Journeys on the Edges: The Celtic Tradition (Traditions of Christian Spirituality.) [Paperback]

Thomas O'Loughlin (Author), Philip Sheldrake (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Traditions of Christian Spirituality | Publication Date: October 10, 2000

Thomas O'Loughlin's fresh and original introduction to Celtic spirituality begins by questioning the very notion of a distinctively "Celtic" spirituality. Brilliantly re-examining the original sources, he argues that there is one over-arching theme giving them a unity--the idea of being "on the edge", both culturally and geographically.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A valuable antidote to the wishful thinking and misconceptions that bedevil much recent writing about the Celtic tradition. --Richard Woods, O.P.

From the Back Cover

An introduction to the powerful and mysterious tradition of Celtic spirituality, as reflected in its saints and scholars. Thomas O'Loughlin focuses on such issues as the immanence and transcendence of God, the notion of creation, the relation between the individual and community, the heroic ideal of Christian life, and notions of death and resurrection.

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: Orbis Books (October 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570753377
• ISBN-13: 978-1570753374
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,078,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Non-Celtic Tradition, March 18, 2009

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This review is from: Journeys on the Edges: The Celtic Tradition (Traditions of Christian Spirituality.) (Paperback)

The title of this book is a complete misnomer. The author should have stuck with describing his personal experience, or writing about pre-industrial, Christian cycles of time. He is so disgusted with the romanticization of the Celts that he overreacts in a diatribe against the idea of a special flavour to "Celtic Christianity."

O'Loughlin is best when commenting on his own experience, "visiting old relatives in rural Ireland. When the electric light was switched on, the man said, `God give us the light of Heaven!' Everyone chimed back, `Amen' in unison...it linked that day, and that physical light, with the...notion of the incomprehensible light of God. When we speak of a sacramental understanding of the universe, it is that simple kitchen liturgy we should keep in mind" (140). O'Loughlin accurately states that for early Christians, that time was holy and that, "to live through the year was to be submerged not just in the annual cycle of seasons and liturgy, but a whole series of such cycles which were all interrelated and influenced one" (144). People lived in harmony with "the very clock of creation," "between the liturgy of earth and heaven" (145).

Yet O'Loughlin cherry-picks his history in reaction to New Age appropriation of the Celts. His conclusion is that any differences between the Celtic Church and the Roman were insignificant. He ignores the complexity of the arguments that existed between the two, and as evidenced at the Synod of Whitby in 664. He neglects the writings of Columbanus, and phenomenon of Pelagius. This book attempts to deconstruct the idea of the uniqueness of Celtic Christianity, arguing that the early Church manifested the same way everywhere. O'Loughlin argues for historical conformity with Rome, he carefully avoids the real differences that are shown in the archeological, written, cultural, and folkloric records of the early Celtic Church.

Whatever you do, avoid the armchair bombast of the poorly researched Christians and Pagans: The Conversion of Britain from Alban to Bede by Malcolm Lambert. O'Loughlin's work is far superior, despite any criticisms here. For an exploration of the long-lasting Irish/Gaelic Church, try The Voice of the Irish: The Story of Christian Ireland.