Spiritual Perspectives
Arthurian Christianity

By Elizabeth Windisch
Special to The Independent

The 8th Annual Celtic Festival of the Arts & Spirituality will be held at the First United Methodist Church, 1800 Red Rock Drive in Gallup, March 10 -11. "Artorius Rex, the Once & Future King: The Legend & Culture of King Arthur" is the theme for the two day festival.

Scholars agree that the stories of Chretien de Troyes (12th century), Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur (15th century) and Sir Alfred Tennyson's The Idylls of the King (19th century) depict an Arthur and his time a thousand years or more later than the actual source of the legend.

The Arthurian story emerges out of the so-called "Dark Ages" of Britain when the Romans leave the island to fight the 'barbarians" closer to home. Rather than dark times, however, we know now that life and culture progressed very well without the Roman authorities. These Brits were Romanized after four centuries and carried on the concepts of city planning, courts of law, and economics.

Along with Roman social and legal customs, Christianity took hold on the peoples there and grew in the midst of older traditions. Christianity enters the British Isles through merchants, soldiers in the Roman army, possibly slaves of wealthy Romans, and, perhaps, Joseph of Arimathea. The latter may not be as far fetched as some might think. Tradition informs us Joseph was a wealthy tin merchant; Cornwall was the center of a thriving tin trade, so it is possible he made visits. Gildas, Britain's foremost early historian, writing in the 6th century, mentions that Joseph introduced knowledge of the Christ into Britain in the last year of Tiberius' reign, AD 37. Other stories noted in various early manuscripts state that Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus, Lazarus, and Luke, among others, also made it to the British Isles. Aristobulus preached there and according to Dorotheus (AD 300), and disciple Simon Zelotes was crucified and buried in Britain. (www.whyprophets.com.)

Arthur's story suggests that he was the son of a Roman centurion and a Briton, and he (could have) inherited his Christian faith from either (or from both). Who was this Arthur? No one knows for sure. If, in fact, he existed, he would have lived sometime between 400 and 600 AD, a time Britain was in transition after the withdrawal of the Romans.

New scholarship and archaeological evidence continues to shed light on Arthur, the early incursion of Christianity into ancient Britain, and British encounters with the migrating Angles and Saxons. All of the exciting discoveries in literature and history that are occurring simply cannot be detailed here.

However, the 2004 film "King Arthur" is based on some of this more recent information. The story is about a group of Sarmatian knights who were part of a Roman legion stationed along Hadrian's Wall. They were led by a centurion, Lucius Artorius Castas. This Artorius (Latin for Arthur) is a very human character; there is no magic. He is humane, intelligent, and a great warrior, and he earns the right to be king. The film's writer, David Franzoni, introduces one of the major controversies in the church through the Arthur character. The young Artorius is befriended by Pelagius, a monk who believed that both grace and works were necessary for salvation. Pelagius inherited his theology from the Romano-Celtic tradition that emphasized not only faith and good works, but saw the holiness of all life and the oneness of all creation. Pelagius understood that man had free will to choose a path to God; humankind was basically good.

This idea contrasts sharply with the Roman Church's understanding, through the teachings of Augustine of Hippo, that mankind is sinful and can do nothing to improve his lot except through the grace of God.. It was this holding on to earlier, stronger concepts of freedom and free will ideals of Celtic Christianity that got Pelagius in trouble, and by 431, the Synod of Ephesos made it a crime to be in possession of any Pelagian works. It is at the Synod of Whitby, however, that the final blow was dealt to Celtic Christianity no longer were women considered the equal to men; the hierarchy of the Roman Church filled the void left by the disintegrating Roman empire. Instead of working within their communities, striving for excellence, and working towards salvation, the freedom of the Celtic churches were dismantled by the will of Rome. It is Arthur who carries this line of thought, this idea of free will, in the film.

On Friday evening, during the opening night of the 8th Annual Celtic Festival for the Arts & Spirituality, drama and dance will shed light upon the richness of the old and new faith traditions. Merlin (Anthony Mansueto not a wizard but a priest of the old Celtic tradition) and Bishop Germanus of Auxerre (Patrick Moore for the church of Rome) take center stage to debate some of the theological questions of the 6th century questions still disputed today. King Arthur (Larry Winn) and his Knights of the Round Table will raise some of the questions. The dances (Abbott Bromley's Horndance, with its origins in ancient Britain, and a liturgical dance performed by Messenger of Farmington) frame the evening.

Though Camelot was not the perfect place envisioned either by Arthur or the various authors of his tale history and literature, music and art proclaim what Arthur knew and we in our hearts know too that "Might for right, right for right, and justice for all," should prevail.

This fun family festival is open to all. For more information on the two-day program, workshop offerings on Saturday morning, and how you can volunteer call Betsy at 722-9257/863-4512, Allison at 722-5411 or Martin at 863-6459.

This column is the result of a desire by community members, representing different faith communities, wishing to share their ideas about bringing a spiritual perspective into our daily lives and community issues.

For information about contributing a guest column, contact Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola at the Independent: (505) 863-8611, ext. 218 or lizreligion01@yahoo.com