ST. AIDAN AND THE APATHY OF OUR TIMES
The Rev. Harold Shepherd, CD, M.A., S.T.M., LL.B., LL.M., Ph.D.
Sermon from August 31, 2003


"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." James 1:27

August 31 is the feast day of St. Aidan, an important, but not particularly well-known saint. Although a number of Anglican churches are named after him and it is a reasonably popular first name, not many know much about him. In order to understand his significance, the best place to start is with the historical context.

As early as the reign of Julius Caesar, the Romans took an interest in Britain. Roads were built and Roman towns founded. For about 350 years the Romans maintained a military presence in Britain. In order to defend the north from the Picts and Scots, Hadrianís Wall was built to defend the north, together with a large fortress at York. After Constantine, who was crowned Emperor at York, Christianity was introduced to Britain through the recently converted Romans. However, Visgoth invasions on the continent led to the withdrawal of the Roman legions beginning in about AD 399. By 410, the Romans had left, leaving the country vulnerable to attack. Soon thereafter, three groups from northern Europe invaded: the Angles from Schleswig Hosltein (near the border of Germany and Denmark), the Saxons from northern Germany, and the Jutes from Jutland. By AD 440 the Angles had seized East Anglia and Lincolnshire. To the south, the Saxons settled in Essex, Sussex and Wessex, while the Jutes settled in Kent and the Isle of Wight. In AD 547, the British coastal fortress of Bamburgh on the North East coast was seized by the Angles under Ida the Flamebearer to become the capital of the Anglian kingdom of Bernicia, one of the two Anglian kingdoms in Northumbria (the other being Deira). In AD 615 Aethelfrith seized the Kingdom of Mercia, placing it with Northumbria under his rule. His brother-in-law, Edwin, seized the throne in AD 616 after Aethelfrith was killed in battle by Raedwald, King of East Anglia. Aethelfrithís son, Oswald, fled from Northumbria and took refuge at the monastery of Iona in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. On April 11, 627, Edwin converted to Christianity and was baptised by the Roman missionary Paulinus who was then appointed as Bishop of York, a post that had been vacant since the departure of the Romans. On October 12, 633, Edwin was killed in battle by a Mercian chieftain called Penda, with Welsh assistance. When Eanfrith, son of Aethelfrith, became king in Bernicia, both Northumbria and Mercia were ruled by pagans. In AD634, Eanfrith was killed in battle by his younger brother Oswald who had returned from the monastery at Iona. The next year he defeated Penda and the Welsh in battle at Heavenfield, consolidating rule over Northumbria and Mercia. After the Christian King Oswald took the throne, a bishop named Corman was sent to help in the reconversion of the realm. This did not work out, and Corman returned to Iona, complaining that the English were uncivilised and unteachable. The Venerable Bede reported Aidan as having responded: "It seems my brother, your judgement of these ignorant people is too hard. Your teaching has been too severe; you have expected too much at first; you have not, according to the apostolic counsel, offered them first the milk of gentle doctrine, so as by degrees to lead them to the understanding and practice of more advanced and deeper commands." As a result of not knowing when to keep quiet, Aidan was selected to be Cormanís successor as missionary. Aidan established his bishopric on an island near the capital of Bamburgh at Lindisfarne, becoming its first bishop. As a Celtic Christian, his approach was different to the Roman traditions of Paulinus and Edwin

At Lindisfarne, Aidan established a monastery inspired by rather austere Irish traditions. Simple wooden buildings with a small church, circular huts and a larger communal centre housed monks devoted to prayer, study and the simple life. From there, Aidan travelled throughout the region to preach Christianity. Because Aidan did not speak English, King Oswald would sometimes translate for him. Aidanís approach was to travel by foot throughout the villages of the realm, sharing the Gospel with those he met. According to tradition, Oswald gave him a horse to ensure that he did not have to walk like a peasant. However, Aidan promptly gave it away to a beggar, upsetting the king. After explaining his motivation, Oswald was appeased. Aidan also opened a school at Lindisfarne to educate the next generation of Christian leaders. He began by teaching Latin to 12 liberated Anglo-Saxon slave boys by reading the Psalms, then the Gospels. After 16 years as bishop, Aidan died at Bamburgh in AD 651. Bede honoured Aidan for his life of prayer, study, peace, purity, humility and care for the sick and poor. Among the laity, he encouraged such practises as fasting and meditation on the Scriptures. He founded many churches and monasteries. Of him, Bede wrote: "His life is in marked contrast to the apathy of our times." We need more like him today.