Celtic Theology: Humanity, World, and God in Early Irish Writings [Paperback]

Thomas O'Loughlin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0826448712 | ISBN-13: 978-0826448712 | Publication Date: September 13, 2000

O'Loughlin examines the theological framework within which St. Patrick presented his experiences and considers how the Celtic lands of Ireland and Wales developed a distinctive view of sin, reconciliation, and Christian law that they later exported to the rest of western Christianity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is an important book. It counters the overly sentimental and unhistorical view of Celtic religious and situates Cetlic theology squarely within the institutional medieval Christian Church."
--Richard J. Hauser, S.J., Theological Studies, December 2001


"The author's intention is to probe into certain areas of Celtic faith and practice between the fifth and thirteenth centuries,…with the emphasis on Ireland, so as to uncover the theology which informs them and to which they give expression. This programme should appeal to many people, not least to those who have come to feel uneasy about popular presentations of 'Celtic spirituality'…This is a learned, conveniently organised, and attractively written book. Well worth reading."--Anvil

"This is not just another book on Celtic Christianity presenting a romantic view of a long lost and recently discovered well of spiritual refreshment…It is of course not without joy and refreshing insights and spiritual uplift but these are circumspect and solidly based on the Christian literature which comes from the church in Celtic lands…Dr O'Loughlin takes us on a fascinating tour of the great landmarks of Celtic Christian literature between the 6th and the 9th centuries."--Search, Spring 2001

"In his study of the texts he has selected, O'Loughlin has combined high academic standards with pastoral thrust to give us a volume that will be of great interest to those with the genuine 'Celtic Theology' that can be discovered in early Irish documents."
--Irish Theological Quarterly 2002

About the Author

Thomas O'Loughlin is professor of historical theology in the University of Wales, Lampeter. His research has focused on the theology of the early medieval period, and on the works of insular writers in particular.

Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (September 13, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826448712
• ISBN-13: 978-0826448712
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,366,116 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars eltic Faithand Practice, March 22, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Celtic Theology: Humanity, World, and God in Early Irish Writings (Hardcover)

The phrase "Early Irish" means the period from the fifth to the tenth century. Much theological material survives from then, but scholars have mostly used it for historical purposes, such as determining which church fathers the Irish knew. In this welcome, indeed overdue, volume, O'Laughlin examines theological themes. Throughout the book he struggles against modern perceptions of an idiosyncratic Celtic Church, "an eco-friendly, Augustine-free zone without formal theology or law" (19). This phenomenon has many parents from Irish Protestants who portrayed a national church that maintained its independence from Rome to contemporary New Age types who simply resent formality-and usually intellectuality-in religion. O'Loughlin argues for a distinctive Irish theology in the sense that every society has brought its cultural values to the understanding of Christianity. The Irish considered themselves part of the Western Church.

Two examples will show O'Loughlin's method. Adomnan of Iona (625-704) wrote De Locis Sanctis, about the Holy Land that he had never seen, yet this book became popular in the early Middle Ages. Adomnan applies Augustine's exegetical principles to his subject, and, "teasing out references to places in the Fathers," he established the theological significance of specific sites. His description of salt "fulfill(ed) a need, expressed by Augustine, for book on minerals mentioned in the Scriptures" (80). O'Loughlin similarly demonstrated how the Collectio Canonum Hibernorum embodied not just a collection of legal decisions but also a particular theological stance, such as exalting virginity over marriage. All in all, a fine book by a leading scholar.

Joseph F. Kelly
John Carroll University

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Celtic Church: Orthodox, Catholic and Celtic, May 27, 2002

By 

Fr.Dn Tomas MacanChrosain, C.D. (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celtic Theology: Humanity, World, and God in Early Irish Writings (Hardcover)

I find Thomas O'Loughlin's handling of the material refreshing. I practice Celtic Orthodoxy everyday in my own life as a deacon serving in the Celtic Orthodox Christian Church (an Eastern Orthodox old calendarist jurisdiction using translations of the Stowe Missal and other liturgical materials). Because I practice it, the theology of the old Celtic Church has become a part of my living tradition and my heart's expression of love and worship of God. O'Loughlin understands our Christian heritage intellectually and I recommend it to be a part of anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the Orthodox Christian faith from a Celtic perspective. Of the other authors (who have commercially published on this topic), I could only recommend Ian Bradley. The fad of Celtomania seems to have begun because for the longest time academia largely ignored the heritage of the Irish, the Scots and the Welsh and placed emphasis on Anglo-Saxon in the English-speaking world. Then along comes various ethnic studies limited to minorities. Celtomania became the place for any crackpot theory. Now Celtic studies are finally becoming serious. We can do without the immature romanticism of New Age, the neopagans and the various anachronisms we have had to endure about our Celtic heritage. We can lose the scholars who contend that there was no Celtic Church. We can lay to rest the notions of Pelagianism as "Celtic Theology" without giving into the notions of Augustine's predestination. Serious scholars need to read O'Loughlin's book.