Christianity in Northumbria
Just what is ‘Celtic Christianity’? The answer to this intriguing question can depend upon just who you ask!
In June Mark Clavier, Anglican priest and historian will be leading a small group of Lindisfarne students who will be asking this very question, and we are inviting others to join them for this ‘once only’ Lindisfarne opportunity to investigate the foundations of Christianity in Northumbria.
During two weeks in June we will study the significance of a range of key people and major events, and will visit Wearmouth/Jarrow, Hexham, Durham Cathedral (where we hope to have access to the ancient manuscripts) and Holy Island, not as tourists, but to examine their religious, historic and cultural significance. While studying the past is interesting for its own sake it’s surely at least as important for what it teaches us about the present. With this in mind we will also take a look at a range of resources and contemporary expressions that draw their inspiration from this early foundation and tradition.
For those who are registered students this study is required for the Durham University validated module: Christianity in Northumbria – Origins and Impact; those who are not registered as Lindisfarne students are invited to take part without undertaking any written assessment.
If you would like to take up this invitation you will need to be available during the day from Mon 7 to Wed 9 June and from Mon 14 to Thu 17 June. You will need to be able to get to both Durham city centre and Church House at Percy Main, North Shields, but you won’t have to find your own way to the historic sites as people will be encouraged to car share.
The tutor, Mark Clavier has moved to Durham with his family from the US; he has a research interest in early Christianity in Britain and is also currently working for a PhD on ‘the role of delight in the western theology of late antiquity and the early middle ages’. Alongside this he is teaching Anglicanism at Cranmer Hall.
There is no residential aspect to this study, for which the total fee is £100. To book a place on a first come first served basis email the Lindisfarne Administrator: jennycrawford@lindisfarnertp.org or to find out more phone her on 0191 270 4144.
