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Pioneers Of Scottish Christianity
Ninian, Columba and Mungo
by Roderick Graham
This book seeks to answer the question of how Christianity came to Scotland. Covering, in particular, the period from 400 AD to 700 AD, Roderick Graham looks at three individuals—Ninian, Columbia and Mungo.
It is difficult to uncover the truth of what happened. Many stories read like Greek myths with bizarre miracles and strange events. The author simply recounts these, leaving it to the reader to try and separate fact from fiction. My conclusion was that most should be filed under fiction.
The book ends with the church leaders debating minor matters such as when to celebrate Easter and the way in which a priest's head should be shaved after ordination.
I was left with the overriding impression that Scotland was still largely in spiritual darkness even after 400 years of Christian influence. There were, I am sure, ordinary people who believed the good news about Jesus Christ and were saved but sadly their stories have been lost in the mists of time.
Overall the author has done his best to bring some order to the patchy and unreliable records that we have. He writes in a flowing, easy to read style. The result is not a definitive history but broad brush picture containing some of what may have happened. If this period of history interests you then you will enjoy this book.
Reviewer: Alan Hill (08/12/13)
