Reunion and remembrances

We ate a cooked meal lunchtime today, as both of us had early evening engagements. After several hours in the office, I went to St Michael's College to hear Prof (now Sir) Dairmuid McCulloch speaking about the history of western European Christianity from the fifth century to the reformation, a subject about which I know little. He was honoured in the New Year List for 'services to scholarship' - indeed, he has an original and insightful perspective on many things. I followed his BBC TV series on Christianity with interest, particularly when he visited Middle Eastern place I also visited in the nineties.

I was taken by his view that while the Councils of Nicaea in 325 followed by the Council Ephesus in 451, benchmarked the Orthodoxy of Rome and Byzantium, excluding those Christians whose belief in Christ were Arian, this didn't hinder the Arians from persisting in mission in regions where they enjoyed the patronage of the rulers. They were successful among the Visigoth tribes which invaded the West from Eastern Europe, and Arian Christianity was dominant in the West in the Dark Ages.

Like much ancient Christianity, Arian mission went in for baptising local culture and custom, using indigenous language in worship. Generally, it seems to have been tolerant of diversity. Little historical evidence remains of its churches or its liturgies, due to the inexorable rise of the church of Rome, with the imposition of its rule of law, Latin language and a culture of compliance. When the reformation came, it was seen as the calamitous break up of Christendom. Dairmuid points out how diverse ancient churches were, agreeing on doctrine, but co-existing with differences. The Reformation marked a resumption of this, even if marred from the outset by power struggles and violence - a legacy of imperial rule by force. Unlike Eastern Orthodoxy, Latin Christianity  is tainted by persecution of those who do not comply.

My friend Martin was there at the lecture. He and Dairmuid have known each other for forty years, and it was at Martin's house some years ago that I was introduced to him, well before I had any inkling of just how eminent a scholar he is. I've never been a great reader of historical scholarship, but having heard Dairmuid in the flesh as well as on the little screen, maybe it's time to make the effort.

At the reception afterwards, I met up with Fr Roger Balkwill, who had been senior Curate in Caerphilly when I served my first Curacy there 1969-72. I confess that I didn't recognise him. The last time we met was in 1989, when he attended my Induction as Team Rector of Halesowen. He's been retired a couple of years, having stayed on until he was 69 in the West Midlands Parish of Albrighton where he'd been Vicar for 29 years. He reminded me that when Clare finally went into labour with Katherine, I was absent on duty, so he'd driven her down to St David's maternity hospital, where I caught up with her in good time an hour later. 

I admit that little reminder gave me a twinge of ancient guilt - being off somewhere on ministerial duty when I was needed at home. It happened many times, but by the grace of God, we survived it all.