The Lindisfarne Icon

Reviews / Votes

From Church Times 3 September 2004 Helen Julian CSF felt called to write about the seventh-century Celtic saint Cuthbert because the saint himself demanded it. 'It was as if he tapped me on the shoulder and said: 'The next book's mine," she told me. The result, The Lindisfarne Icon, traces the story of St Cuthbert, from obscure monk through bishop in the Church to celebrated icon of Celtic spirituality. The tale is interwoven with personal stories of encounters with Cuthbert, and reflections on how his life can speak to us now. Sr Helen is an Anglican Franciscan sister, currently serving the Community of St Francis as Minister Provincial. She is based in Somerset, but her love affair with the great northern saint began when she was a student in Newcastle. Visiting Lindisfarne, Durham and Alnmouth, she felt drawn to Cuthbert, and was thrilled to discover, years later, that she had ancestors buried on Holy Island, where the saint lived for much of his life. Her sense of Cuthbert's presence has deepened as she has taken on greater responsibility. 'He was in a position of leadership in a Christian community; so there was a sense of fellow-feeling, of his knowing what it is like.' All that we know about Cuthbert comes from two 'lives' written about him within a generation of his death in 687. One is by an anonymous 'monk of Lindisfarne', the other by the Venerable Bede. Both are hagiographies, seeking to show Cuthbert as an example of holiness rather than to set out chronological facts and evidence as modern history or biography might do. The Lindisfarne Icon respects this hagiographic tradition by providing questions for reflection or discussion at the end of each chapter, so that the reader's encounter with Cuthbert might also become an encounter with the God who was at work in him. This, for Sr Helen, is the aim of her writing: to 'point people to a relationship (with Cuthbert), and through it to a relationship with God'. What is so attractive about Cuthbert? In Britain, the '80s and '90s saw an upsurge of interest in Celtic spirituality and its emphasis on nature and on finding God in the rhythms of life. 'It's an indigenous spirituality; our manifestation of the universal thing,' explains Sr Helen. 'It's about our people, our places, our language; the people we are descended from.' Yet, while Cuthbert provides a reassuring link to our religious roots, he is also easy to romanticise. Like all the Celtic saints, he can be portrayed as gentle, close to nature, and touchy-feely - a comforting figure of continuity. As Sr. Helen acknowledges; perhaps many are drawn to this version of Celtic spirituality. But The Lindisfarne Icon makes it clear that the reality of life, for Cuthbert and his contemporaries, was anything but cosy. As a bishop, Cuthbert found himself in the thick of conflicts between the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic influences in the Church. He was forced to be a politician as well as a priest. He was also extremely disciplined, living by a strict rule of prayer, psalm-saying and scripture reading which most of us would baulk at today. Celtic saints were at the mercy of the elements, fled persecution, rebuilt their monasteries when and where they could with their own hands. It's not surprising that, as Sr Helen says, they could be unpredictable and downright terrifying, 'given to the dramatic, to fighting evil, and to going over the top'. This harsher reality behind the soft Celtic image is, for Sr Helen, at the heart of Cuthbert's appeal. 'The saints stuck with it,' she says. 'They didn't give up.' Living with both physical and spiritual hardship, Cuthbert learned to rely on God, referring everything back to him. It was the same for his followers. In the years after his death, Cuthbert's body was carried around much of Northumbria by monks desperate to prevent the desecration of the saint's remains. For them, as for him, religious observance was a matter of life and death; and closeness to nature and its rhythms meant knowing that what nature gave in sun, rain, food and shelter, she also took away in storm, disease and death. This is a meaty message for 21st century Christians who don't have to rely on God for their daily bread. We who have it all are 'missing a sense of meaning', says Sr Helen. Perhaps a relationship with Cuthbert might of help us get it back. HELEN JULIAN CSF felt called to write about the seventh-century Celtic saint Cuthbert because the saint himself demanded it. 'It was as if he tapped me on the shoulder and said: 'The next book's mine," she told me. The result, The Lindisfarne Icon, traces the story of St Cuthbert, from obscure monk through bishop in the Church to celebrated icon of Celtic spirituality. The tale is interwoven with personal stories of encounters with Cuthbert, and reflections on how his life can speak to us now. Sr Helen is an Anglican Franciscan sister, currently serving the Community of St Francis as Minister Provincial. She is based in Somerset, but her love affair with the great northern saint began when she was a student in Newcastle. Visiting Lindisfarne, Durham and Alnmouth, she felt drawn to Cuthbert, and was thrilled to discover, years later, that she had ancestors buried on Holy Island, where the saint lived for much of his life. Her sense of Cuthbert's presence has deepened as she has taken on greater responsibility. 