Adomnan of Iona (628–704)
Author of The Life of St. Columba
About the Author
Image credit: Scenes from Adomnan's Life of St. Columba. Image from the Lamb Design Collection. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division LAMB, no. 1042 (A size))
Works by Adomnan of Iona
An Irish precursor of Dante : a study on the Vision of heaven and hell, ascribed to the eighth-century Irish saint,… (1972) — Author — 8 copies
Prophecies, Miracles and Visions of St.Columba (Columcille); First Abbot of Iona, A.D. 563-597 (2013) 3 copies
De Locis Sanctis 2 copies
Adamnán's vision 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Adomnan of Iona
- Birthdate
- 0627/0628
- Date of death
- 0704
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- Ireland
- Country (for map)
- Ireland
- Birthplace
- County Donegal, Ireland
- Places of residence
- County Donegal, Ireland
Iona, Scotland - Occupations
- Abbot
Biographer - Relationships
- Columba of Iona (cousin)
- Short biography
- Adomnán or Adamnán of Iona (c. 624–704), also known as Eunan (from Irish: Naomh Adhamhnán), was an abbot of Iona Abbey (r. 679–704), hagiographer, statesman, canon jurist, and saint. He was the author of the most important book on the life of his cousin St. Columba and the promulgator of the Law of Adomnán or Law of Innocents (Latin: Lex Innocentium).
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Statistics
- Works
- 8
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 391
- Popularity
- #61,941
- Rating
- 3.5
- Reviews
- 3
- ISBNs
- 20
- Languages
- 1
The translation (by Richard Sharpe from penguin Classics) is very readable, and occasionally amusing. It also has 270 pages of introduction, maps, genealogical tables, notes, further reading and index - two thirds of the book, with only one third being the actual text. But the historical and linguistic information in the notes and introduction is fascinating as well as extensive, and I really enjoyed reading it all.
My favourite story has to be this one:
{II 29} Of a knife which St Columba blessed with the sign of the Lord's cross.
Once, one of the brethren ... came to the saint while he was engaged in copying a manuscript and asked him:
'Please bless this implement which I have in my hand.'
St Columba did not look up, but continued to keep his eyes on the book from which he was copying. However, he reached out his hand a little way and, still holding his pen, made the sign of the cross. ... later St Columba asked Diarmait, his loyal servant:
'What was the implement I blessed for our brother?'
'A knife', said Diarmait, 'for the slaughtering of bulls or cattle.'
'I trust in my Lord,' added St Columba, 'that the implement I have blessed will not harm man or beast.'
No more than an hour had gone by before the saint's word was proved entirely true. ... Though {the monk with the knife} tried three times {to slaughter a bullock}, pressing very hard with the knife, yet he found he was unable to get the knife through the skin. (pp177-8)
I love the picture of this preoccupied monk not bothering to look up from the book he's working on, but instead issuing blessings willy-nilly which he then has to go to all the bother of a miracle to clarify/undo.
Recommended for medievalists and church history geeks. :D… (more)