Theological Term of the Week: Columba

Columba
An Irish presbyter-monk and missionary to Scotland; often called “the apostle of Scotland.” He lived from 521–597.1

• From 2000 Years of Christ’s Power by N. H. Needham, page 312: 

Born at Garten in Donegal (northwestern Ireland), [Columba] was a presbyter-monk who established a number of churches and monasteries in his Irish homeland before crossing over to Scotland in 563. Tall, beautiful, burning with physical energy, constantly singing the Psalms of David in a booming voice, fearless, and in love with travel and adventure, Columba summed up in his own person and life the essence of Celtic Christianity. His missionary expedition to Scotland followed the normal Irish pattern—12 missionaries under the leadership of a 13th, based on the 12 apostles under the leadership of Christ. Columba and his team set up their headquarters on the tiny island of Iona, off the Scottish west coast. The monastery he founded there became one of the most successful centres of missionary work in the history of Christianity. From Iona, Columba’s disciples planted churches and monasteries throughout Scotland and northern England; Iona became thhe spiritual capital of the whole region. Among the northern Celtic Christians, the authority of the abbot of Iona had far more weight than the word of the pope.

• A hymn attributed to Columba: 

Christ Is the World’s Redeemer

Christ is the world’s redeemer,
the lover of the pure,
the fount of heavenly wisdom,
our trust and hope secure,
the armour of his soldiers,
the lord of earth and sky,
our health while we are living,
our life when we shall die.

Christ has our host surrounded
with clouds of martyrs bright
who wave their palms in triumph
and fire us for the fight.
For Christ the cross ascended
to save a world undone
and, suffering for the sinful,
our full redemption won.

Down in the realm of darkness
he lay a captive bound,
but at the hour appointed
he rose, a victor crowned,
and now, to heaven ascended,
he sits upon the throne
in glorious dominion,
his Father’s and his own.

Glory to God the Father,
the unbegotten One;
all honour be to Jesus,
his sole-begotten Son;
and to the Holy Spirit —
the perfect Trinity.
Let all the worlds give answer:
‘Amen, so let it be’.

Learn more:

1. Ligonier Ministries: Columba: Missionary to Scotland
2. Christian History: Iona’s Tough Dove
3. 5 Minutes in Church History: Iona

Related terms:

• Ambrose of Milan
• Apollinarius
• Athanasius
• Augustine of Hippo
• Basil of Caesarea
• Cappadocian fathers
• Cyril of Alexandria
• Gregory of Nanzianzus
• Gregory of Nyssa
• Gregory the Great
• Hilary of Poitiers
• Irenaeus of Lyons
• Jerome
• John Chrysostom
• Justin Martyr
• Monica
• Nestorius
• Origen
• Patrick
• Pelagius
• Sabellius
• Tertullian

Filed under Christian History

1From 2000 Years of Christ’s Power by N. R. Needham.

---

Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured as a Theological Term of the Week? Email your suggestion using the contact button in the navigation bar above. 

Clicking on the Theological Terms button will take you to an alphabetical list of all the theological terms.

Sunday's Hymn: The Church's One Foundation

The church’s one Foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is his new creation
By water and the Word:
From heav’n he came and sought her
To be his holy bride;
With his own blood he bought her,
And for her life he died.

Elect from ev’ry nation,
Yet one o’er all the earth,
Her charter of salvation
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food.
And to one hope she presses,
With ev’ry grace endued.

Though with a scornful wonder
Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed,
Yet saints their watch are keeping,
Their cry goes up, “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song.

The church shall never perish!
Her dear Lord to defend,
To guide, sustain and cherish
Is with her to the end;
Though there be those that hate her,
And false sons in her pale,
Against or foe or traitor
She ever shall prevail.

‘Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace for evermore;
Till with the vision glorious
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great church victorious
Shall be the church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union
With the God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won:
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we,
Like them, the meek and lowly,
On high may dwell with thee.

— Sam­u­el J. Stone

Other hymns of worship songs for this Sunday:

• Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers! at The Happy Wonderer 

Selected Reading, September 11, 2021

 

My suggestions for your weekend reading, and recipe to boot.

Looking Back

‘Vivid’ Memories Persist of Korean Air Flight 085 … .
An detailed look back at “Whitehorse’s scare on 9/11”:

Chaos filled the streets of New York City on Sept. 11 two decades ago, as people faced fear of the unknown when terrorists linked to al-Qaeda hijacked passenger jets and flew them into the twin towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

The same day about 6,000 kilometres away, that fear was evident in Whitehorse when a Korean airliner, suspected of being hijacked, was reported to be heading its way.

I shared my personal recollection of this awful day here yesterday.

Christian History

Catherine Willoughby — An Outspoken Reformer
I always read Simonetta Carr’s biographical sketches of lesser known figures from Christian history. Lately she’s been featuring important women. This week’s piece is on the difficult life of Catherine Willoughby, which was “the subject of a ballad by Thomas Deloney, The Dutchesse of  Suffolkes Calamitie, telling how ‘for the love of Christ alone her landes and goodes she left behinde, seeking still for that precious stone, the word of God so rare to finde.’”

The Christian Creeds: An Introduction
Really, the title explains it all: “From the very beginning, creeds and creedal formulations have played a crucial role in the beliefs and practices of Christian churches.” 

Preserving the Garden

Homemade Nut-Free Pesto
I finally learned how to prune my basil properly, so it’s producing like crazy. I’ve used it by the cupsful in pasta sauces, salads, stir fries, and more, and my plants are bigger than ever. So I’m making  pesto, but without nuts because I’m allergic to them. I’m freezing my pesto according to her instructions, too.