Life of St. Columba

by Adomnán of Iona, Richard Sharpe (Translator)

Columba is one of the best-known saints of the early Celtic church; through his foundation of the abbey of Iona he had a far-reaching influence on medieval Christianity. In about 700, a century after his death, the Life of Columba was written by Adomnán, ninth abbot of Iona. It has long been valued as the major primary source on the subject, for the light it throws on early medieval Scotland and Ireland, and as an important work of literature. For some time unavailable, Anderson has now revised the Latin text and the English translation, provided new historical notes, and rewritten the Introduction to take account of recent work in the area.

Genres: History, Religion, Biography, Christianity, Classics, Medieval, Nonfiction

406 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 713

About the author

Adomnán or Adamnán of Iona (c. 624–704), also known as Eunan (from Irish: Naomh Adhamhnán), was an abbot of Iona Abbey (r. 679–704), hagiographer, statesman, canon jurist, and saint. He was the author of the most important book on the life of his cousin St. Columba and the promulgator of the Law of Adomnán or Law of Innocents (Latin: Lex Innocentium).

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read this as a follow-up to the book “A.D.500”, which I recently reviewed on here. The Life of St. Columba was one of the source books cited. I read it out of historical rather than religious interest. The edition I chose was also an abridged one with “selections” from the original. Adomnán’s book is a repetitive list of miracles, prophecies and visions attributed to Columba, and I decided a selection of the most significant would be enough for me. The result was that the version I read was only about 60 pages in length.

What can someone interested in history learn from a book that simply describes a succession of miracles? Insights can be found, much of it from the description of Columba as a missionary among the Picts living near present day Inverness, and who at this time were a pagan people. The book tells us he “preached the word of life through an interpreter”, from which we know that the languages of the Gaels and the Picts were not mutually intelligible. In one of the sections I found most interesting, Columba picked up a white stone from the bank of the River Ness and proclaimed that through it the Lord would bring about many cures of the sick. The stone was said to float on water, and cures could be obtained by dipping it in water and drinking from it. The miraculous stone was kept amongst the treasures of the Pictish king for many years. I find it bizarre that Columba would pick up a random pebble and proclaim it to have miraculous powers, but it illustrates the kind of society our ancestors lived in during the 6th century, one where Christian and pre-Christian beliefs operated side by side, and all sorts of objects were believed to have magical properties.

Probably the best-known incident in Columba’s life was his supposed encounter with the Loch Ness Monster, something I remember being told about in school. Rather surprisingly to me, the encounter seems to have taken place in the River Ness rather than the Loch itself. Columba sends his servant to swim the river to fetch a boat moored on the opposite bank. The monster rises from the water “with a mighty roar from its gaping mouth.”

Whilst Loch Ness is a large and very deep body of water, the River Ness is not. Granted, the modern river, which has flood defences, weirs etc, will not look much like the river St. Columba knew, but even so, this must have been a monster of rather modest proportions.

There are other parts of the book I could talk about, but my review will end up longer than the book itself. I’m glad I finally read Adomnán’s account of Columba’s life. It allows the reader a few brief glimpses through the mists of time.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very accessible text from the 3rd generation of Irish Christianity, known as the "Age of the Saints." These figure were famous in their own lifetimes for their holiness and miraculous powers. Adomnan, a contemporary of Columba's (Columba was his patron, in fact) focuses on miracle stories, especially those relating to Columba's power over beast, demons, and natural forces. There is a theme of Columba's power to defy the laws of nature. He also spoke with angels and sent visions to kings.

Columba had lots of visions and prophecies! Sometimes no vision is mentioned and he seems to just know things, like where to find lost items. He changes his own death date so his friends won't have their Easter ruined. Columba wasn't always fun, though, he might make you confront a family member regarding their sin, or even, horror of horrors, send you on a penetential trip to Britain.

[7jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very easy to read biography of this saints prophecies, miracles, angelic visitations and his life told there in between. It could also easily be seen as part of the history of Ireland and Western Scotland with its island - this story focuses the most on the life in the island of Iona, where the saint spent most of his life, traveling from there occasionally to other islands, parts of Scotland and back to Ireland.

Included are some good maps, and the notes are very informative; I loved particularly the name explanations and explanations of historical kind. A wonderful read.

[Peter Bringe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The introduction (which is as long as the "Life" itself) was very helpful and informative. The "Life of St. Columba" was interesting. It is not as much a history as Bede's "Ecclesiastical History of the English People" is, but more a hagiography telling incidents, mostly miraculous (e.g. prophesies, miracles, and angelic appearances), in Columba's life. There are some interesting finds amid the stories (like the marriage advice given in II.41, Columba's travels, the Loch Ness monster, confrontations with wizards, etc...), although it gets a bit redundant after a while.

[Katie Newberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent one incredibly stirring day on Iona that gave me a special love of St. Columba. I was eager to read this book to deepen my knowledge of him. The substantial introduction and notes by Richard Sharpe are scholarly in tone and primarily focused on discussing historical evidence and textual accuracy. His level of detail was more than I was looking for, so I gave myself permission to skim the into and notes instead of trying to track everything. St Adomnan’s words, written around 100 years after St Columba’s death, focus on describing the prophetic words, miraculous deeds, and angelic apparitions that give evidence to the holiness of St Columba. It is also a fascinating window into the early monastic community and the great faith and humility at the roots of St. Columba and Iona’s ongoing impact.

[Curt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was more of a list of miracles, prayers, and prophesies than a biography but I really wanted to read his encounter with the Loch Ness monster so I am satisfied with this. If all written was true, I would say he was an exceptional individual with great insight. However, read chapter 28 of book two to find proof of the Loch Ness monster. Too bad there were no photos.

[Christos Vasilopulos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ο βίος του μεγάλου Ορθόδοξου Ιρλανδού αγίου και ιεραποστόλου Κολούμπα. Γραμμένος από τον ένατο Ηγούμενο του μοναστηριού της Αϊόνα, τον άγιο Άνταμναν. Τα μεγάλα θαύματα του, οι αγγελικές οράσεις και οι εμφανίσεις του άκτιστου φωτός, οι προφητείες του και οι θεραπείες του. Ένας από τους μεγαλύτερους Ορθόδοξους αγίους και ιεραποστόλους.

[Jackson Olesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Life of St. Columba is a very readable work of Irish hagiography (biographical account of the life of a saint) that is relevant to those interested in both Ireland’s and Scotland’s early history and the Christianization of Scotland via Ireland. I was fortunate enough to pick this up on a trip to the Abbey of Iona where it was written and takes place. It reads at times like a Gospel account of the extraordinary miracles and godly deeds of a very pious and holy man who devoted his life to God and the advancement of the Church, St Columba. There is I believe the earliest story involving an aquatic beast in Loch Ness. Sound familiar? Meanwhile, there is loads of historical information about Irish monasticism and the development of the Christian missionary effort into Pictland (Scotland). For anyone interested in hagiography this is also a great work concerning a massively influential Christian saint’s role in establishing and leading the great Abbey of Iona. There are a lot of scriptural references and this work seems very akin to The Ecclesiastical History of the English people by St Bede which I would also recommend to anyone who likes early British Isles Christian history and literature.

[Beth Mayfield-House · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book in Scotland because I was completely inspired by this man, St. Columba. Throughout the introduction by Richard Sharpe it spoke of many of the places that I saw on our vacation. All through our tour of Scotland, I heard wonderfully enchanting stories of St. Columba. When I got this book on the Ferry to Iona, I thought I would get a book of tall tales of the miracles this man preformed. Instead, I became very discouraged as I realized there was nothing more that St. Columba did than any good witch ever did. I could not stop thinking: why were so many witches prosecuted for doing the same sorts of things that this white man did? It kept saying what a holy man he was so only 10 pages in, I became so tired and frustrated in reading about this so-called holy man when he did nothing better than any witch did. And any self respecting witch follows the three-fold law. I didn't read anywhere that he refrained from using his powers for self gain. So I stopped reading it. I'm not the person to get any enjoyment from this book. It just ended up filling me with discouragement.

[Marcos Augusto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adamnan’s Vita S. Columbae, in which he describes the saint’s prophecies, miracles, and visions, is one of the most important hagiographies ever written.

