Anonymous, Liber de Ordine Creaturarum

“For it is truly so that the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit [is] in all respects inseparable, one Godhead in essence and a distinctive trinity in the substances of the Persons…But in essence what the Father is the Son and the Holy Spirit are the same, and what the Son is, the Father and the Holy Spirit are the same, and what the Holy Spirit is the Father and the Son are the same. But the number of ‘gods’ in the Trinity is not three; for while the distinctiveness of persons is preserved, the fullness of divinity is shared. The Son in time assumed human flesh that was free from all sin; he possessed a human nature having a soul that was discerning, understanding, and wise, leaving aside his divine nature, so that his humanity might be made complete; the Son who outside time is [the Son] of God the Father assumed this so that he who was in his divinity the Son of God should likewise in his humanity become the Son of Man. He was born in his humanity of the Holy Spirit and Mary ever virgin, not that he should be believed to be the Son of the Holy Spirit as of Mary but that conceived by the power and work of the Holy Spirit he was born of a virgin.”

Translation, Rev. J. A. Davies

The Liber de Ordine Creaturarum (Book of the Order of Creation) is a remarkable 7^th century text, both for the scope of its concern and the brevity with which it achieves its end. It seeks to give an account, based in Scripture as understood through the writings of previous Christian scholars, of the entire cosmos, uncreated (God) and created, seen and unseen. It is an exquisite work of faith, treating the Biblical teaching as completely reliable and entirely essential for a good understanding of how to make one’s way in the world. In many ways it represents a summation of the Celtic Christian worldview, a way of life grounded in Scripture and the most reliable traditions of Christian teaching, and focused on stewarding the world according to the divine purpose and plan.

The writer insists of his account, “This is the catholic faith; which it is more profitable to believe and confess than to demolish by discussion. Neither the wisdom of the age nor worldly understanding which follow the outward appearances of things rather than knowledge of the truth could discern it but the apostolic faith has handed it down and the vigilance of the church has kept it safe.” The faith, in other words, is not simply something to affirm, but a worldview to embrace and live.

The Liber begins with this section on God. God is the Fount of all creation and its Lord in every respect. Subsequent themes are suggested in this section, but the main point of it is to support the Nicene and Chalcedonian faith in the one God in three Persons (not three “gods” as pagans at that sometimes insisted).

Crucial to the relationship between God and the cosmos, and especially humankind, is the work that Jesus did by becoming the Word of God incarnate through the virgin birth. Our anonymous writer does not make the slightest attempt to penetrate the mystery of the incarnation or the virgin birth. He simply accepts these as Biblical and therefore historical, and altogether necessary for the redemption of the world.

The coming of Jesus was to overthrow the reign of the devil and to restore men from their bondage to sin: “For the Lord had designed that this sin be blotted out in no other way than by death, which he foreknew and appointed would occur later through the coming in the flesh of his son, Jesus Christ, so that through his death our blame should die, through his resurrection the law of our death should be cancelled, through his bodily ascension and dwelling in heaven immortality would be granted to humanity and participation would be given in the angelic spiritual life that was appointed for us in the beginning…”

Christmas means much more than a season of good feelings, kind sentiments, and nostalgic longing for a gentler time. It marks the beginning of the redemptive work of God, come to earth in the form of a Babe, Who was the God/Man Jesus Christ. He came as God to live as God and die as a Man, in order to fulfill the righteous requirements and satisfy the just judgments of God’s holy and righteous and good Law. In Him we have hope, life, forgiveness, assurance, power, and the promise of blessing and glory.

And in Him Who has already come once we have the hope that, in His next coming, Immanuel, God Who is with us, will take us who believe with Him to dwell with our Father forever. “O come, O come, Immanuel!”

For more insight to the legacy of the Celtic Christian period, order a copy of T. M.’s book, The Legacy of Patrick, from our online store.