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Truth Triumphant - Benjamin G. Wilkinson

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“His fine figure and his splendid color,” says his<br />

biographer Jonas, “aroused against him the lust of<br />

lascivious maidens.”[2]<br />

Columbanus spent several years in study in the<br />

halls of learning at Bangor. Here he devotedly<br />

studied the Scriptures. The music of sacred song<br />

charmed his soul, and he perfected his gift of<br />

writing poetry. From Bangor he could look across<br />

the waters of the Irish Channel to England which<br />

was still in the grip of the pagan Anglo-Saxons.<br />

Northward he could behold the marvelous<br />

transformations wrought in Scotland by Columba.<br />

Farther to the east lay France in wretched moral<br />

condition. The apostolic spirit burned within<br />

Columbanus as he heard the stories of the<br />

miserable state of Gaul, and he decided to go forth<br />

to evangelize France in the missionary spirit of<br />

Celtic Christianity.<br />

Missionary Endeavors in France<br />

The arrival of Columbanus in Gaul brought the<br />

dawn of a new day for Europe. In the many centers<br />

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