Columba studied under Saints Finnian of Moville and Finnian of Clonard and was ordained priest about 551. He founded churches and the famous monasteries Daire Calgaich, in Derry, and Dair-magh, in Durrow. Columba and his 12 disciples erected a church and a monastery on the island of Iona (c. 563) as their springboard for the conversion of Scotland. It was regarded as the mother house and its abbots as the chief ecclesiastical rulers even of the bishops. Columba gave formal benediction and inauguration to Aidan MacGabrain of Dunadd as king of Dalriada. Columba accompanied Aidan to Ireland (575) and took a leading part in a council held at Druim Cetta, which determined the position of the ruler of Dalriada in relation to the king of Ireland. The last years of Columba’s life appear to have been spent mainly in Iona, where he was already revered as a saint. He and his associates and successors spread the gospel more than any other contemporary group of religious pioneers in Britain.

[Edoardo Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of marvels is itself a marvel. Marvellous firstly because we have so few voices from the seventh century; there's basically Bede and Adomnan. Marvellous secondly for the miracles attached to Columba's life. In these prosaic times, it's salutary to read of a time of miracles. Marvellous thirdly for the extraordinary scholarship that went into this book. The translator and editor, Richard Sharpe, is exemplary in both functions. The introduction is one of the best introductions to northern Britain and Ireland in the early Medieval period I have ever read. Then the notes that accompany the text illuminate almost every aspect of seventh-century life. In this, the modern-day scholar exemplifies the dedication to scholarship of these early Irish monks - St Columba would have been proud.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite this being written in the early Irish/Scottish medieval period, it is easy to read and enjoyable for a Catholic. It easily imparts the wonders of St Columba’s life in Iona and across the Irish Sea. The Person names are fun are to pronounce such as Diarmait, St Cainnech, Colgu mac Cellaig and Luigne moccu Blai.

The translation by a Richard Sharpe in 1991. The introduction is dense and over 100 pages, but it does consequently explain the surrounding details of the Saint’s life. The supporting notes are also extensive. I read all of the Introduction and the Life of St Columba (by Adomnan of Iona). The notes from this Penguin Classic will be helpful when I want to cross reference this period that formed the basis of Christian Scotland and Northern England. (Northumbria)

[Steven "Steve" · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the definition of thorough. The actual life of St. Columba only takes up around 120 pages of this over 400 page book. The rest is a lengthy introduction and a large amount of exhaustive footnotes. That being said, unless your interest is in the small doings of a few murky and mostly unknown figures in medieval Ireland and Britain, it might be best to skim a lot of the additional material. As for the life of the saint, it is mostly a list of miraculous occurrences and predictions of the future, and is really only for the most dedicated of amateur hagiographers. Overall, I enjoyed this book and the voluminous additional information about this relatively unknown saint, but I am not sure I would recommend it as light reading to a friend.

[Karoline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't a "life" as we might expect - a more or less linear biography. The biographical details are few and scattered, and the book primarily recounts Columba's prophecies, miracles, and angelic visitations. These are rather delightful to read. As someone else said, I would love for them all to be true. I'm afraid they're probably not. But it would not disturb me if they were. For the rest, it's always encouraging to read about holy lives, the glory of Christ, and the blessedness of laboring in his kingdom.

[Gerry Grenfell-Walford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll be honest, I only read this for the brief (so brief!) sections on the Loch Ness monster. And also the old Penguin Classics cover (not shown here) is surprisingly elegant!

Still the introduction is very well written and illuminating, and genuinely interesting in its own right.

Adomnán's writing itself is, for most modern readers I would guess, deeply frustrating for what he could have said and didn't. Taken as it is however, it is very accessible and easy to read, if a little samey and trite.

