iiAWLOR — The Cathach of St. Columha. 315 



that it contained a text different from that which was then read in Ireland.' 

 That is only to say in other words that it was a copy of a portion of 

 St. Jerome's translation of the Scriptures. A biblical student like St. Columha 

 would hail with delight a rendering superior to the Old Latin to which he was 

 accustomed. And that the Old Latin was in common use in Ireland in 

 St. Columba's day, or even later, is evident. It is sufficient to recall the 

 pathetic story which tells us that on the last day of his life he wrote the 

 words, " Inquirentes autem Dominum non deficient omni bono " ; a rendering 

 of Ps. xxxiii. 11 which differs from all the Hieronymian versions, and agrees 

 exactly with the Old Latin printed by Sabatier. 



But if this explanation is accepted, we are obliged to take a further step. 

 The story implies that copies of St. Jerome's Vulgate were not easily 

 procured in Ireland. St. Finnian must have been one of a very few who had 

 command of a copy of that part of it which St. Columba transcribed. If we 

 were justified in accounting O'Donnell's story true, it might even be inferred 

 that the new version had recently been brought to Ireland, perhaps by 

 St. Finnian himself. 



Now of all this there is no direct hint in the story itself. It may be 

 doubted whether O'Donnell, or any one of those who, for, let us say, three 

 centuries before he wrote, passed on the tradition to him, had asked the 

 questions which I have suggested : I know that many modern students have 

 not done so. And it is yet more doubtful whether if these questions had 

 been proposed they could have answered them. Yet the story could not 

 have been invented by anyone who had not some conception of the reason 

 which impelled Columba to transcribe the book. It must have originated at 

 a time when men were well aware of the fact that a new version of the 

 Scripti^res had arrived in Ireland which differed from that which had hitherto 

 been in ordinary use. It comes at least from an age when the Vulgate and 

 the Old Latin were in circulation side by side. This in itself is a strong 

 argument for accepting it as a record of historical fact. 



Further, there is independent evidence that St. Finnian of Maghbile was, 

 in fact, the agent, or one of the agents, by whom St. Jerome's translation 

 became known in this country. Thus we read in the second Life of 

 St. Finnian, printed by Colgan,- that the saint visited Eome, and was received 

 with honour by Pope Pelagius, who presented him with various gifts. And 

 then the narrative proceeds : " Euangelia quoque, quae terra ilia nondum 



' It is not necessary to discuss the possibility that St. Finnian was the possessor of 

 one of the books of the Bible which were seance in Ireland. See J. Gwyun, "Liber 

 Ardmachanus," pp. cxxix, cxxxii f. 



2 Colgan, i. 638, § 2 f. 



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