Understanding the Universe in Seventh-Century Ireland.

BURNETT, CHARLES

Marina Smyth, Understanding the Universe in Seventh-Century Ireland, Studies in Celtic History 15 (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 1996). Viii + 341 PP. ISBN 0-85115-313-5. 35.00 [pounds sterling].

This study is based on the small collection of Latin texts written by Irishmen in the seventh century that pertain to cosmology, of which the principal two are De mirabilibus sacrae scripturae by the `Irish Augustine' and Liber de ordine creaturarum of Pseudo-Isidore. Having described her source material, Smyth puts together the cosmological picture piece by piece, starting with creation and the four elements and, as in the Liber de ordine creaturarum, proceeding from top to bottom, i.e. from the `heavens of heavens' (sic) through the various layers of the sky, the air, the sea, and the earth, to subterranean Hell. The book is clearly set out, with conclusions to every chapter and a final `overview'. The picture that emerges is also strikingly clear and self-consistent. The Irish of the seventh century turn out not to be otherworldly fantasizers spinning incredible yarns about the natural world from their imagination, but rather to be pragmatic observers; they based their cosmological beliefs on a rational evaluation of what they could glean from the Bible and the limited classical and patristic sources available to them, in the light of what they experienced in the definitely non-Mediterranean environment of Ireland. Smyth has not only carefully isolated the literary sources of her Irish monks (she points particularly to the evidence that many works were apparently not known in their entirety), but has also explored and identified features of the Irish environment which are reflected in their works. Thus the division of matter into the four elements (with the supercelestial waters sitting rather awkwardly, but corporeally, above the layer of fire) is taken over in its entirety from late antique cosmology, and many details, such as the metaphor of the cosmic egg, have ancient parallels. But the descriptions of the formation of stones and of certain sea creatures appear to be based directly on experience. This is the case most notably of the account of the relationship between the moon and the tides. Tides are so much more conspicuous in Ireland than within the Mediterranean, and Smyth's arguments that the nature of the Irish cosmologists' observations is related to their knowledge of local sea-salt panning are convincing. Even late antique doctrine may have reached the Irish authors at least partly by oral tradition, especially considering the extent of non-literal parallels and the lack of reference to authorities.

The knowledge shown by these authors is not extensive, and there is a marked ignorance of, and perhaps lack of interest in, astronomy (which contrasts with the well-known Irish interest in the ecclesiastical computus, which is based on time-cycles which often have little to do with astronomical reality). What Smyth demonstrates, however, is that, in spite of this lack of knowledge, her authors were inquisitive about the natural world, and saw nothing anti-Christian in this interest. Polemic against pagans and worshippers of natural objects is almost entirely absent and the natural order is revered as God's wonderful creation. As one reads through the book one comes to regard the seventh-century authors that Smyth quotes in extenso (in Latin and English) as familiar friends, with common-sensical attitudes. One's appetite is whetted for the unpublished edition of the De mirabilibus sacrae scripturae by Father Gerard MacGinty from which Smyth gives tantalizing excerpts, in order to understand better the Latin style and doctrine of the author. The only quibble I have with the generally fine translations from this edition (and from other texts) made by Smyth is her interpretation of `inanis' as `fluid' (pp. 57, 109-10), a characteristic of air, as opposed to `solidus', the characteristic of earth. The normal meaning of `empty' would seem quite acceptable, and the translation `fine', used by Smyth herself on p. 111, comes closer to this meaning.

The homogeneity of the account of the cosmos described in this book may be due to the absence of the use of Irish folklore and texts written in the Irish language, and also to the fact that the principal relevant texts are closely related to each other auctorially. Thus the anonymous commentary on the Catholic Epistles may be by the same author as the De mirabilibus sacrae scripturae, and quotes `Lodkin' who is presumably Lathcen mac Baith, the author of the Egloga Moralium Gregorii in Iob (all three texts are among Smyth's sources). The Liber de ordine creaturarum, in turn, is closely related to, and dependent on, the De mirabilibus sacrae scripturae. Consequently, it may not be surprising that the `Irish Augustine', whose purpose was to explain the natural causes of apparently miraculous events in the Bible, should set the agenda for most of the works mentioned. Nevertheless, his contribution to cosmology was not isolated, for Bede used the De ordine creaturarum as a major source in his De natura rerum, and through this popular work the whole of medieval Europe got a taste of Irish cosmology.

CHARLES BURNETT

London