[Ben Dutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The life of St. Columba, as detailed by Adomnan of Iona in his Vita Columbae (c.700AD) is vital source of information about life in the sixth century, and of religious belief in that century. The Vita Columbae contains the first reference to King Arthur, details of the Loch Ness monster, and the battles between those of Christian faith, and the Picts and their pagan beliefs. It is also a book espousing Christian rhetoric, propaganda and information. Beneath that surface, however, is a book of great interest, though all of its stories are transcribed from an oral tradition, and we are often told such things as:

“I have heard this as an undoubted fact from the lips of an aged and pious priest and soldier of Christ, called Oissene, son of Ernan, of the tribe Mocu Neth Corb, who averred that he had himself heard these very words from the lips of St. Finten, son of Tailchan, whose monk he himself had been.” (P.9)

Adomnan wrote his work a century after St. Columba’s death, and it is constructed around three central themes: “Of his Prophetic Revelations”, “Of his Miraculous Powers” and “The Apparitions of Angels”. Each of these books contains details of St. Columbia’s miracles and acts of God, some of them are Biblical in nature, with St. Columba imitating Christ (he turns water into wine, for instance), some (such as those involving sea creatures, such as the Loch Ness monster) come across as folk tales, often divorced from the usual monastic setting, and then those of everyday miracles.

When St. Columba died on the 9 June 597, a Sunday, in front of the altar at his Church on Iona, he left behind him a turbulent and interesting time, known now as the Age of the Saints. Christianity was spreading across the country with speed, and monasteries, such as the one at Iona, were becoming important centres of communities. He was a man of extreme authority in Iona, and during his lifetime his disciples would have been recording his actions for later generations – his sainthood would have been expected, even during his lifetime – so the Vita Columbae can be understood to have some factual basis, but as with any story celebrated and retold, losses and accretions can be expected within it. Those with agendas of hagiography might wish to glorify their study, or create a more dramatic story. The Vita Columbae is at points overly concerned with the dramatic.

Where Adomnan’s text fails is as an historical document. He is sparing with the dates, and with other contextualising details. There are incidents mentions that would be of great interest – such as Columba’s meetings with the Pict King Bridei, or that some Pict’s have books of their own, and that these people were intellectual and industrious – leading to the question of why no Pict work survives to this day? These questions are not deemed pertinent to the life of St. Columba, so form nothing more than background chatter to this epic life. For a nonbeliever, and a historian, it is this background noise that is the most fascinating, but one cannot penetrate Adomnan’s gushing to truly appreciate it.

There are other absences in Adomnan’s text. St. Columba’s age was, as previously mentioned, a century of great Christian expanse, and though we are often regaled with stories of visiting monks to Iona and the miracles they witness St. Columba performing (so they can return to their own monasteries and testify to St. Columba’s power), we never see St. Columba interact with other church’s or monasteries, despite the extensive travelling we are told he undertakes. So although Adomnan’s text provides a fascinating insight into the workings of St. Columba’s church, it gives nothing of this church’s place in the wider Christian Church. At times this creates the impression of St. Columba’s church being the only truly religious centre in Ireland and Scotland. Other events of his life go almost unmentioned or are passed over without comment:

“For indeed after the lapse of many years, when St. Columba was excommunicated by a certain synod for some pardonable and very trifling reasons, and indeed unjustly,” (P.79- 80)

This incident is not mentioned again, nor is any explanation of it ever truly forthcoming, for as it is with the Christian faith, all things are forgiven if one has atoned. St. Columba, according to this testimonial, does not even need to do that. One speaks for him:

“I have seen,” said Brenden, “a most brilliant pillar wreathed with fiery tresses preceding this same man of God whom you treat with contempt; I have also seen holy angels accompanying him on his journey through the plain. Therefore I do not dare to slight him whom I see foreordained by God to be the leader of his people to life” When he said this, they desisted, and so far from daring to hold the saint any longer excommunicated, they even treated him with the greatest respect and reverence. This took place in Teilte” (P.80)

The Vita Columbae is as unique, moving, frustrating and discordant as all lives of the saints are. It is a fascinating, if one sided, portrait, a beautiful piece of hagiography, if a little repetitive when read in one sitting. It is a work, like all religious texts, designed to be read in passages, for the aid of contemplation and affirmation of faith. As such, Vita Columbae is a great work.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not anything that we’d consider to be biography or history, rather a carefully compiled & structured collection of folk tales, legends, lore, church teachings, and moral lessons based around the life of the saint. Most of the stories (of prophecies , miracles & heavenly apparitions) strike one as fairly unlikely but I dare say contain some folk wisdom with a fair sprinkling of early church ideology. Includes the first recorded reference to a sea creature in the river Ness, which the saint sends off with a flea in its ear. The Irish voices behind the stories come through strongly.

