PAPERS (all © Copyright J H Burgess)
Celtic Spirituality
: The re-invention of Tradition
Explorations
in Celtic Spirituality
Missionary Methods
- Columba or Augustine
In Search of the Saints
The Cross and Salvation
Bibliography
Thesis
THE RESURGENCE OF THE CELTIC SPIRITUAL TRADITION IN THE CONTEMPORARY ERA: AN INVESTIGATION INTO ITS DEVELOPMENT AND USE AS A TOOL FOR THE PROVISION OF AN ALTERNATIVE CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY IN TIMES OF RELIGIOUS CRISIS
by
JOHN HOPKINS BURGESS (M.Phil thesis 1997)
The current rise in interest in the Celtic Christian tradition has produced a number of publications about the Celtic Church, Celtic Christianity and Celtic spirituality. An analysis of these writings indicates that the authors are continuing a process of re-inventing a tradition for the needs of the present day. This tradition is traced back to its beginnings in the 6th Century in Britain and is seen to re-emerge throughout the centuries in times of crisis which often coincide with times of paradigm shift.
Through analysis of the development of the Celtic Tradition in the early material of Gildas and Bede and the contemporary publications on Celtic spirituality the purposes of the authors are determined and it is shown how they use the tradition to address the spiritual needs of the contemporary culture. The presentation of the Celtic Tradition, by the contemporary authors, shows that it is presented as a spirituality that resonates with the perceptions of reality of the Post-modern era.
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