9. THE EDUCATION OF A SCOTTISH MONK: THE LIFE OF ST. KENTIGERN (FL. LATE SIXTH CENTURY)
INTRODUCTION
Like the histories of early medieval Ireland and Wales, the historical texts about early medieval Scotland were written down later, mostly after 1100, and often under the influence of the Anglo-Norman conquests of those Celtic lands, which brought a different focus on written texts to the Scots. Many of the stories of early Scottish history are little more than legends and myths, but they occupied an important place in the cultural consciousness of the Scots.
St. Kentigern, also known as St. Mungo, was of “royal” heritage—his mother is reputed to have been the daughter of a northern Scots king—but he was supposedly raised by St. Serf (whose own history is largely mythical) in the area known as Strathclyde. St. Kentigern is credited with building the first church in Glasgow (in the medieval district of Galloway) and is the patron saint of that city.
Jocelyn, the author of The Life of Saint Kentigern, was a monk of the Cistercian monastery of Furness (modern-day Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria) who wrote hagiographies (saints’ holy biographies) primarily of Celtic saints for an Anglo-Norman audience in Scotland in the late twelfth century.
KEEP IN MIND AS YOU READ
The lack of written sources and the persistence of oral traditions in Scotland, as well as Ireland and Wales, make it very difficult to assess the accuracy of any of the tales and “histories” of the early medieval Celtic world. Although later authors claimed to have based their own writings on written texts that were subsequently “lost,” it is not possible to determine with any conclusiveness the accuracy of their accounts. The emotional connection of groups to their national, regional, or local saints was profound, however, leading to ever more elaborate stories about their favorite holy men and women.
Document 1: St. Kentigern’s Education
However, when the age of discernment approached [Kentigern], and the time suitable and acceptable for learning, [Saint Serf, his guardian] handed him over to be instructed in letters. And he devoted much diligence and effort to him that in these things he might advance. And in this matter, [St. Serf] himself was not defrauded by his own desire, because the boy responded very well and fruitfully to his teaching by learning and retaining it like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. [Psalm 1:3] The boy made progress with the anointing of good hope and holy character instructing him in the discipline of letters, and not less in the practice of the holy virtues. For there were granted to him by the Father of light, from whom every good and perfect gift is given, an attentive heart, a keen nature for understanding, a firm memory to retain what had been learned, a persuasive tongue to produce what he desired, and a sublime voice: dripping with sweetness, harmonious, and as it were, never weary of singing the divine praises. Moreover all these gifts of grace gilded a life worthy of praise, and for that reason [Kentigern] was in the eyes of the holy old man more precious and loveable than all of his companions. And so it was his custom to call him in the language of his country Munghu which is spoken in Latin as “Karissimus Amicus” [Dearest Friend] and by this name up to this day the common people are accustomed to call him frequently, and to invoke him in their distress.
Source: Jocelyn of Furness [fl. 1175–1214], The Life of Saint Kentigern. © Translation by Cynthia Whiddon Green, as part of an MA thesis at the University of Houston, December 1998, with adaptations by the editor. Used here by permission. Available through the Internet Medieval Sourcebook, http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/basis/Jocelyn-LifeofKentigern.asp
AFTERMATH
The importance of “native” saints such as Kentigern, especially after the Norman Conquest of England, was bounded up in the nationalist fervor of the Celtic regions that were being invaded or overrun by the Anglo-Norman conquerors. Whereas Normans, sometimes—as in the case of King Henry II’s invasion of Ireland—with the blessing of the papacy, considered the Celtic peoples to be at best backward in their Christian observance, and at worst heretical and in need of “correction,” the popularity and promotion of local saints in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland presented Celtic Christianity as both orthodox and sophisticated. In time, Anglo-Norman settlers in those regions also adopted local saints as their own, which produced a more multiethnic and diverse collection of British saints revered by all people living in the isles.
ASK YOURSELF
Why would it be important to emphasize the intellectual talents of a local saint such as Kentigern?
What kind of educational curriculum is implied in this text? What elements of human behavior are emphasized?
TOPICS TO CONSIDER
Compare the two early medieval texts concerning the education of a future king and a future priest-saint, respectively. In what ways would their educations differ? What would be similar? Why would these differences be important?
The Life of Saint Kentigern emphasizes Kentigern’s sweetness and kindness. Consider how these characteristics differ from those emphasized for the elite man who was expected to go to war and whose martial qualities were considered most important. Consider also the potential conflicts that might arise between two competing notions of manhood—the secular warrior and the religious professional.
Further Information
Bradley, Thomas and John R. Walsh. A History of the Irish Church, 400–700 A.D. 2nd ed. Blackrock: Columba Press, 2003.
Charles-Edwards, T. M. Early Christian Ireland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007.