Happy Sunday Friends,
This morning I was inspired by a group of teachers (and one particular) that the church referred to as monsters.
Letβs be monsters (who drink βοΈ).
Much love,
Glenn || PATREON / BUY ME A COFFEE
John Scotus Eriugena was a Celtic scholar who lived between the years of 815 and 877 and he was one of the "scotus vagans" or "wandering scholars" who wandered the lands of Europe in the wake of the Norse invasions where the Vikings invaded parts of Ireland.
... I'm no history buff and so that's as far as my knowledge of the event goes, HA!
Anyways.
The wandering Celtic scholars weren't very much liked by Westernized / Romanized Christianity because Celtic theology differed greatly from Western theology. We've talked about this in other #CoffeeThoughts, but it's worth mentioning again here ...
Whereas Western theology emphasized the original sin of a human being, Celtic theology emphasized original goodness.
Whereas Western theology diminished the role of the feminine in the church, positions of leadership, etc., Celtic theology emphasized the feminine, placed women in leadership positions, AND both magnified and deeply honored their voices.
Whereas Western theology didn't allow for priests to be married and demonized human sexuality, Celtic theology celebrated human sexuality and allowed their priests to be married, making it optional for monks.
... Those are just a FEW of the MANY differences, but you get the idea - Western/Romanized theology (which is actually where much of the theology from Evangelicalism stems from) was vastly different from Celtic theology (much of which can be seen in Eastern Orthodoxy today) ... and so the Church in Europe got really uncomfortable with the idea of Celtic scholars wandering through their lands.
In fact.
In his book "Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul" John Philip Newell talks about how in 813 a council met and described these scholars as "monstrous creatures beyond control by church authorities" because although Celtic theology was deemed heretical and wasn't given a theological place within the church, these scholars were avoiding the churches and were (instead) taking their philosophical ideas to various schools, institutions, and places of study so that these Celtic ideas were still making their way into the hearts and minds of people who the church did it's best to shield from such ideas.
The church was TICKED.
And so after John left Ireland and began to wander, history says that he became the head of the palace school of King Charles (the King of France) where he began to share his more philosophical thoughts and ideas about God as the "essence of all things".
And that's what struck me this morning.
"God", he said, "is the essence of ALL things."
John believed that the Light of God or the Light of the Divine was like a mighty river that flowed ...
Deep.
Deep.
DEEP.
... beneath the surface of the earth AND deep beneath the surface of EVERYTHING and EVERYONE that has being or life ...
You.
Me.
Your pets.
The trees.
The grass.
The neighbor you hate.
People in prison.
... Everyone and everything that has life.
The Greek word for "God" is "theos" and John interpreted "theos" as stemming from another Greek word, "theo", which means "to flow or to run."
AND SO.
Everything, he said, has "theophany" or a "showing of the Divine" because everything has the Divine "running through it".
In fact, he went as far as to say that "we are all gods who are made from God" and that since the essence of God is in every living thing, the closer we get to living things and the deeper our bond with living things grows, the closer we get to the very essence of God.
In other words.
The best way to know the Creator is to deeply know what the Creator has created.
Isn't that interesting? Because (for me) growing up, I was told that God could best be known by reading and studying the Bible, by going to church, by going on missions trips, by singing worship songs, by praying, by listening to my pastor, etc, etc, etc. Sure. I was taught about the verse in Romans (1:20) where Paul says that God's "invisible qualities" can be seen in what God has made, but the idea that most stuck with me is that if I really want to know God then I need to read my Bible and I need to go to church because it's the pastors and teachers and mentors who will best lead me to God.
But this.
This Celtic idea ... it's vastly different, isn't it? Because although the Bible and church may have a place in helping me understand God, they aren't the main places where I can come to know God.
Instead.
I can know God just fine apart from the church and apart from the Bible because I can know God as I get to know my spouse, as I get to know my daughter, as I get to know my cat and dogs, as I get to know the land our home is built on, as I get to know my own body, as I get to know the universe and how it works, as I get to know my friends, my family, the barista who makes my coffee at Starbucks, etc.
If there is Divine energy running through every living thing, then the closer my heart connects with the heart or center of those living things ... then the closer I move to true connection with the Divine.
This was the radical teaching of John Scotus Eriugena and you can see why it was a threat to the church, right? The church maintained control by making people believe that it and it alone held the pathway to the Divine.
You have to come to our buildings.
You have to read our books.
You have to listen to our teachings.
You have to obey our leaders.
You have to honor our doctrines and our rules.
AND.
If you go away from these things, then you are in danger of also going away from God.
"No", I think John would have said. "The truth is that the Divine runs through everything and everyone and so although the church might be able to support your journey in getting to know God, it doesn't have the corner market on God and you can know God just fine apart from it, it's buildings, it's books, it's teachings, it's leaders, and it's doctrines and rules."
John and others were deemed "monstrous creatures beyond control by church authorities" and I can only hope to walk in those footsteps and be called the same.
Let's be monsters today.