In verse (14) our saint seems to allude to the special honour in which Saint Germanus of Auxerre was held in Ireland, perhaps on account of his close connection with our holy Apostle, Saint Patrick. Saint Colga invokes him along with some of the most distinguished saints of the early Church; and as if to mark the great labours of that apostolic man, the holy men with whom he joins him are all martyrs.
The honour to be shown to the monastic state is indicated by associating (15) with all the holy monks who made battle for thy sake throughout the whole world, the great names of Elias and Eliseus under the Old Law, and of John the Baptist, Paul, the first hermit, and Anthony, the first founder of the monastic state, in the New Testament.
In the next eight verses the prayer follows a chronological order: our Saint first invokes the early patriarchs: Abel, Seth, etc., to Jacob. He then calls upon the chosen of the written Law, including Moses, Josue, etc., and the chosen of the law of the Prophets—Elias, Eliseus, David, and Solomon. He then passes to the New Testament, begging the intercession of thine own holy Apostles, and all the saints to the end of the world. Saint James, "Frater Domini", is then mentioned as first bishop of Jerusalem, which was the earliest of the Churches; then follow all the holy bishops who founded the ecclesiastical city in Rome. After them mention is made of Mark the Evangelist, the founder of the Church of Alexandria. And then, as if to sum up under one heading the whole Church of Christ on Earth, and to indicate its chief foundation and corner-stone after our Lord Himself, our Saint, still addressing the Son of God, exclaims "I beseech the intercession with Thee of all the holy bishops who founded the ecclesiastical city, after them, with the Apostle Peter". Were it not for this special invocation of Saint Peter, it might seem strange that his name was omitted when invoking the holy bishops of the Church of Rome; but our Saint seems to wish to call upon him here, not in connection with any particular Church, but in his relation to the whole ecclesiastical edifice, the city of God, which is the Church.
In indicating the holy bishops who founded the ecclesiastical city in Rome, St. Colga follows the order of the Canon of the ancient Roman Liturgy: Linus, Cletus, Clement, showing by this the close connection of our ancient Church with the other churches of Europe, and especially with the Church of Rome. Whether this be really the chronological order, is (as all are aware) a vexata questio among ecclesiastical historians. Nearly all the monuments and authorities bearing on this point set down Saint Linus as the immediate successor of the Prince of the Apostles; and, although Saint Augustine (Epistola ad Generosum) and Saint Optatus of Milevi (Lib. 2, adv. Parmenianum, cap. 3) give Saint Clement as next in order to Saint Linus, still the weight of testimony is in favour of the order followed by our Saint. Eusebius (Hist. Eccles. lib. 3, cap. 16), says: "Per id tempus Clemens Romanam adhuc gubernabat Ecclesiam, qui post Paulum et Petrum Episcopalis illius dignitatis gradum obtinuit: Linus primus erat, secundus Anacletus". From the concurrent testimony of almost all the ancient writers, Saint Irenaeus, Eusebius, Saint Epiphanius, Saint Optatus, Saint Augustine, etc., Anacletus and Cletus were one and the same person. A confirmation of this ancient tradition, regarding the immediate successors of Saint Peter, has been found within the last three years in the excavations made by our indefatigable fellow-countryman, Father Mullooly, O.P., under the actual church of Saint Clement in Rome, of which he is prior. In one of the frescoes which adorned the old church over which the present basilica is raised, we find a picture of Saint Clement enthroned by Saint Peter. The apostle has one foot on the step of the throne upon which he is placing his disciple, while Saint Linus and Saint Cletus stand by, as if assisting at the installation of one who was their successor, as well as Saint Peter's. These paintings were executed in the ninth century, during the pontificate of Pope Nicholas I., of whom mention is made in another part of them. In this representation of the enthronement by Saint Peter of Saint Clement, although not his immediate successor, we seem to have a confirmation of Tertullian's assertion: That Saint Clement was consecrated bishop by the Prince of the Apostles. "Edant ergo", he says, speaking of the heretics of his day, "edant ergo origines Ecclesiarium suarum evolvant ordinem Episcoporum ita per successionis ab initio decurrentem, ut primus ille Episcopus aliquem et Apostolis, vel Apostolicis viris, qui tamen cum Apostolis perseveraverit, habuerit auctorem et antecessorem. Hoc enim modo Ecclesiae Apostolicae census suos deferunt, sicut Smyrnaeorum Ecclesia Polycarpum ab Joanne conlocatum refert, sicut Romanorum Clementem a Petro ordinatum itidem, perinde utique et ceterae exhibent, quos ab Apostolis in Episcopatu constitutos Apostolici seminis traduces habeant" (Lib. de Praescript. cap. 32). Linus, Cletus, and Clement were, therefore, the founders of the ecclesiastical city of Rome after Peter, and as such are invoked by our Saint; while Peter is the representative, the first of all the holy bishops who founded the Church throughout the world; the chief of that episcopacy, of which Saint Cyprian says: "Episcopatus unus est, cujus a singulis in solidum pars tenetur".
[THE SEE OF ARDAGH IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.]
We are indebted to the learned priest of the Roman Oratory, Father Theiner, for some valuable papers connected with the See of Ardagh in the sixteenth century, published in his recent work, "Vetera Monumenta Hibernorum et Scotorum historiam illustrantia" (typis Vaticanis, 1864), the more important on account of the general darkness which shrouds our Ecclesiastical history of that period, and of the inextricable confusion in which the succession of bishops in the See of Ardagh seemed hitherto involved.
During the first years of the century, this see was governed by Dr. William O'Farrell, who, together with the mitre, retained the hereditary chieftaincy of his family, and was styled by his contemporaries Bishop of Ardagh and Dynast of Annaly. The brief of his appointment to the episcopal see is dated the 4th of August, 1479 (ap. Theiner, pag. 486), and Ardagh is described as having been rendered vacant by the demise of John, his immediate predecessor. The new bishop is said to be descended from the ancient chieftains of that district, and he is styled Abbot of the Cistercian Monastery of St. Mary's of Lera, better known by its more modern name of Granard; he is, moreover, described as remarkable for his learning, piety, and every virtue which should adorn the episcopal character.
Dr. William O'Farrell governed the see of Ardagh for thirty-seven years, and died in 1516. The historian Ware, anxious to find room for two supposed bishops, viz.—Thomas O'Congalan, and Owen, who should have presided over this see between 1500 and 1510, asserted that Dr. O'Farrell resigned his see many years before his death. However, these two bishops never held the see of Ardagh; they were Bishops of Achonry, and the Latin name of that diocese, Achadensis, probably gave occasion to the error of the learned writer.