Unknown to most Christians today, there is gathering evidence to indicate that the early Irish Church and its Celtic monasticism and spirituality received deep influence, not just from the great St. Patrick, but, amazing at it sounds, from the Egyptian (Coptic) Church and its monasticism. Many would immediately dismiss such a claim as ludicrous. But, new discoveries and studies of ancient Celtic manuscripts, art, and more are leading serious scholars to the conclusion that Egyptian Christianity did somehow make contact with early Celtic Catholics and left an indelible mark on them.
The
ancient (seventh-cent.) antiphonary of the Irish monastery of Bangor contains
some very curious words:
“This
house full of delight
Is
built on the rock
And
indeed the true vine
Transplanted
out of Egypt.”[1]
Sts. Paul & Antony of Egypt
Litany of St. Óengus mentioning the Egyptian Monks in Ireland
There
has also been found a substantial number of otherwise inexplicable similarities
between early Celtic church life and Egyptian practice, which were shared by no
other western churches. One striking similitude is the use of crowns for Celtic
bishops and not the western mitre, just like the Egyptians. Roman Catholic
priest and historian Fr. Alban Butler finds this, “the closest analogy to
Coptic practices.” Another interesting fact is the use by Celtic bishops and
abbots of crosiers of the eastern Tau style, after the Greek letter Tau,
instead of the western shepherd’s crook, as the staff of authority. Again, Fr.
Butler remarks, “a very striking coincidence with eastern usage, and adds
another link to the evidence connecting the early Irish and oriental churches.”[6]
Saint Antony (Egypt) Saint
Columba (Scotland)
Another Coptic influence
in the Irish church can be seen in the use of flabella, long hand held fans, which,
first being used in ancient Pharaonic Egypt, were later adopted by the eastern
churches for use during the liturgy to keep flies away from the Eucharist. Both early Irish liturgical texts and depictions (including in
the Book of Kells) confirm the use of
these fans in the Celtic church. [7]
Angel
holding Flabellum
in the Book of Kells |
The use of hand bells in the early Celtic liturgy seems to
be an insignificant point, except for the fact that such a practice was also done
only in the Coptic Liturgy at this time in history; the use of bells in liturgy
being unknown in both the larger and more prominent Latin and Greek Churches
until the tenth century. [8] Celtic monasticism was known for its extreme ascetical
practices, closely resembling those of Egypt. One Irish ascetical practice, the
crux-vigilia, (the practice of prayer
while stretching out one’s arms in the form of a cross for long periods) was
once thought to be of purely Irish origin, until further research discovered that
the practice was followed as early as the fourth century by monastic founder
St. Pachomios of Egypt and his followers. Celtic Crosses, famous for their beauty
and magnificent carving, seem also to have been influenced by Egypt. The stone
Celtic High Crosses, of the ninth and tenth centuries, covered with carved
images, include very frequently the depiction of the meeting of Sts. Paul and
Antony of Egypt. They are shown so often on these crosses that one can understand
that the devotion to these saints must have been great. One needs to ask…why
was so much devotion shown to these saints in Ireland compared to the rest of Western
Europe where it was very limited?[9] Another interesting point is the discovery
of a Coptic burial pall of the fifth century; it depicts a cross of the Celtic
design, three centuries before the
design appears in Ireland. [10]
Both St. Patrick in the fifth century, and St. Augustine of
Canterbury in AD 597, encountered Egyptian-styled monastic communities upon
their arrival in Ireland and England. [11] Celtic monasticism had the same
style of life as both Coptic and Ethiopian monasteries. Professor Otto
Meinardus points out that both Celtic and Eastern Christian monasteries have a
system of individual houses and chapels, unlike the western practice of
gathering around a large central church. [12]
A few modern discoveries also seem
to confirm that Egyptians did reach Ireland at an early date. 1875 saw the
discovery of a silver cross from a bog in Ballycotton, Co. Cork, Ireland. Having
been dated to the eighth century, it was discovered that the writing on the
cross was the name of God and a short petition to him, all in Arabic. [13] Identical pottery being discovered in both
Egypt and Ireland prompted late art scholar Francoise
Henry to write in 1974 that "the explanation of how these contacts took place
is also now forthcoming, as traces of an extensive trade between the Near East and
the coasts of Ireland, Scotland, and England have been found in quantity."[14]
2006 saw the discovery of the Faddan More Psalter in a bog in County Tipperary,
Ireland. What is unique about this psalter, dated to around AD 800, is the
Egyptian style book binding with papyrus
lining (papyrus is a plant native to Egypt used to make paper since ancient
times).
Modern studies seem to confirm more
and more the ancient spiritual and cultural links that were established between
the Celtic Church of Ireland and the Egyptian Church. Perhaps we are just
re-discovering what was once common knowledge in the Church in former ages. In
a letter to the Western Emperor Charlemagne, English deacon and scholar Alcuin
describes the Celtic Culdees (monastics) as “pueri egyptiaci,” i.e., “sons of
the Egyptians.” This may have been just speaking completely figuratively, or,
it could have meant something more. [15]
1
Vidmar, John. The Catholic Church Through the Ages. (New York: Paulist Press,
2005), p. 82.
2
Ritner, Jr., Robert K.. "Egyptians in Ireland: A Question of Coptic
Peregrinations." Rice Institute Pamphlet - Rice University Studies,
62, no. 2 (1976), p. 83.
3
Ibid.
4
Dalrymple, William, From the Holy Mountain: A Journey in the Shadow of
Byzantium (New York: Penguin Books, 1997), p. 106.
5
Ritner, Jr., Robert K.. "Egyptians in Ireland: A Question of Coptic
Peregrinations." Rice Institute Pamphlet - Rice University Studies,
62, no. 2 (1976), p. 70.
6
Ibid. p. 68-70.
7
Anglandicus, Oriental Influences in the Early Irish Church, April 11, 2011, http://anglandicus.blogspot.com/2012/04/oriental-influences-in-early-irish.html
8
Ritner, Jr., Robert K.. "Egyptians in Ireland: A Question of Coptic
Peregrinations." Rice Institute Pamphlet - Rice University Studies,
62, no. 2 (1976), p. 68.
9
Ibid. p. 80.
10
Dalrymple, William, From the Holy Mountain: A Journey in the Shadow of
Byzantium (New York: Penguin Books, 1997).
11
Ritner, Jr., Robert K.. "Egyptians in Ireland: A Question of Coptic
Peregrinations." Rice Institute Pamphlet - Rice University Studies,
62, no. 2 (1976), p. 1.
12
Ibid. p. 82.
13
Anglandicus, Oriental Influences in the Early Irish Church, April 11, 2011, http://anglandicus.blogspot.com/2012/04/oriental-influences-in-early-irish.html
14
Ritner, Jr., Robert K.. "Egyptians in Ireland: A Question of Coptic
Peregrinations." Rice Institute Pamphlet - Rice University Studies,
62, no. 2 (1976), p. 83-84.
15
Dalrymple, William, From the Holy Mountain: A Journey in the Shadow of
Byzantium (New York: Penguin Books, 1997).
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