things."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, for a basic overview, June 9, 2000

By 

David Stabler "dwivian" (Marietta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Celtic Christianity (The "Elements of..." Series) (Paperback)

This book gets into a basic analysis of what is and is not Celtic Christianity for those that only know Celtic from green beer in March and the PBS "Gimme Money" Riverdance special.

Now, this isn't to say it is simplistic, or dull. It is quite well written, but is also short enough to be inserted into a larger collection (The 'Elements Of' series). Thus, the style of writing reflects the entire series more than the material really deserves.

All in all, it's a good start for those that wish to learn a little more about the differences between post Augustine Irish Catholicism and the older Christianity of Patrick.