Restoring the Woven Cord: Revised Edition
Strands of Celtic Christianity
by Michael Mitton
Paperback
Price: £8.99
Publisher:BRF (Bible Reading Fellowship)
Published:12 May 2010
ISBN:978-1-841-01800-3
GoodBookStall Review:
With the study of insular hagiography reaching something of a zenith in academic circles in recent years, this work has been written for a more general readership wishing to dip their toes into the world of late antique Celtic Christianity. Originally published in 1995, Mitton covers such figures as the great missionary Patrick, the enigmatic voyager Brendan, and the miraculous healer John of Beverley. Each of the mini-biographies, which number fifteen in total, leaves the reader wanting more; indeed, if one were to make a slight criticism it would be the author has, if anything, tried to cover too much ground for such a limited compass. The gem of this publication lies in its fresh and innovative approach: through generous reflection upon the lives and works of these early Celtic Christians, Mitton shows how we can find inspiration for our own ministry as followers of Christ.
Reviewer: Dan McNamara (27/08/10)
With the study of insular hagiography reaching something of a zenith in academic circles in recent years, this work has been written for a more general readership wishing to dip their toes into the world of late antique Celtic Christianity. Originally published in 1995, Mitton covers such figures as the great missionary Patrick, the enigmatic voyager Brendan, and the miraculous healer John of Beverley. Each of the mini-biographies, which number fifteen in total, leaves the reader wanting more; indeed, if one were to make a slight criticism it would be the author has, if anything, tried to cover too much ground for such a limited compass. The gem of this publication lies in its fresh and innovative approach: through generous reflection upon the lives and works of these early Celtic Christians, Mitton shows how we can find inspiration for our own ministry as followers of Christ.
Reviewer: Dan McNamara (27/08/10)
| Reader review: - Paul Scott, TGBS Reviewer, 11/12/10 Michael Mitton has taken, as a vehicle for challenging today’s Church, the ancient Celtic tradition as it is widely believed to have existed officially until the seventh century Synod of Whitby. He uses the lives of its saints to present the reader, within each chapter, with short discourses on a range of subjects from prayer to the ministry of women, from evangelism to healing and miracles. Each one ends with a short Bible study. Through this book we are brought face to face with people for whom the faith was a constant joy, even at times of turmoil and uncertainty. Mitton’s book prompts us therefore to remember that example, and to recognise what the Church seems often to have lost in depth of faith and in the living out of a rounded Trinitarian belief. It calls us all to ask important questions about our comfortable conventional lives, and is therefore a very worthwhile read. |
