(from the Anglican
Calendar)
Ninian is also called
Nynia, Ninias, Rigna, Trignan, Ninnidh, Ringan, Ninus, or Dinan. He was a Celt,
born in southern Scotland in about 360, and is regarded as the first major
preacher of the Gospel to the people living in Britain north of the Wall--that is,
living outside the territory that had been under Roman rule. He is said to have
studied in Rome (note that he is contemporary with Ambrose, Jerome, and
Augustine), but was chiefly influenced by his friendship with Martin of Tours,
with whom he spent some considerable time when he was returning from Italy to
Britain. It is probable that he named his headquarters in Galloway after
Martin's foundation in Gall. Martin had a monastery known as LOCO TEIAC, a
Latinized form of the Celtic LEUG TIGIAC. LEUG means "white,
shining," and TIG means "house" (a shanty, or SHAN-TIG, is an
old house). The suffix -AC means "little." Thus, Martin's monastery
had a name which in Celtic means "little white house." At about the
time of Martin's death in 397, Ninian built a church at Galloway, in southwest
Scotland. It was built of stone and plastered white, an unusual construction in
a land where almost all buildings were wood. He called it Candida Casa (White
House) or Whithorn, presumably after Martin's foundation at Tours. Archaeologists
have excavated and partially restored his church in this century. From his base
at Galloway, Ninian preached throughout southern Scotland, south of the
Grampian Mountains, and conducted preaching missions among the Picts of
Scotland, as far north as the Moray Firth, He also preached in the Solway
Plains and the Lake District of England. Like Patrick (a generation later) and
Columba (a century and a half later), he was a principal agent in preserving
the tradition of the old Romano-British Church and forming the character of
Celtic Christianity. Some historians think that the number and extent of his
conversions has been exaggerated, but throughout southern Scotland there are
many and widespread churches that bear his name, and have traditionally been
assumed to be congregations originally founded by him.
Our information about him
comes chiefly from Bede's History (Book 3, chapter 4), an anonymous eighth
century account, and a 12th century account by Aelred. Aelred is writing 700
years after the event, and is for that reason rejected as untrustworthy by many
critics. However, he claims to rely on an earlier account, "written by a
barbarian." This suggests that he may have had an authentic record by a
member of Ninian's community in Galloway.
See The Christian
Island, by Beram Saklatvala (J M Dent, London, 1969), plus standard
references.
