Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, Book III Chapter IV
by Venerable Bede
WHEN THE NATION OF THE PICTS RECEIVED THE FAITH. [A.D. 565]
IN the year of our Lord 565, when Justin, the younger, the successor of Justinian, had
the government of the Roman empire, there came into Britain a famous priest and abbot, a
monk by habit and life, whose name was Columba, to preach the word of God to the provinces
of the northern Picts, who are separated from the southern parts by steep and rugged
mountains; for the southern Picts, who dwell on this side of those mountains, had long
before, as is reported, forsaken the errors of idolatry, and embraced the truth, by the
preaching of Ninias, a most reverend bishop and holy man of the British nation, who had
been regularly instructed at Rome, in the faith and mysteries of the truth; whose
episcopal see, named after St. Martin the bishop, and famous for a stately church (wherein
he and many other saints rest in the body), is still in existence among the English
nation. The place belongs to the province of the Bernicians, and is generally called the
White House, because he there built a church of stone, which was not usual among the
Britons.
Columba came into Britain in the ninth year of the reign of Bridius, who was the son of
Meilochon, and the powerful king of the Pictish nation, and he converted that nation to
the faith of Christ, by his preaching and example, whereupon he also received of them the
aforesaid island for a monastery, for it is not very large, but contains about five
families, according to the English computation. His successors hold the island to this
day; he was also buried therein, having died at the age of seventy-seven, about thirty-two
years after he came into Britain to preach. Before he passed over into Britain, he had
built a noble monastery in Ireland, which, from the great number of oaks, is in the
Scottish tongue called Dearmach- The Field of Oaks. From both which monasteries, many
others had their beginning through his disciples, both in Britain and Ireland; but the
monastery in the island where his body lies, is the principal of them all.
That island has for its ruler an abbot, who is a priest, to whose direction all the
province, and even the bishops, contrary to the usual method, are subject, according to
the example of their first teacher, who was not a bishop, but a priest and monk; of whose
life and discourses some Writings are said to be preserved by his disciples. But
whatsoever he was himself, this we know for certain, that he left successors renowned for
their continency, their love of God, and observance of monastic rules. It is true they
followed uncertain rules in their observance of the great festival, as having none to
bring them the synodal decrees for the observance of Easter, by reason of their being so
far away from the rest of the world; wherefore they only practiced such works of piety and
chastity as they could learn from the prophetical, evangelical, and apostolical writings.
This manner of keeping Easter continued among them for the space of 150 years, till the
year of our Lord's incarnation 715.
But then the most reverend and holy father and priest, Egbert, of the English nation,
who had long lived in banishment in Ireland for the sake of Christ, and was most learned
in the Scriptures, and renowned for long perfection of life, came among them, corrected
their error, and reduced them to the true and canonical day of Easter; the which they
nevertheless did not always keep on the fourteenth moon with the Jews, as some imagined,
but on Sunday, although not in the proper week. For, as Christians, they knew that the
resurrection of our Lord, which happened on the first day after the Sabbath, was always to
be celebrated on the first day after the Sabbath; but being rude and barbarous, they had
not learned when that same first day after the Sabbath, which is now called the Lord's
day, should come. But because they had not laid aside the fervent grace of charity, they
were worthy to be informed in the true knowledge of this particular, according to the
promise of the apostle, saying, "And if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God
shall reveal even this unto you." Of which we shall speak more fully in its proper
place.