THE CULDEES.
48
"
i
As
the worshippers of God."
Upon this, Dr M'Lauchlan observes
no special meaning as applied to this
all Christians were Cultores Dei, the word could have
"
but in Cuil dich," or
class of missionaries
of seclusion, we have a descriptive name, and
"
said to be Colidei, or
:
mm
;
^
The last-named
the description borne out by what we know of the history of the men."
"
the theory of James Macpherson, of
Fingal" celebrity,
writer here adopts, at least in part,
which it was supposed had been effectually demolished by Mr E. O'Eeilly in 1829, who
"
contended that from his etymology of tlie name Culdees," Ma.cpherson would be incapable of
if he had them before him.^
translating the genuine poems of Ossian
Those who assign the name a Celtic original are nearly all of opinion that it is a
"
God;" but they differ as to whether Cele should be
compound of the words Ccle and Dc,
understood in
its
primary sense of "husband" or "companion," or in
its
secondary sense
of "servant."
the other side, writers, such as Giraldus, Hector Boece, George Buchanan, John Colgan,
Trias Thaumaturga," and, more recently, Mr Skene, agree in assigning to the term a
Latin derivation.
According to these authorities it is merely an abbreviated form of coli-dei,
On
in his
"
from the Latin
and take
it to
colo
;
mean
Dr Eeeves
they understand it as the equivalent of the words Deicolce or
*
worshippers of God."
Ccelicolcc,
"
the
accepts
interpretation
and some lexicographers, and
term
the
of
Cule-De proposed by O'Donovan
refers its origin to the prevalence,
through Latin Christianity,
Servus Dei, in its limited and technical sense; whilst by Toland,
and Curry the Celtic term has been understood in its more obvious and general
O'Eeilly,
"
But Dr Eeeves considers there is an incongruity in the expression
sense of
spouse."
"spouse of God," and does not think tliat tlie nature of the compound word requires such
of
the
expression
an interpretation.^
The conclusion thus arrived
at
by one eminent antiquary has been minutely
criticised
by
another.
The learned author
"
of
Celtic Scotland,"
^
observes, that, in his adoption of the secondary
and taking it to be merely the Irish equivalent of Servus Dei,
meaning
"
the ordinary expression for a monk, Dr Eeeves starts with the assumption that the Ceile De
were simply monks. This rendering appears objectionable first, because no example can be
of the Celtic term,
—
produced in which the term Servus Dei appears translated by
^
Historical
Account of Church Government, 1684, chap.
Inhabitants of Scotland, 1729,
=
De
Dr
T.
or Gillc
'
p.
vii.
Compare
Ceile
T. Innes,
De; secondly, that the
A
critical
Essay on the Ancient
444.
M'Lauchkn, The Early Scottish Church,
Di they know nothing" (Ibid., p. 431).
1865, p. 176.
" Cuil
tick is still in use
Transactions Roj'al Irish Academy, vol. xvi.
among
the Gael
;
of Ceile
—
The word Culdee has been traced [inter alia) to the following sources Gaelic " gille De," servant of God;
"
" ceiU
culla," a cowl, whence
Culdee," the black monk ;
De," separated, or esjmused to God (or, according to O'Brien,
and Reeves, servant of God) ; " cuil dich," men of seclusion; " kyldees," from " cylle," a cell, whence by the
Lanigan,
•
:
"
addition of
"Dae,"
a
a
"tee"
man
or "dee,"
a
house, "kyldee,"
living in community.
Latin
a house of
— " cultores Dei,
cells;
" "
"ceile," together, and "dae," a man, whence "ceile"
"
"
or
ccelicolse,
worshippers of God ; "cella,"
Deicolse,
"
or the interior of a temple (vaSs, ffijfcos), whence with an Irish inflexion,
ceile."
The most amusing derivation of
"
Deus," and, citing
given by Bishop Bramhall (1635), who says the name is a compound of "Gallus" and
"
the
Colideans," adds, "or, as the Irish call them, 'Gallideans,' or God's cockes, in Armagh."
cell,
all is
^
Reeves, The Culdees of
6
Skene, Celtic Scotland, vol.
tlie
British Islands, as they appear in History, pp.
ii.,
pp. 251-264.
1, 2.