Isle of the Saints recreates the harsh yet richly spiritual world of medieval Irish monks on the Christian frontier of barbarian Europe. Lisa Bitel draws on accounts of saints' lives written between 800 and 1200 to explain, from the monks' own perspective, the social networks that bound them to one another and to their secular neighbors.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Treatment of the World of the Celtic Saints,
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This review is from: Isle of the Saints: Monastic Settlement and Christian Community in Early Ireland (Paperback)
Bitel draws upon a rich literary history of the Celtic saints and monastics to explain just how Irish society was formed by this interaction and also helped shape Irish Christianity. She is very diligent about her use of primary sources and does an excellent job supporting her thesis. In a sense, it was the early Irish monastics that shaped the very culture around them. The culture became so integrated that even the ancient holy pagan sites were adopted into Celtic Christianity. It is a must read for anyone interested in Irish Christianity. However, there is not a lot in this book about the spirituality of the saints and their wonderful method of evangelism among the Irish. It takes more of a sociological attempt to explain how Ireland became Christian. Overall a great work.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A Bit Off-Base,
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This review is from: Isle of the Saints: Monastic Settlement and Christian Community in Early Ireland (Paperback)
Overall, I think Bitel decently presents her argument well and does her best to support it. However, she seems to have a somewhat idealistic view of the period. Her grasp of the social forces at play is weak, and at points she presents as facts concepts that have long been disproved or contested by historians.
While not always accurate, Bitel's "History" may be the one many are comfortable believing to be true.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Valuable reference,
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This review is from: Isle of the Saints: Monastic Settlement and Christian Community in Early Ireland (Paperback)
This book is a necessary tool to have for the study of the early Irish church. Not a page turner, and it can be a bit heavy on the academic side, it is also authoratative and accurate.
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Ard Macha, Cluain Moccu, Kathleen Hughes, Middle Ages, Gerald of Wales, Patrician Texts, Annals of Ulster, Early Christian Ireland, Irish Kings, Peter Brown, Cluain Iraird, Irish Antiquity, New York, Sancti Columbani Opera, Celtic Monasticism, Fergus Kelly, Four Masters, Mac Eclaise, Richard Sharpe, Bronze Age, Church Island, Iron Age, Kuno Meyer, Mac Conglinnc, Mac Niocaill New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Ard Macha, Cluain Moccu, Kathleen Hughes, Middle Ages, Gerald of Wales, Patrician Texts, Annals of Ulster, Early Christian Ireland, Irish Kings, Peter Brown, Cluain Iraird, Irish Antiquity, New York, Sancti Columbani Opera, Celtic Monasticism, Fergus Kelly, Four Masters, Mac Eclaise, Richard Sharpe, Bronze Age, Church Island, Iron Age, Kuno Meyer, Mac Conglinnc, Mac Niocaill New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 57
books:
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21
books
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- The Church in Early Irish Society by Kathleen Hughes on 18 pages
- Sancti Columbani Opera (Scriptores Latini Hiberniae) (English and Latin Edition) by G.S.Murdoch Walker on 8 pages
- Irish Monasticism (Celtic Studies) on 8 pages
- Late Antiquity by Peter Brown on 4 pages
- Early Irish Literature (Celtic Studies) by Myles Dillon in Front Matter, page 169, and Back Matter
See all 57 books this book cites
- The Spirituality of the Celtic Saints by Richard J. Woods on 4 pages
- Land of Women: Tales of Sex and Gender from Early Ireland by Lisa M. Bitel in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- A Brief History of Saints (Blackwell Brief Histories of Religion) by Lawrence Cunningham in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- A Celtic Model of Ministry: The Reawakening of Community Spirituality by Jerry C. Doherty on page 46
- The Medicine Line: Life and Death on a North American Borderland by Beth LaDow in Back Matter
See all 21 books citing this book
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