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 COLUMBA

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COLUMBA

Columba, Saint, Abbot op Iona, b. at Gartan, County Donegal, Ireland, 7 December, 521 ; d. 9 June, 597. He belonged to the Clan O'Donnell, and was of royal descent. His father's name was Fedhlimdh and that of his mother Eithne. On his father's side he was great-great-grandson of Niall of the Nine Hos- tages, an Irish king of the fourth century. His bap- tismal name was Colum, which signifies a dove, hence the latinized form Columba. It assumes another form in Colum-cille, the suffix meaning "of the Churches". He was baptized at Tulach-Dubhglaise, now Temple-Douglas, by a priest named Cruilhne- chan, who afterwards became his tutor or foster- father. When sufficiently advanced in letters he entered the monastic school of Moville under St. Fin- nian, who had studied at St. Ninian's "Magnum Mon- asterium" on the shores of Galloway. Columba at Moville embraced monastic life and received the diac- onate. In the same place hissanctity first manifested it- self by miracles. By his prayers, tradition says, he con- verted water into wine for the Holy Sacrifice (Adam., II, i). Having completed his training at Moville, he travelled southwards into Leinster, where he became a pupil of an aged bard named Gemman. On leaving him, Columba entered the monastery of Clonard, gov- erned at that time by Finnian, a man remarkable, like liis namesake of Mo\'ille, for sanctity and learning. Here he imbibed the traditions of the Welsh Church, for Finnian had been trained in the schools of St. David. Here also he became one of those twelve Clonard disciples known in subsequent history as the Twelve Apostles of Ireland. About this same time he was promoted to the priesthood by Bishop Etchen of Clonfad. The story that St. Finnian wished Co- lumba to be consecrated bishop, but through a mis- take only priest's orders were conferred, is regarded by competent authorities as the invention of a later age (Reeves, Adam., 226).

Another preceptor of Columba was St. Mobhi, whose monastery at Glasnevin was frequented by such famous men as St. Canice, St. Comgall, and St. Ciaran. A pestilence which devastated Ireland in 544 caused the dispersion of Mobhi's disciples, and Co- lumba returned to Ulster, the land of his kindred. The following years were marked by the foundation of several important monasteries, Derry, Durrow, and Kells. Derry and Durrow were always specially dear to Columba. While at Derry it is said that he planned a pilgrimage to Rome and Jerusalem, but did not pro- ceed farther than Tours. Thence he brought a copy of the Gospels that had lain on the bosom of St. Martin for the space of 100 years. This relic was deposited in Derry (Skene, Celtic Scotland, II, 483). Columba left Ireland and passed over into Scotland in 56.3. The motives for this migration have been frequently dis- cussed. Bede simply says: "Venit de Hibernia . . . praedicaturus verbum Dei" (H. E., Ill, iv); Adamnan: "pro Cliristo perigrinari volens enavigavit" (Praef., ^I). Later writers state that his departure was due to the fact that he hatl induced the clan Neill to rise and engage in battle against King Diarmait at Cool- drevny in 561. The reasons alleged for this action of Columba are: (1) The king's -violation of the right of sanctuary belonging to Columba's person as a monk, on the occasion of the murder of Prince Curnan, the saint's kinsman; (2) Diarmait's adverse judgment concerning the copy Columba had secretly made of St. Finnian 's psalter. Columba is said to have supported by his prayers the men of the North who were fighting, while Finnian did the same for Diarmait's men. The latter were defeated with a loss of three thousand. Columba '.-^ conscience smote him, and he had recourse to his confessor, St. Molaise, who imposed this severe penance: to leave Ireland anil preach the Gospel so as to gain as many .souKs to Christ as lives lost at Cool- drevny, and never more to look upon his native land. Some writers hold that these are legends invcntecl by

the bards and romancers of a later age, because there is no mention of them by the earliest authorities (O'Hanlon, Lives of the Ir. Saints, VI, 3.53). Cardi- nal Moran accepts no other motive than that assigned by Adamnan, "a desire to carry the Gospel to a pagan nation and to win souls to God". (Lives of Irish Saints in Great Britain, 67). Archbishop Healy, on the contrary, considers that the saint did incite to battle, and exclaims: "O /e/jj ru/pa . . . which pro- duced so much good both for Erin and Alba" (Schools and Scholars, 311).

Iona. — Columba was in his forty-fourth year when he departed from Ireland. He antl his twelve com- panions crossed the sea in a currach of wiekerwork covered with hides. They landed at Iona on the eve of Pentecost, 12 May, 563. The island, according to Irish authorities, was granted to the monastic colon- ists by King Conall of Dalriada. Columba's kinsman. Bede attributes the gift to the Picts (Fowler, p. Ixv). It was a convenient situation, being midway between his countrymen along the western coast and the Picts of Caledonia. He and his brethren proceeded at once to erect their humble dwellings, consisting of a church, refectory, and cells, constructed of wattles and rough planks. After spending some years among the Scots of Dalriada, Columba began the great work of his life, the conversion of the Northern Picts. Together with St. Comgall and St. Canice (Kenneth) he visited King Brude in his royal residence near Inverness. Admit- tance was refused to the missionaries, and the gates were closed and bolted; but before the sign of the cross the bolts flew back, the doors stood open, and the monks entered the castle. Awe-struck by so evident a miracle, the king listened to Columba with reverence and was baptized. The people soon followed the ex- ample set them, and thus was inaugurated a move- ment that extended itself to the whole of Caledonia. Opposition was not wanting, and it came chiefly from the Druids, who officially represented the paganism of the nation.

The thirty-two remaining years of Columba's life were mainly spent in preaching the Christian Faith to the inhabitants of the glens and wooded straths of Northern Scotland. His steps can be followed not only through the Great Glen, but eastwards also, into Aberdeenshire. The "Book of Deer" (p. 91) tells us how he and Drostan came, as God had shown them, to Aberdour in Buchan, and how Bede, a Pict, who was high steward of Buchan, gave them the town in freedom forever. The preaching of the saint was con- firmed by many miracles, and he prox-ided for the in- struction of his converts by the erection of numer- ous churches and monasteries. One of his journeys brought him to Glasgow, where he met St. Mungo, the apostle of Strathclyde. He frequently \'isited Ire- land ; in 575 he attended the sjiiod of Drumceatt, in company with the Scottish King Aidan, whom shortly before he had inaugurated successor of Conall of Dal- riada. When not engaged in missionary journeys, he always resided at Iona. Numerous strangers sought him there, and they received help for soul and body. From Iona he governed those numerous communities in Ireland and Caledonia, which regarded him as their father and founder. This accounts for the unique position occupied by the successors of Columba, who governed the entire province of the Northern Picts, although they had received priest's orders only. It was considered unbecoming that any successor in the office of .\bbot of Iona should possess a dignity higher than that of the founder. The bishojis were regarded as being of a superior order, but subject nevertheless to the j\irisdiction of the abbot. At Lindisfarne the monks revi^rted to the ordinary law and were subject to a bisho). (Bede, H. E., IV, xivii).

Coluinlia is said never to have spent an hour with- o\it stu<ly, prayer, writing, or similar occupations. When at home he was frequently engaged in trans-