'He was in a position of leadership in a Christian community; so there was a sense of fellow-feeling, of his knowing what it is like.' All that we know about Cuthbert comes from two 'lives' written about him within a generation of his death in 687. One is by an anonymous 'monk of Lindisfarne', the other by the Venerable Bede. Both are hagiographies, seeking to show Cuthbert as an example of holiness rather than to set out chronological facts and evidence as modern history or biography might do. The Lindisfarne Icon respects this hagiographic tradition by providing questions for reflection or discussion at the end of each chapter, so that the reader's encounter with Cuthbert might also become an encounter with the God who was at work in him. This, for Sr Helen, is the aim of her writing: to 'point people to a relationship (with Cuthbert), and through it to a relationship with God'. WHAT IS so attractive about Cuthbert? In Britain, the '80s and '90s saw an upsurge of interest in Celtic spirituality and its emphasis on nature and on finding God in the rhythms of life. 'It's an indigenous spirituality; our manifestation of the universal thing,' explains Sr Helen. 'It's about our people, our places, our language; the people we are descended from.' Yet, while Cuthbert provides a reassuring link to our religious roots, he is also easy to romanticise. Like all the Celtic saints, he can be portrayed as gentle, close to nature, and touchy-feely -- a comforting figure of continuity. As Sr. Helen acknowledges; perhaps many are drawn to this version of Celtic spirituality. But The Lindisfarne Icon makes it clear that the reality of life, for Cuthbert and his contemporaries, was anything but cosy. As a bishop, Cuthbert found himself in the thick of conflicts between the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic influences in the Church. He was forced to be a politician as well as a priest. He was also extremely disciplined, living by a strict rule of prayer, psalm-saying and scripture reading which most of us would baulk at today. Celtic saints were at the mercy of the elements, fled persecution, rebuilt their monasteries when and where they could with their own hands. It's not surprising that, as Sr Helen says, they could be unpredictable and downright terrifying, 'given to the dramatic, to fighting evil, and to going over the top'. This harsher reality behind the soft Celtic image is, for Sr Helen, at the heart of Cuthbert's appeal. 'The saints stuck with it,' she says. 'They didn't give up.' Living with both physical and spiritual hardship, Cuthbert learned to rely on God, referring everything back to him. It was the same for his followers. In the years after his death, Cuthbert's body was carried around much of Northumbria by monks desperate to prevent the desecration of the saint's remains. For them, as for him, religious observance was a matter of life and death; and closeness to nature and its rhythms meant knowing that what nature gave in sun, rain, food and shelter, she also took away in storm, disease and death. This is a meaty message for 21st century Christians who don't have to rely on God for their daily bread. We who have it all are 'missing a sense of meaning', says Sr Helen. Perhaps a relationship with Cuthbert might of help us get it back. Church Times Sister Helen Julian was visiting Durham Cathedral when she felt irresistibly drawn to the shrine at the East end. She says her experience was like falling in love and that nothing has been quite the same since. This led her to do a great deal of research into the life and times of Cuthbert, and the result is this fascinating little book. She provides much information about the country, the church, worship and the life of the people of Cuthbert's time. Cuthbert (AD 631 - 687) was a Christian who, whilst working as a shepherd by the River Tweed, had a vision of Aidan's soul going to heaven escorted by angels. HE became a monk at Melrose, and was elected Prior at the age of 26 and Bishop of Lindisfarne in 684. He was a very remarkable man. He loved solitude, yet travelled throughout the North, preaching and performing miracles. In the midst of this he found time for long hours of prayer. People flocked to hear him. Like St Francis Cuthbert had a rapport with animals and birds, and delighted in nature. The belief was that after death the soul was not only in heaven with God but also still present in the earthly remains. For this reason the monks moved Cuthbert's body from Lindisfarne and eventually to Durham, where it rests with his pectoral cross, comb and portable altar. The Here and Now sections at the end of each chapter are very stimulating and could be considered by individuals or groups. Tertiaries should certainly include this book in their reading lists. -- Audrey Capon TSSF Third Order Chronicle This short book (116 pages) seeks to draw lessons for today from the life and times of St Cuthbert, by telling stories, adding comment and finishing with questions for today. There are some fascinating insights into the social, political, religious and political milieu in which Cuthbert lived. Many Christians outside Sr Helen's