Endorsements
Dr Bruce Ritchie’s depiction of Columba as an ‘Island Soldier’, fighting the good fight of faith against the world, the flesh and the Devil, is both a pleasure to read and a thoroughly refreshing study of the saint’s theology and beliefs as recorded in primary sources. Dr Ritchie presents us with a robust figure who is something of contrast to the soft, sentimental and acquiescent ‘Columba’ of popular imagination.
Donald Meek, Professor Emeritus, Scottish and Gaelic Studies, Edinburgh University
Read moreLiving as he did in the twilight of antiquity, the memory of the remarkable Celtic Christian leader Columba has been both obscured by legend and claimed by various communities, which has only further obscured the real man. In this new study, Bruce Ritchie has put all who love the story of the Celtic Church in his debt as he untangles what we can truly know about Columba, his life in Ireland before coming to Iona, the Iona mission, and his thought. A solid historical monograph marked by scholarly heft, Ritchie’s biography is also eminently readable—a rare combination and a delight to recommend.
Michael A. G. Haykin, Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky