This book attempts to establish two main things: what it meant to be a good Christian in the earliest Lives of Sts. Brigit and Columba and the extent to which patristic and early Irish theology informs these texts. Ritari focuses on Cogitosus' Vita secunda Sanctae Brigidae, the anonymous Vita prima sanctae Brigidae, and Adomnán’s Vita Columbae. Ritari is interested not only in the ways ecclesiastics were implored to act, but in the laity as well, helping to round out the picture of the ideal Christian in Irish society. Following the work done on hagiographies by Marie Anne Mayeski, Patrick Geary, and in particular Thomas O'Loughlin, Ritari provides a valuable examination of the moral theology expressed in these Irish saints’ Lives and demonstrates the ways in which Catholic theology was preached through examples in these stories.
Chapter one, which serves as the introduction, is entitled "Model Christians and Hagiography." In it Ritari outlines her methodology of analyzing model behavior in the hagiographies as a window into the construction of proper lay behavior by churchmen. Focusing on the "mental universe" (10) created in the Lives of Brigit and Columba, and finding parallels in the patristic teachings, especially from Augustine and Gregory the Great, as well as in other hagiographical texts from the continent and Ireland, Ritari explores the values of the authors of these texts rather than the information provided about the actors in the texts. "By taking hagiography seriously as a form of theological writing, we get to appreciate the complexity of issues that can be discussed within the narratives and gain a fuller understanding of the authors' aims" (10). The chapter also contains a survey of the sources of the study and places them within the historical context of seventh-century Ireland.
Chapter two, "Holiness as Christian Life," is separated into main two sections, "Miracles of Heavenly Apparitions" and "Heavenly Life on Earth." In all, this chapter focuses on exposing the ways in which the authors construct the path to sanctity in the Lives. Specifically addressing the "vertical miracles" of the saint (30), that is, the ways in which the saint receives heavenly apparitions and is visited by angels, this section reveals the ways in which saints foretaste heavenly bliss on earth. Throughout this chapter, Ritari establishes the Irish definition of sanctity and aligns local holy men and women with biblical prophets and the apostles. Moreover, the author succeeds quite well in demonstrating the ways in which these saints embody hagiographical themes common throughout Christendom, especially evident in the stress on purity and virginity. The Irish saints are "beacons who show the way for others to follow by their virtues and faithfulness" (58). Throughout this chapter, as in others, Ritari cites the original Latin texts with English translations.
Chapter three, "Virtues of Good Christians," turns the discussion away from the celestial heights of saintly virtues, and focuses on models of good Christian behavior for saints, ecclesiastics, and the average person. This chapter also contains an adroit exposition of the roles of women in the pages of the Lives of these two saints, revealing not what women's lives were like per se, but rather the ideological constructs of women and "the practical exemplary value of the episodes where [women] feature" (81). Thus, following the lead of Julia Smith and other historians of the early medieval discourse on gender, Ritari brings the idealized women in the minds of churchmen into sharp relief and, again, considers how these images resonate in the Latin Fathers, especially Augustine of Hippo and Gregory the Great. Although the Lives of both saints present a generally positive view of women, they have some important differences, as Ritari shows. For example, Brigit and the women associated with her are represented as independent actors in direct interactions involving the saint. By contrast, Adomnán's Life of Columba shows women primarily as mothers and wives who never physically encounter St. Columba, revealing the author's generally monastic, male-centered worldview (102). This chapter also contains excellent tables detailing places in the Lives of both saints where women appear or are even alluded to, underscoring the value of this book, not only for its interpretive insights into the world of these fascinating Irish texts, but also for students and researchers using these texts for their own pursuits.
Chapter four addressed the "Antithesis of Good Christian Life," which, as the title implies, explores the way not to live. The bad life is revealed in the texts in stereotypical form in which good and bad people are clearly delineated. Building on Kim McCone's work examining Old Testament figures and medieval Irish Lives, Ritari uncovers the ways in which "negative examples in hagiography can be used to convey a moral message concerning the fitting behavior of Christians through the portrayal of its antithesis" (104). Through an exhaustive analysis of the vices shown in the various social groups of early medieval Ireland, the author shows how closely the teaching in the Lives mirrors the Latin Fathers in terms of the stressing of obedience, and highlights the rather prominent role of women presented as equally prone to the good life as their male counterparts. Thus, this chapter further illustrates how Ritari has done for these important works of early medieval Irish literature what Suzanne Wemple has done for the Frankish sources: she has brought the image of women to light alongside images of men and helped us look again at the constructions of gender in the early middle ages.
Chapters five and six, "Consequences of Actions in this Life," and "Posthumous Consequences of Actions," address how these hagiographies construct rewards and punishments within the world of the text. In these chapters we continue to see the close affinities with the Church Fathers. The section on this life focuses on the powers of penance in avoidance of punishments. In the Life of Columba, for example, Ritari reveals that the author places great emphasis on Psalm 50:19, as do Augustine and Gregory the Great, who identify it as revealing that humility and repentance are means for gaining God's forgiveness. Much of the rest of this chapter shows punishments meted out to those who do not follow this sound theological doctrine. The chapter on posthumous consequences of good and bad actions focuses on the many instances of characters getting their just desserts either in heaven or hell. Angels and demons are common in the Lives of both saints, though Ritari devotes much of the chapter on the Life of Columba. Perhaps one of the most important points raised in this chapter is that Adomnán's characterization of demonic activity is very close to that of Athanasius, particularly in the involvement of demons and the devil with the soul of the saint just after death (162-66). Ritari also argues convincingly that the Life of Columba reveals an Augustinian threefold division of souls in which some go straight to heaven or hell but the third have to be rescued from battling demons who want to take them to hell (167).
The final chapter, "How to be a Good Christian," serves as the conclusion to the book. Here, Ritari carefully, systematically and concisely reveals the overall importance of her work in demonstrating that "Irish authors operated within the same mental horizon as the patristic Fathers, reflecting their common understanding of Christian life and its goals" (182). At the same time, they fulfilled the needs of the Irish Christians within their own particular social milieu. Thus, these Lives are a vivid testimony of how Irish churchmen translated biblical and patristic teaching into their own unique Irish world. Ritari brings this complex but sometimes seamless fusion to life in this important work.
The book also provides five extremely useful tables that illustrate places in these saints’ Lives that refer to such topics as appearances of heavenly apparitions, the roles and physical presence of women, and the fate of individual souls taken to heaven or hell. It contains an adequate index and excellent bibliography. In all, this is an excellently written and argued book that should certainly be the logical starting point for anyone wanting to understand these two important early Irish hagiographies.