Colum Cille: Altus Prosator (2)
I invoke God the unbegotten Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
and His Son, begotten before the ages,
and God the Holy Spirit, true, single, most exalted,
that He may grant His most helpful assistance
to me, though I am least of all deserving,
to whom the Lord will grant comradeship with the angels in their thousands.
– Colum Cille, “Exalted First Sower”
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
– Hebrews 13.20, 21
Colum’s faith
The invocation excerpted above does not appear in all the early manuscripts of “Exalted First Sower.” In John Carey’s edition, it is added at the end, after the work had been completed, as a way of seeking “helpful assistance” from the Lord in this effort. It may well represent the spirit of Colum Cille as he worked on this long poem. It certainly gives us insight to the saint’s faith.
We note first Colum’s orthodox view of the Trinity. Celtic Christians are sometimes regarded as Pelagianists, mostly by association with that British theologian of the day whose faulty view of sin brought down the wrath of Augustine and secured for Pelagius the status of heretic. But Celtic Christians were orthodox in their faith, beginning with their understanding of God.
Colum believed in the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father is sovereign over all things; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father (“before the ages”); and the Spirit is Holy and God, Who, with the Father and the Son, is “true, single, most exalted”. Colum’s view of the Triune God agrees fully with the Scripture and the fathers of the Church.
Second, we glimpse the prayer life of Colum. Though God is so exalted and magnificent and Colum is the “least of all deserving”, yet the saint trusted in the availability and efficacy of prayer, even for a project such as this. Colum was a man of prayer, as all accounts of his life indicate. And he acknowledged his need for the “helpful assistance” of God for the writing of “Exalted First Sower” as much as he did for training the monks on Iona, overseeing monasteries in Ireland, or evangelizing the pagans in Scotland.
Third, we note the long-term hope expressed, that this poem might be evidence of Colum’s place among the ranks of the “deserving”—those to whom the Lord has granted “comradeship”—so that he might join the company of saints and angels in their glad task of honoring and glorifying God forever. He did not write the poem to gain God’s favor but to show that, even though he thought of himself as “least of all deserving”, yet he believed and hoped that “Exalted First Sower” might demonstrate that he was one of that great number. Christians do not gain heaven by works; but they should not expect to arrive there without such evidence of true faith (Heb. 11.1).
Our response
We can trust Colum. Some of what he has written might strike us as strange or perhaps a bit overdone, but we can trust him and learn from him just as we can from all other faithful and devout forebears of our faith.
But what do we expect to learn? In “Exalted First Sower” Colum will outline both the scope of divine revelation and the course of God’s redemptive plan. He teaches us to keep focused on the end of our journey of faith and calls us to be faithful to the end. He’ll offer insight to the unseen realm of angels and demons; understanding of the role of creation and history in glorifying God; and instruction in how to prepare for the return and coming judgment of the Lord.
“Exalted First Sower” spreads out a worldview, a lofty vision of time and eternity, and makes it very clear which of those realms is of most importance.
We’ll also learn some things about how poetry works to help us remember and learn, so that we understand why Colum put these important truths into verse form rather than simple narrative. And perhaps we may be persuaded that we as Christians should read a bit more poetry.
As we begin to examine the text of “Exalted First Sower”, let us invoke the God of peace, together with our risen Lord and the Holy Spirit, that He may use this amazing text to enlighten, encourage, and help equip and use us for every good work in our walk with and work for our Lord.
For Reflection
1. Colum will give us a glimpse of a Celtic Christian worldview. What is a worldview? Who should have one?
2. How do you most hope to be helped by our study of “Exalted First Sower”?
Psalm 33.1-5
Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns
Sing with rejoicing in the LORD, for praise becomes His righteous ones!
With harps and songs raise grateful words, and let new songs of praise be sung!
Joyfully shout! His Word is true; He does His work in faithfulness.
His love prevails the whole world through; the LORD loves truth and righteousness.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: Our ReVision series on “Everyday Christianity” explores the joy of knowing the Presence of the Lord. Our Read Moore podcast continues through our book, The Disciplined Life. The focus of our Scriptorium daily study looks at the second part of Colossians 1. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