tradition may have difficulty understanding or accepting her personal experience of Cuthbert in Durham Cathedral; it would therefore have been useful to have had some reflections on how it is possible to experience oneself as being in a relationship with a saint. Altogether, a useful and surprisingly challenging book. -- Barry Hutchison Retreats Journal Readers joining the Recorder's trip to Scotland and northern England in July will have the experience of visiting the island of Lindisfarne, with its monastery ruins standing testimony to more than 1,500 years of Christian worship. There could be no better preparation than reading The Lindisfarne icon - St Cuthbert and the 21st Century Christian by Helen Julian, an Anglican Franciscan sister. The story of the seventh-century monk and bishop is told in a readable manner -- in 116 pages -- drawing on varied contemporary accounts of his life and the times in which he lived. At the end of each chapter she links his life and ministry with our lives 'Here and now', encouraging the reader to learn how Cuthbert's gifts are of enduring importance. Methodist Recorder This easy-to-read, simple but thoughtful book by an Anglican Franciscan Sister describes the life and times of St Cuthbert, the well-known 7th century saint of southern Scotland and northern England. Sister Helen Julian has a very personal attachment to St Cuthbert, and writes with the warmth of conviction. It is not an academic book, but it is based on a thorough study of the available literature. Even those who are familiar with the story of St Cuthbert himself will appreciate the descriptions of the life of the church and society of that time. Each chapter ends with some questions designed to help readers to relate the story of Cuthbert to our Christian life today. Members of the Julian Meetings will be especially interested in her account of St Cuthbert's life of prayer. Although he was always especially drawn to contemplative prayer and solitude, he combined his life of contemplation with a great deal of active work as a monk, a bishop and a missionary. And even his solitary prayer was a battling against the forces of evil for the sake of the world. All this is an encouragement to people today who attempt to combine the contemplative life with living in the world. Reviewed by Alexander Ryrie -- Alexander Ryrie Julian Meetings magazine This book was my companion during a week in a Hebridean hermitage: the following week I was back at work. That seems to be one theme of the book: that Cuthbert's search for God took him into solitude but that he was repeatedly dragged back to serve the church. Sadly, twenty-first century Christians mostly believe that solitude is not for ordinary people. So Helen Julian helpfully provides a set of questions at the end of each chapter challenging the reader to learn from Cuthbert's example. The second significant theme is that the contemporary biographies of Cuthbert - one by the Venerable Bede, one anonymous - are, in accordance with the custom of the times, hagiographies rather than biographies as we would understand the term. They invite us to see Christ through this lens, just as the eye does not rest on an icon but sees through it like a window to Christ beyond. When Helen Julian first found this, she was disappointed that she would not be permitted to know Cuthbert's personality, his thoughts, individual strengths and weaknesses: but she goes beyond this point, to have a relationship with Cuthbert, yet still to contemplate him as an icon pointing at Christ. One of her references, Douglas Dales, observes that in the eighth century people read the scriptures - and so also the lives of the saints - on four distinct levels: as history; as moral teaching; as having a bearing on the life of the church; and finally as having eternal meaning, as a window into the Kingdom of Heaven. I greatly enjoyed this book and was left wanting more. I would like to know Helen Julian's own view of the colourful miracles she describes - whether they are historic, or a window into the divine, or both. Also, though she may see this as private, I wanted to know more of her own personal journey with Cuthbert towards which she hints several limes. I hope she will one day find the time - in solitude perhaps - to give us a full-length twenty-first century biography of Cuthbert with, at its centre, a clear window into the Kingdom of Heaven. -- Giles Charrington TSSF The Franciscan How does a relatively obscure monk from the seventh century who left nothing in writing and lived in solitude in the north of the British Isles, become one of England's most venerated and influential saints? Sr. Helen Julian, and Anglican Franciscan, develops the life and times of Cuthbert against the background of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon traditions of that age, and draws out his gifts of healing, prophecy, faith, evangelism and wisdom. The author completes each chapter with a short reminder of the present day, asking how Cuthbert would have solved the questions. The notes at the end of the book are helpful particularly as this is a short book on a subject that is extensive. There is a useful bibliography and booklist for further reading. 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