A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

§ 96. The Celtic Church in the British Isles 623to their cry.(c) Bede, Hist. Ec., III, 4. (MSL, 95:121.)St. Ninian and St. Columba in Scotland.In the year of our Lord 565, when Justin the younger, the successorof Justinian, took the government of the Roman Empire,there came into Britain a priest and abbot, distinguished in habitand monastic life, Columba by name, to preach the word ofGod to the provinces of the northern Picts, that is, to thosewho are separated from the southern parts by steep and ruggedmountains. For the southern Picts, who had their homes withinthose mountains, had long before, as is reported, forsaken theerror of idolatry, and embraced the true faith, by the preaching ofthe word to them by Ninian, 216 a most reverend bishop and holyman of the British nation, who had been regularly instructed atRome in the faith and mysteries of the truth, whose episcopal seewas named after St. Martin, the bishop, and was famous for itschurch, wherein he and many other saints rest in the body, andwhich the English nation still possesses. The place belongs to theprovince of Bernicia, and is commonly called Candida Casa, 217because he there built a church of stone, which was not usualamong the Britons.Columba came to Britain in the ninth year of the reign ofBridius, the son of Meilochon, the very powerful king of thePicts, and he converted by work and example that nation tothe faith of Christ; whereupon he also received the aforesaidisland [Iona] for a monastery. It is not large, but contains aboutfive families, according to English reckoning. His successors [570]hold it to this day, and there also he was buried, when he was216 This reference to Ninian is the most important there is; in fact, Bede is herethe chief authority for the work of this missionary.217 Whitherne, Galloway.