Isabel Elder’s Celt, Druid and Culdee provides a wonderful insight into the origins of the early church in Britain and how the similarities of these three groups made them ready to make Christ their Druid or teacher/master. A must-read to understand the New Age philosophy of today. Andrew Gray’s The Origin and Early History of Christianity in Britain—From Its Dawn to the Death of Augustine is fascinating and impacts Rebel as it lends some credence to some of Goodrich’s observations on Arthur and the church.
The oral traditions about Joseph of Arimathea and Avalon/Glastonbury are underscored by ancient place names and Roman, British, Irish, and church histories in books by Gray, Joyce, McNaught, and Taylor. They also provide a compelling case for the British church’s establishment in the first century by Jesus’s family and apostles. Books regarding the Davidic bloodlines preserved through Irish nobility that married into the major royal houses of western Europe, Britain in particular, include those of Allen, Capt, and Collins.
To separate magic from science from miracle, I found Charles Singer’s book one of the best I’ve read for clarification throughout history. Kieckhefer’s is also an excellent historical resource for medieval customs, superstitions, and medicine and their darker side as well.
I do not advocate the practices featured in Buckland’s book on witchcraft, although reading it has helped me develop a clearer understanding of where much New Age thought comes from, that I might more effectively witness to the similarities and differences in the future in my case for Christ. After reading the above and more on my magic/miracle/science research, I found the scriptural perspective in Rory Roybal’s Miracles or Magic? Discerning the Works of God in Today’s World reassuring and spiritually grounding. And, of course, enough can’t be said of the King James Bible referred to throughout Rebel.
Arthurian Works
Barber, Richard. The Figure of Arthur. New York: Dorset Press, 1972.
Blake, Steve, and Scott Lloyd. Pendragon: The Definitive Account of the Origins of Arthur. Guilford, CT: The Lyons Press, 2002.
Carroll, David F. Arturius: A Quest for Camelot. Goxhill, Lincolnshire, UK: D. F. Carroll, 1996.
De Boron, Robert. Merlin and the Grail: Joseph of Arimathea, Merlin, Perceval. Translated by Nigel Bryant. Rochester, NY: D. S. Brewer, 2005.
Goodrich, Norma Lorre. Guinevere. New York: HarperCollins, 1991.
_____. The Holy Grail. New York: HarperCollins, 1993.
_____. King Arthur. New York: Harper and Row, 1986.
_____. Merlin. New York: Harper and Row, 1988.
Holmes, Michael. King Arthur: A Military History. New York: Blandford Press, 1998.
Reno, Frank. Historic Figures of the Arthurian Era. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2000.
Skene, W. F. Edited by Derek Bryce Arthur and the Britons in Wales and Scotland. Dyfed, UK: Llanerch Enterprises, 1988.
Church History
Allen, J. H. Judah’s Sceptre and Joseph’s Birthright. Merrimac, MA: Destiny Publishers, 1902.
Capt, E. Raymond. The Traditions of Glastonbury. Thousand Oaks, CA: Artisan Press, 1983.
_____. Missing Links Discovered in Assyrian Tablets: Study of the Assyrian Tables of Israel. Thousand Oaks, CA: Artisan Sales, 1983.
Collins, Stephen. The “Lost” Ten Tribes of Israel … Found! Boring, OR: CPA Books, 1995.
Elder, Isabel Hill. Celt, Druid and Culdee. London: Covenant Publishing Company, 1973.
Gardner, Laurence. Bloodline of the Holy Grail: The Hidden Lineage of Jesus Revealed. New York: Thorsons/Element, 1996. (Used for tracing Jesus’s family members/apostles, not His sometimes alleged direct bloodline.)
Gray, Andrew. The Origin and Early History of Christianity in Britain—From Its Dawn to the Death of Augustine. New York: James Pott & Co., 1897.
Joyce, Timothy. Celtic Christianity: A Sacred Tradition, a Vision of Hope. New York: Orbis Books, 1998.
Larson, Rick. “The Star of Bethlehem.” Accessed January 1, 2008. www.BethlehemStar.com.
MacNaught, J. C. The Celtic Church and the See of Peter. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1927.
Taylor, Gladys. Our Neglected Heritage: The Early Church. London: The Covenant Publishing Company, 1969.
General History
Adamnan of Iona. Life of St. Columba. Translated by Richard Sharpe. New York: Penguin Books, 1995.
Alcock, Leslie. Arthur’s Britain. New York: Penguin Books, 1971.
