Understanding the Universe in Seventh-Century Ireland

Intellectual life in Ireland was remarkably active during the seventh century. Scholars were no longer content simply to absorb materials and ideas originating on the Continent, but tried to integrate them into a consistent body of knowledge based on the Christian religious works available to them. These contained references to secular data which had been generally accepted by the educated classes on the Continent in Late Antiquity thus creating the impression that Christianity embraced a definite view of the universe and of its components. This view rested on the common classical belief that all matter is made up of the four elements - earth, water, air and fire -and on the Christian convictions that the world is an orderly placeand that Scripture does not err. And yet, despite the strong biblical component in their ideas, works of these early Irish authors indicate an intellectual climate where discussion and independent thought were taken for granted, and where observation was allowed a hand in explaining why things are the way they are. MARINA SMYTH is librarian of the Medieval Institute at the University of Notre Dame, and teaches early medieval cultural history.