Christ of the Celts: The Healing of Creation - Hardcover

by J. Philip Newell (Author)

Christ of the Celts

"I explore the Celtic image of Christ as the Memory of what we have forgotten. He remembers the dance of the universe and the harmony that is deep within all things. He is the Memory also of who we are."
--from the Prelude

"Diagnosing the human soul with a longing for peace in the face of fear and fragmentation nurtured by global political forces and fundamentalisms, Newell offers the ancient traditions of Celtic Christianity as a way forward in healing humankind and the earth."
--Publishers Weekly

"This graceful, wise, and important book is a superb introduction to the treasures of Celtic Christianity for our time."
--Marcus Borg, author, The Heart of Christianity

Front Jacket

Christ OF THE CELTS

Written by J. Phillip Newell, one of the foremost experts on Celtic spirituality, this moving book offers a reflection on the "forgotten" Jesus, the Christ of the ancient Celtic tradition. Drawing on the gospels of Thomas and the Acts of John and on the writings of Irenaeus, Eriugena, and Teilhard de Chardin, the author ignites us with the possibilities that can come from understanding this ancient spiritual tradition. The Celtic Christ offers new hope for achieving harmony, healing, and renewal for human beings and for all of creation.

Newell connects the Celtic tradition with our more conventional Christian beliefs and offers a vision of concern for healing creation and the environment--for the presence of the sacred in nature and all creatures. This was the essence of the ancient Celtic vision of Christ. As an ever-unfolding mystery of life rather than a one-time event, the Celtic tradition encourages us to reverence the matter of our bodies and the earth. Newell's Celtic Christ is interwoven with the Creation--they share the same center, the same Heartbeat. The book also explores the notion of salvation in the sense of the oneness of the universe. This is salvation that comes from the wellbeing of the whole rather than only the welfare of the individual.

Christ of the Celts shows us a new picture of who Christ is today combined with the ancient reverence for harmony with God and nature.

Back Jacket

Written by J. Phillip Newell, one of the foremost experts on Celtic spirituality, this moving book offers a reflection on the "forgotten" Jesus, the Christ of the ancient Celtic tradition. Drawing on the gospels of Thomas and the Acts of John and on the writings of Irenaeus, Eriugena, and Teilhard de Chardin, the author ignites us with the possibilities that can come from understanding this ancient spiritual tradition. The Celtic Christ offers new hope for achieving harmony, healing, and renewal for human beings and for all of creation.

Newell connects the Celtic tradition with our more conventional Christian beliefs and offers a vision of concern for healing creation and the environment--for the presence of the sacred in nature and all creatures. This was the essence of the ancient Celtic vision of Christ. As an ever-unfolding mystery of life rather than a one-time event, the Celtic tradition encourages us to reverence the matter of our bodies and the earth. Newell's Celtic Christ is interwoven with the Creation--they share the same center, the same Heartbeat. The book also explores the notion of salvation in the sense of the oneness of the universe. This is salvation that comes from the wellbeing of the whole rather than only the welfare of the individual.

Christ of the Celts shows us a new picture of who Christ is today combined with the ancient reverence for harmony with God and nature.

Author Biography

J. Philip Newell is a poet, scholar, and teacher. Formerly Warden of Iona Abbey in the Western Isles of -Scotland, he is now companion theologian for the -American Spirituality Center of Casa del Sol at Ghost Ranch in the high desert of New Mexico.