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The Scriptorium

Obeying Men rather than God

Corrupt ministers cannot serve the Body of Christ.

Gildas, The Ruin of Britain (7)

What do you expect, unhappy people, from such beasts of the belly (as the apostle said)? Will you find correction at the hands of men who not only do not turn to good deeds but even (in the words of a reproachful prophet) labour to do ill? Will you find light from such eyes, which look with greed only on things that lead steeply down to vice – that is, to the doors of hell? Indeed, in the words of our Saviour, if you do not swiftly flee these rapacious wolves of Arabia, like Lot fleeing to the hills from the fiery rain that fell on Sodom, then, the blind led by the blind, you will fall together into the pit of hell.

But it may be said: not all bishops and presbyters as categorized above are bad, for they are not all stained with the disgrace of schism, pride and uncleanness. I agree entirely. But though we know them to be chaste and good, I shall make a brief reply…

Which of you under the shock of the tyrants kept rigidly to the rule given by the words of the apostle, a rule that has always been kept in every age by all the holy priests who reject the proposals of men that try to hasten them down the slope to wickedness: “One must obey God rather than men”?

Translation Michael Winterbottom, The Ruin of Britain

Our quote begins with a conclusion, then works – following the ellipsis – to another. The first conclusion is that the people of Britain were being ruined in their faith by bishops, priests, and elders whose primary concern was for their own comfort and wellbeing, and who were shepherds of the flock of God in Britain in name only. “They have grabbed merely the name of priests – not the priestly way of life.” Rather than secure their office “through holiness and right behavior…they buy priesthoods, which are tainted and cannot avail them, not from the apostles or their successors, but from the tyrants and their fathers the devil.”

The corrupt kings of Britain, whom Gildas has roundly denounced by the words of the prophets, held the keys of the Kingdom of God, and were dispensing offices in the church to those who would not only look the other way while they sinned, but joined them in sinning as well. The clergy of Britain, Gildas complained, were eager for money, prestige, and sensual pleasure. The people of Britain could not expect to be served well by such clergy. They were too busy practicing sin to correct the people in theirs and too eager to grope about in the darkness of hell and lies to lead the people into the light of truth. They did not heed the words of warning that threaten the judgment of God, and so they were blind priests leading blind people to calamity.

But some will protest, Surely there are some good priests in Britain? Yes, Gildas agrees. But even those who have not stained themselves with sin have not risen to the full stature of their office. Gildas offers his “brief reply” to such a protest by running through a litany of Scriptural priests, from Eli to Peter and Paul, and including second-century martyrs Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp of Smyrna, as well as fourth-century theologian Basil of Caesarea, to show that truly “good” priests are men of extraordinary faith, courage, and attainments. They do not go along with the status quo but risk everything for the honor of God and the wellbeing of His people. True priests steer clear of all sinful practices. They suffer outrage and persecution at the hands of those who envy their piety. They hate “the counsel of the ill-wishers” and refuse “to sit with the impious”.  True priests do no allow into the fellowship of the Church those who do not possess the salvation of the Lord; they stand for justice; do not hold grudges; intercede with tears for the people; root out all sin from their congregations; are full of faith in courageous Kingdom undertakings; and willingly suffer persecution rather than deny their Lord or their calling.

Yes, there were “good” priests in Britain, but they were not fulfilling the expectations of those who had gone before them in serving the flocks of God, and so they were nearly as culpable for the ruin of the Church as those Gildas earlier condemned.

For while the “good” priests of Britain may not have been actively participating in the sins of their brethren, they were keeping a low profile and neither challenging the corruption of their day nor leading the people to greater heights of Kingdom attainment. They feared men rather than God – the kings of Britain rather than the King of kings.

Even as Gildas related the accounts of the great priests of Scripture, he suspected these “good” priests  were reading him “with the eyes of your souls asleep” and “the ears of your senses dulled”. They were lost in “the black shadowy fog of the faintness of your hearts,” lacking the light of truth and the courage of their convictions to stand up against the wickedness of the day.

Not content to condemn his contemporaries by his own observations and opinions, Gildas next prepares a list of prophetic warnings and condemnations against the priests of Britain, following the pattern he has already established in condemning her kings. We will summarize his argument in that section in our next installment.

Want to learn more about the Celtic Revival and its ongoing impact? Order T. M.’s book, The Legacy of Patrick, from our online store.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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