Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

"Without Blinding Darkness": The Imagery Of Divine Light In "Nauigatio Sancti Brendani", Darcy Ireland

Theology Student Scholarship

The motif of divine light is prominent in such early medieval Irish and Latin texts as Adomnán’s Life of Columba (Vita Columbæ), Vision of Saint Paul (Visio Sancti Pauli), and the Life of Brendan (Betha Brenainn). The symbol of divine light, a featured device in the Scriptures intended to emphasize the manifestation of the supernatural, if not the presence of the holy Spirit itself, is typically discussed by the patristic writers. In turn, the use of divine light in the Scriptures and the patristic writers influenced the texts of Christianity in early medieval Ireland, …