Poetry, Theology, and Worldview among Celtic Christians (1)

Part 1: Colum Cille, Altus Prosator (1)

The exalted Creator, Ancient of Days, and Unbegotten One
was without a first beginning or a foundation;
he is, and he will be for unending ages.
[His] only-begotten Christ, and the Holy Spirit,
are coeternal with him in the everlasting glory of Godhead.
We do not assert that there are three gods, but speak of one God,
retaining our faith in the three most glorious Persons.

Translation, John Carey, King of Mysteries

My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.Psalm 49.3, 4

Poetry as a vehicle for theology
For many of us, perhaps, the idea that poetry might be a useful tool for building the house of faith will seem strange, if not unlikely.

After all, most of us don’t spend any time reading poetry, and the Christian publishing industry, because it offers so little in the way of new Christian verse, discourages believers from taking poetry seriously. We may hear an occasional poem, for example, as part of a sermon, but for most of us poetry is obtuse, difficult, uninteresting, frivolous, and irrelevant. What specifically Christian poetry we’ve read is generally so insipid or shallow, lacking any real theological depth or relevance, that we’ve decided there’s nothing to lose by simply ignoring poetry as part of our walk with the Lord.

Our view of poetry might improve, however, if we recall that much of the Bible is written in verse, in particular, much of the wisdom literature, all the psalms, and large portions of the prophets. Many sound theologians, it seems, have determined to solve their theological riddles “to the music of the lyre.”

Celtic Christians and poetry
The Christians who fueled the Celtic revival of the 5^th-9^th centuries had a decidedly different view from ours. For them poetry was an integral aspect of their faith, a useful tool for theological articulation, devotional exercise, and instruction of the faithful.

Poetry among the Celtic Christians was the work of missionaries and monks, bards and bishops, students and scholars. Celtic Christians delighted in the challenge of verse, as well as in the fruit of their labors. A fair amount of poetry has been preserved from this period of Church history, and the influence of this poetic tradition became established in the daily practice of Celtic peoples in all walks of life for centuries after the Celtic revival cooled.

Celtic Christian poetry deals with a wide range of subjects, from casual observations of everyday activities, to meditations on the ways of creation or the life of a hermit, to profound theological inquiries and summations. We have already considered the earliest example of Celtic Christian poetry, Sechnall’s Audite Omnes Amantes, and found it to shed light on the person and work of Patrick. Celtic Christian poetry provides us a unique look into the history, theology, and worldview of this important period.

Poetry for the soul
Much of the poetry that survives from this period was specifically crafted to nurture the soul – informing the mind, affecting the heart, and establishing the values and priorities of the conscience. An excellent example of this kind of Celtic Christian verse is Altus Prosator – “High First-Sower”, or, “Creator.” Altus Prosator is a late 6^th-century poem, written by Colum Cille of Iona, the great Irish missionary/monk. This lengthy and lyrical poem encapsulates the narrative of Scripture, from creation to consummation, and, thus, provides a helpful framework for understanding the teaching of the Bible and the priorities of the life of faith.

The intent of this poem is to aid the reader in setting his mind on the things that are above, where Christ rules in the heavens, and from which He will come again to judge the world. Written in a lively and lyrical style, Altus Prosator would have been an easy poem to memorize, perhaps to sing, and could have served to help organize a student’s studies, disciplines, and aspirations according to the narrative framework of redemption found in the Bible.

Structure
Altus Prosator is a Latin abecedarian poem in 23 stanzas, each new stanza beginning with the next letter in the Latin alphabet. It ends in an envoi (summation) of nine lines. The poem reveals great care in craftsmanship. Each stanza consists of six lines (except the first, which has seven), each of which is divided into two parts, each part consisting of four beats, either trochaic (stressed/unstressed) or iambic (unstressed/stressed). The last syllable of each half-line rhymes, so that the poem reads rather like a children’s song as the words, meter, and rhyme pull the reader on in measured delight. We’ll see how that lyrical craftsmanship works in subsequent installments in this series.

The poem divides roughly into six parts (with the envoi), as follows:

            Part 1 (Stanza 1): The poet’s faith in the Triune God.
            Part 2 (Stanzas 2-4, 8): The creation of angels.
            Part 3 (Stanzas 5-7, 9-11): Creation and providence.
            Part 4 (Stanzas 13-15): Hell and paradise.
            Part 5 (Stanzas 16-21): Law and judgment.
            Part 6 (Stanzas 22, 23): Rewards and punishment.
            Envoi

Sources for the poem are mostly Biblical, but apocryphal and other theological works contributed to Colum’s understanding as well. Altus Prosator maps out the whole history of salvation and calls on readers to trust in Christ and walk in obedience to His Law. Thus they may resist the machinations of the devil and know the full blessing of the rewards of paradise on the day when Christ returns in judgment.

Altus Prosator is an excellent example of the Celtic Christian penchant for thinking “big and simple” at the same time. The scope, themes, and overall thrust of this poem are powerful, majestic, and eternal, while the structure and form of it are lyrical and delightful. We’ll take a closer look at this example of Celtic Christian theology in verse in subsequent installments in this series.

For reflection: Why do you suppose God used so much poetry in the Bible? What is it about poetry that makes it an excellent vehicle for theological truth? Talk with a few Christian friends about this question.

T. M. Moore

If you’d like to read some contemporary theological poetry, order T. M.’s three works of poetry from our online bookstore: The Hidden Lifeprovides poetry, songs, and exercises to draw you more deeply into the Lord. Fault Lines is a collection of lyrics exploring aspects of the Christian worldview. Satan Bound is a lengthy narrative poem exposing the wiles and ways of the devil.