Celtic Theology Humanity, World, and God in Early Irish Writings

by O'Loughlin, Thomas

• ISBN13: 9780826448712
• ISBN10: 0826448712
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-09-13
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

Thomas 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 which they later exported to the rest of western Christianity. He looks at writers like Adomnan of Iona and at Muirchu, who reflected on the meaning of the conversion of his people two centuries earlier. He surveys how they approached liturgy, sacred time, and the Last Things. By examining well-known texts such as the Voyage of St. Brendan, the Stowe Missal, and the Book of Armagh from the standpoint of formal theology, the book brings familiar texts to life in a new way.

Author Biography

Thomas O'Loughlin is Lecturer in Theology at the Centre for the Study of Religion in Celtic Societies, University of Wales, Lampeter

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	vii
Preface	ix
Abbreviations	xi
Celtic Theology?	1	(24)
Patrick the Missionary	25	(23)
The Penitentials: The Human Dilemma	48	(20)
Adomnan: A Theologian at Work	68	(19)
Muirchu: Dramatist or Theologian?	87	(22)
The Collectio canonum hibernesis: Marriage and Sexuality	109	(19)
The Stowe Missal: The Eucharist as Refreshment	128	(19)
The Litanies: Petition, Procession, Protection	147	(19)
The Cycles of Prayer	166	(19)
Jerusalem: Our Mother and Home Above	185	(18)
Conclusion	203	(4)
Bibliography	207	(14)
Index of Biblical References	221	(6)
General Index	227