| Columba was born in Ireland
in AD 521. He was royal, but, like Moses, chose to give up his claims to
a throne.
The most famous schools in Ireland at
that time were the ones built from Patrick’s work. Columba attended the
schools at Moville, Leinster, and Clonard. At Clonard he studied under
the famous Finnian, under whom he learned the art of copying and
illustrating the Bible. Columba is said to have copied 300 New
Testaments himself. Each copy was done by hand.
One of the events to affect Columba’s
religious beliefs was the Council of Constantinople of AD 553. “At that
council, the churches of the Roman Empire surrendered their freedom to
the papacy. Offended at the unscriptural [changes]…four large communions
in the East – the Armenian, the Coptic, the Jacobite, and the Church of
the East (often falsely called the Nestorian Church) – separated from
the western hierarchy.”1 The church in Ireland knew that they
would have to prepare themselves for a similar confrontation.
At twenty-five Columba built a school and
church at Derry, in Northern Ireland. This place is now known as
Londonderry. After establishing this training center, Columba spent
seven years setting up as many as three hundred churches and many church
schools throughout Ireland. He helped the sick and poor and was
respected and loved by all.
Yet Columba had plans to become a
missionary to Scotland. Much of Scotland was pagan, and since one of his
relatives had won a kingdom in what was then called Caledonia, Columba
decided this would be a good place to establish a training center.
He was given permission to build on the
island of Iona. Here, Columba built a school that would become
world-famous. For 641 years the followers of Columba lived on this
island until they were driven out by the Benedictine monks in 1204.
On Iona, the students received the
highest Biblical training, studied the sciences, learned Greek and Latin
as well as studying agriculture, baking, mechanics, music, and
architecture. The students learned how to build simple churches and
homes. Both students and teachers spent time in a work program in
addition to their studies. Much of their day was spent in working the
large orchards, meadows, and gardens that supplied food for those living
on Iona.
It often took eighteen years of training
at this school before students were ordained. They finished with a
thorough knowledge of God's Word, and were able to reproduce large
portions of scripture.
Columba taught his followers that their
beliefs and practices must be based on the Bible alone. The students
were required to memorize much of the Scriptures, and the songs they
sung were often Psalms set to music. “Be Thou My Vision” is an example
of an eighth century Irish hymn.
The young people of Iona were taught the
basic doctrines of Christianity such as the divinity of Christ, baptism,
the atonement (what Christ is doing in the heavenly sanctuary today),
inspiration of the Scriptures, and the prophecies connected with the
last days. They rejected the papal doctrines of infallibility, celibacy,
transubstantiation, the confessional, the mass and relic worship.
Iona, like the many other churches and
schools that Columba had established, was well organized. Each school
had a headman. The spiritual leader of Iona was given the special name
of "coarb" and he was looked upon as the spiritual successor of Columba.
The pastors were given the name “Culdee” which meant “man of God.”
Columba went back to Ireland and visited
and taught at many of the schools and churches he had built. In a short
period of time these churches reached the British Isles as well as much
of the continent of Europe with the truth of the gospel.
The Culdee Church kept the seventh-day
Sabbath as had Patrick and the church in Ireland. “It seems to have been
customary, in the Celtic churches of early times, in Ireland as well as
Scotland, to keep Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, as a day of rest from
labor. They obeyed the fourth commandment, literally, upon the seventh
day of the week.” 2
At the time of Columba's death it was
recorded, “Having continued his labors in Scotland thirty-four years, he
clearly and openly foretold his death, and on Saturday, the ninth of
June, said to his disciple Diermit: ‘This day is called the Sabbath,
that is, the day of rest, and such will it truly be to me; for it will
put an end to my labors.’”3
1 Truth Triumphant 100, 101.
2 Truth Triumphant 114.
3 Truth Triumphant 108. |
