The Highlanders of Scotland - Clan Strachan Society

124 THE HIGHLANDERS [parti
uses. But that the Culdee church was essentially an episcopal
church, and possessed an order of bishops distinct from and
superior to that of the presbyter, is ver}' clear, both from an
impartial consideration of the language of Bede throughout, and
from other writers.
In mentioning the mission of Aidan and of Finan to the
Northumbrians, Bede adds in both cases that they were sent
"
accepto gradu Episcopatus," and what Bede implied by the
" gradus Episcopatus "
abundantly appears
from the case of
Cedd, who was ordained Bishop of Finan. The words of Bede
are "
qui (Finan) ubi prosperatum ei opus evangelii comperit,
fecit eum (Cedd) episcopum in gentem orientalium Saxonum,
vocatus ad se in viinisteriuni ordinationis aliis duolnis episcopis :
qui accepto gradu episcopatus rediit ad provinciam et majore
auctoritate coeptum opus explens, fecit per loca byteros et diaconos ordinavit" &c.
ecclesias, pres-
In another part of his work he mentions that Pope John
wrote a letter to the heads of the Scottish or Culdee church,
which letter bore this superscription, " Dilectissimis et sanctis-
simis Thomiano Columbano, Chromano, Dimae et Bartano episcopis,
Chromano, Hermannoque Laistrano, Stellano et Segeno
presbyteris, Sarano ceterisque doctoribus seu abbatibus Scotis";i
which implies both the existence and the superiority of the episcopal
order in the church. Adomnan is equally distinct that the
bishops were a superior order to the presbyters. He narrates
that Columba upon one occasion sent for a priest at the consecration
of the eucharist, and that suddenly casting a look at
him, he desired him to use the privilege of his order, and break
the bread according to the episcopal mode.^ The unavoidable
inference from these passages is unquestionably that the Culdee
church was no exception to the universal prevalence of episcopacy
in Christian churches at that period, and to this inference
the Presbyterian party oppose merely the passage of Bede
formerly quoted ; but allowing to that passage its fullest force,
to which the other passages are equally entitled, the fact there
stated is not only, as we shall afterwards see, compatible with
*
Bede, lib. ii., c. 19. sis episcopus."— Adorn. Vit. S. Columb.,
* " Hunc solxis episcopus episcopali lib. i., c. 16.
ritu frange panem—nunc scimus quod