Remembering St Ethilwald, Composer of the Lindisfarne Gospels’ Artwork

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As we repeatedly remember, Biblical artwork is commanded by God, we have another day to celebrate our great God of Israel, in His work through His obedient people. He is known in the glory of His Saints, His body of Christ (as is taught as all in full communion with the church, of which, his Celtic church was not in full communion with Rome but with all Orthodox). We are only given a small earnest of the inheritance, which is when those of us will be the glory of the saints(Ephesians 1:12-14 etc), from time to time, as we obediently walk in the Spirit. His law has always been spiritual and eternal (Romans 7:14). We see through a glass darkly, but then (when the inheritance comes to the “fullness”) face-to-face. Several Scriptures speak of this “fullness” which will be like nothing the world has seen before when it arrives. However that time has not yet come for His return as King of kings and Lord of lords, when all His enemies were first made his footstool, and His church body has “made herself ready” as a “church without spot or wrinkle”. The Scriptures describe His ekklesia (or church) as being stronger than it has ever been in history. So lets look back to some of those little glimmers, in times past as His Christian people did some obedience to His laws for all generations.

A primary contributor to the Lindisfarne Gospels was Saint Eadfrith, which were further beautified, finalized and bound by Saint Ethilwald. Excerpt of these intrinsically detailed manuscripts:

You may wish to order a book from St Andrew’s Celtic Press on the topic: “Celtic Illuminative Art in the Gospel Books of Durrow, Lindisfarne, and Kells” and many other related Celtic and true Israel books that advance us all in the knowledge of the victory of our heritage today.

Some of the “cunning artwork” (most detailed and hard to comprehend) is most well known within the Israelite knotwork and those who share in the same language, or name of their people (Affinity of the Celtic and Hebrew languages). As a language is the main name of a people, the huge percentage of Celtic words being one-and-the-same as the Hebrew, it is worth a look. Check out this book on the topic.

One example (of many) of the Celtic Knotwork in Israel, at the time that Saint David of Wales(Celtic-Culdee) was consecrated as an Archbishop (by the Archbishop of Jerusalem). It was then in the 6th Century that the knotwork was decorating the synagogues, as it had from ancient times when the Celto-Saxon 12 tribes of Israel were all one: A Mosaic pavement (6th century) synagogue at Beit Alpha, Israel.
Infinity bands were from Israel, whose cunning artwork was done by their most skilled masters as slaves in Egypt (the 12 Months, ensigns of the 12 Tribes, 12 Gemstones, 12 fruits, for the New Jerusalem City, one day, as per the Holy Christian and Hebrew Bible): 

 

BEIT ALPHA 6c TILE FLOOR

The British Israelism message is a larger topic of concrete indisputable history, heralded as fact in all generations, ever increasing today. However we will continue on for today’s commemoration of one Celtic Cleric, a Biblical Ambassador of the body of Christ. We share his story and some of his work, as the church remembers him this day each year. May you be inspired to emulate, or surpass (“..doing greater works than Christ did, ..if we merely believe”. , see John 14:12.)

So much more is possible and will be done on earth, as in heaven, as we pray for each day in the daily liturgies of truth for all generations, these you may find at our website, to pray together with us all in unity. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world, if we merely believe the God of Israel and His wonderful laws for all generations of peoples and nations for their preservation and success through Christ.

Today we remember Saint Ethilwald of Lindisfarne, Bishop (740)

Ethilwald (also Ethelwald, Aethelweald) was a Northumbrian who became a disciple of St Cuthbert (20 March) and a monk of Cuthbert’s abbey at Melrose on the east coast of Scotland, where he became prior and eventually abbot. His ability and piety led to his being chosen to succeed Edfrith (d. 721; 4 June) as bishop of Lindisfarne (Holy Island). Ethilwald, besides being a bishop, was a most distinguished calligrapher, responsible for the Lindisfarne Gospels, described by Plummer as “the fairest manuscript that has ever come under my notice” and still preserved in the British Library. Ethilwald showed his respect to his predecessor’s work by commissioning a binding for it from the hermit Billfrith (also venerated as a saint in the diocese of Durham on 6 March), who used gold, silver, and precious stones. This binding was unfortunately disappeared, perhaps a victim of its monetary value. Ethilwald also compiled a work known as the “Ymnarius Edilwaldi”, which is a partial source for the “Book of Cerne”.

Ethilwald ruled his diocese for many years, dying with a reputation for sanctity proved by the fact that his relics were moved with those of St Cuthbert. He was buried in his cathedral, but to save the relics from the ravages of Viking marauders who destroyed Lindisfarne in 875 they were embarked by members of the community on a lengthy peregrination around northern England and south-west Scotland, reaching a permanent home in Durham only in 995. A stone cross bearing his name was also eventually moved from Lindisfarne to Durham. Ethilwald’s relics were translated to Westminster by King Edgar. (Butler’s Lives of Saints, Source info from Bede, Kendrick, Henry, and Brown.)

The Celts and Saxon peoples, even at the height of their disputes, had a strong intercourse because of their ancient similarities. The Scythian and/or Celto-Saxon peoples share much related cultural heritage of Israel, the people of God.

You may wish to read more about the “Historic Celtic Church and Today’s Orthodox Church of the Culdees” at celticorthodoxy.com.

We are the True Orthodox (and Protestant) church, as recognized in all generations:

  • Orthodox Patriarch Cyril Lucarius of Constantinople  (1572-1638) enforced a Protestant Creed fully in support of Calvinism.
  • Archbishop Parker of Canterbury promised Calvin that England would “retain her Episcopacy; but not as from Pope Gregory, who sent Augustine the monk hither, but from Joseph of Arimathea.” (“The Life and Acts of Archbishop Parker ” By John Strype, Published in 1711.)
  • All Eastern Patriarchates together with the Tsars of Russia have often formally agreed Britain is an independent Orthodox jurisdiction from the First Century. (“History of the Nonjurors…” by Lathbury)
  • The Orthodox worldwide celebrate the First Century Bishop of Britain, St Aristobulus, assistant of the Holy Apostle St Andrew.
  • The Russian Orthodox decided in 1907 that the English BCP Liturgy is Canonical, rooted in the Sarum Missal and purely Orthodox.
  • Roman Catholics officially endorsed to the validity of our Protestant (Western or Eastern) Orthodox sacraments.