The Quest of Three Abbots

by Brendan Lehane

Christians and spiritual seekers of all persuasions are drawn to the purity and truth of the Celtic vision. This lively and original account of early Celtic Christianity provides a history of the growth and development of the Celtic church. Focusing on the biographies of Saints Brendan, Columba, and Columbanus, the author tells their stories against the background of European history. These three celebrated "wanderers for Christ" followed their destinies in different, but epoch-making, Brendan to America, Columba to Iona, and Columbanus to continental Europe. As we read their stories, we come to understand the power and fascination of the Celtic Christian spirit.This absorbing account of three Celtic saints instrumental in the development of Celtic Christianity in the 5th and 6th centuries will connect the reader to deep sources of inspiration.

Genres: History

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

Reviews

[Deirdre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of florid language and the occasional snipe at the fact that some of what was though heretical then became dogma in the reformation and later, this is an interesting historical piece. Written in 1968, this is previous to Tim Severin's voyages to prove that it would have been possible to travel to America in Brendan's craft and previous to other scholarship about the period.

Still it's an interesting look at the time and at the people involved, while it does have it's flaws he has a great turn of phrase and he is quite an interesting read. The maps are interesting and informative as well. He does make some interesting points about the use of other legends to elaborate the lives of the saints However he fails to point out how different some of the marriage traditions in Ireland were to European which does impact on some of the stories and some of the assumptions. I do like the way he describes the carpet pages as being as a result of doodling gone riotous.

[Justin Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1968, this book seemed remarkably contemporary. The author's writing is verbose but highly readable and fast-paced. While it pretends to be a study of the lives of three early Celtic abbots, it is more properly a study of early Celtic expressions of Christianity using three abbots as structure points, Brendan as monastic pilgrim/adventurer, Columba as monastic exile/church father/builder, and Columbanus as monastic missioner. Much scholarly work has been made since this book came out that adds clarity and depth to much of the material, but I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in the origins of Celtic Church history or hagiography. It's a great historical study and has a strong pastoral emphasis in its informational content.

[Barbara]

Had to return this, will definitely come back to this--