[Caleb Meyers · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a bunch of Catholic silliness. Of all the classics I've read this year, this was the most irksome and tedious. It should not be in the list of the great books. Columba himself might have been a great Christian, but I now can't tell as it has been contaminated with Catholic miracles and additions to the Bible.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a bit of a slog, mostly because I kept going through and having to take notes on events and names and happenings. The footnotes were definitely a lot, but also mostly helpful. I feel like this is something I should come back to, after I gain a better understanding of the era.

[Ella]

Read for HST 224: History of the Early Middle Ages

[Seth Mildenhall]

Read on Internet Archive as part of Penguin classics project.

[Amanda Witt · Rating 5 out of 5]

While an abridged version, this one is easy to read, with colour photos of the island and other places.

[Carlos Ohler]

You've read one hagiography you've read them all...

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting, but about half of it is in Latin which I don’t know and don’t have a Latin translator on my Kindle, so I didn’t get as much out of it as I had hoped.

[Philip Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and edifying. Mostly told as a string of anecdotes, but the content is enough to pique the interest of the Christian and the historian alike.

[Lulu]

c. 697-700, Adomnán drew extensively from an existing body of accounts regarding the life of Columba, including a Latin collection entitled De uirtutibus sancti Columbae, composed c. 640 A.D.

[Stuart Macalpine · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible historical treasure if you are interested in Scottish and Pictish history

[Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not so much a biography as a record of some of the miracles performed by St. Columba, founder of the Iona monastery in the sixth century AD.

My copy was again the Penguin Black Classic edition translated by Richard Sharpe (ISBN 9780140444629)

Thoughts: My real interest in reading this was to gain more insight into monastic life in a remote and windswept setting, somewhere between the harsh reality and the romantic appeal of my imagination. There is a glimpse of the everyday life but it really was more a listing of the many examples of clairvoyance and prophecy, angelic visitations, and miracles attributed to Columba, including healing the sick (even from a distance of many miles), raising the dead, directing the winds and waves, and changing water to wine.

The most unusual and unique miracles were the casting out of a devil hiding in a milk-pail, and the warding off of an aquatic monster in Loch Ness from attacking one of the brethren (the first recorded sighting of this beastie). Columba often performed miracles in secret, and demanded any witnesses to keep quiet about what they saw until after Columba was dead.

Some of the events described had parallels in other earlier and contemporary saints’ lives, and the structure of the book directly followed the pattern of these others, so there was a formulaic nature to the work obvious to scholars of hagiography (the study of saints’ lives – I challenge you to weave that word seemlessly into your everyday conversations this week!)

Perhaps the most fantastical story is when Columba, seeking solitude for prayer on a remote part of Iona, is attacked by countless hordes of “foul black devils armed with iron spikes and drawn up ready for battle … he was protected by the armour of St. Paul and flung himself into a great conflict. The battle continued most of the day, and the hosts were unable to vanquish him, while he could not drive them away from Iona on his own” until the angels of the Lord appeared to scare them off.

Personal rating: For a bit of atmosphere I also played some Gregorian chant at a low volume while reading 🙂 7/10

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book of miracles, visions and culture of the early Medieval period. I struggled to keep my nose in it as the miracles were told one after another and it seemed to be a little monotonous, however, I praise St. Columba for his history and happenings. We have so little to cherish from this time period and I feel this one gives a good account of how influential he was in converting the pagans toward Christ.

The reader will experience how much the medieval people loved the miraculous because each miracle was evidence of God in their lives. These books are models for us, we ought to be open to miracles and recognize God's hand in guiding and influencing us toward the Good, the True and the Beautiful.

[Colby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Translation is quite readable.

Some crazy stuff contained therein. But a really fun read. Almost ought to be read as a sort of non-canonical Acts 29 with Columba as the main character. Its arranged thematically. God is imminent, abides with his people and acts decisively in the mundane.

Not entirely sure what a non-Christian could get out of this work, however. Its edifying to non-modernist Christian, or ought to be; however, it doesn’t contain very much historical value. There isn’t very much about the set up of monastic life and only vague references to kings/kingdoms. Even the bare facts about Columba’s birth are sparse.

And much like an ancient Bios there is little psychological discussion. Its all about the Words and Deeds of a Spiritually inspired holy man.