_____. Kings and Warriors, Craftsmen and Priests in Northern Britain AD 550–850. Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 2003.
Armit, Ian. Celtic Scotland. London: B. T. Batsford, Ltd., 2005.
Ashe, Geoffrey. A Guidebook to Arthurian Britain. London: Aquarian Press, 1983.
Cummins, W. A. The Age of the Picts. USA: Barnes and Noble Books, 1995.
Ellis, Peter Berresford. Celt and Saxon: The Struggle for Britain, AD 410–937. London: Constable, 1993.
Evans, Stephen. The Lords of Battle. Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 1997. (Excellent resource for the life of a warlord and his men.)
Fraser, James. From Caledonia to Pictland: Scotland to 795. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2009.
Hartley, Dorothy. Lost Country Life. New York: Random House, 1979. (A wonderful look at rural life in Britain by the season.)
Hodgkin, R. H. A History of the Anglo-Saxons. Vol. 1. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1935.
Hughes, David. The British Chronicles, Book One. Westminster, MD: Heritage Books, 2007.
Johnson, Stephen. Later Roman Britain: Britain before the Conquest. New York: Charles Scribner & Sons, 1980.
Laing, Lloyd and Jenny. The Picts and the Scots. Stroud, UK: Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd., 1993.
Lowe, Chris. Angels, Fools, and Tyrants—Britons and Anglo-Saxons in Southern Scotland, AD 450-750. Edinburgh: Cannongate Press, 1999. (Excellent illustrations.)
Marsden, John. Alba of the Ravens: In Search of the Celtic Kingdom of the Scots. London: Constable and Co. Ltd., 1988.
Marsh, Henry. Dark Age Britain: Some Sources of History. New York: Dorset Press, 1987.
Martin-Clarke, D. Elizabeth. Culture in Early Anglo-Saxon England. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1947.
McHardy, Stuart. A New History of the Picts. Cornwall: MPG Books Ltd., 2010.
Palgrave, Sir Francis. History of the Anglo-Saxons. New York: Dorset Press, 1989.
Skene, W. F. Chronicles of the Picts, Chronicles of the Scots, and Other Early Memorials of Scottish History. Edinburgh: H. M. General Register House, 1867.
Snyder, Christopher. The Britons. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2003.
Smyth, Alfred P. Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland, AD 80–1000. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1989.
Magic, Miracle, and Science of the Dark Ages
Buckland, Raymond. Scottish Witchcraft: The History and Magick of the Picts. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1991.
Kieckhefer, Richard. Magic in the Middle Ages. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1989.
Roybal, Rory. Miracles or Magic? Discerning the Works of God in Today’s World. Longwood, FL: Xulon Press, 2005.
Singer, Charles. From Magic to Science: Essays on the Scientific Twilight. New York: Dover Publications, 1958.
Scripture References
Chapter Five
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God.—1 Corinthians 1:21
Chapter Seven
Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.—Luke 23:34
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.—2 Timothy 1:7
Chapter Eight
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:38–39
Chapter Twelve
All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.—Mat
thew 26:52
Chapter Seventeen
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?—Romans 8:31
A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.… But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.—Luke 10:30–34
Chapter Twenty-one
All things are possible to him that believeth.—Mark 9:23
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.—Isaiah 55:8
Chapter Twenty-four
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.—Mark 10:15
It is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.—Romans 12:19
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.—Matthew 11:28
Chapter Twenty-five
Let [her] kiss me with the kisses of [her] mouth: for [her] love is better than wine.—Song of Solomon 1:2
Chapter Twenty-six
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.—Matthew 5:9
Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, … thy habitation, … there shall no evil befall thee.—Psalm 91:9–10
Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.—Jeremiah 1:9
Chapter Twenty-seven
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.—Psalm 91:11
Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.—Mark 9:24
And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.—2 Kings 6:17
Chapter Twenty-eight
It is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.—Romans 12:19
And let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.—Isaiah 1:18–20
Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.—Romans 14:13
Chapter Twenty-nine
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.—Psalm 91:14
Epilogue
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.—Proverbs 1:7
About the Author
With an estimated million books in print, Linda Windsor is an award-winning author of thirty novels spanning secular historical and contemporary romances and romantic comedies and historical fiction for the inspiration market. Her switch to inspirational fiction in 1999 was more like Jonah going to Nineveh than a flash of enlightenment. Linda claims God pushed her, kicking and screaming all the way. In retrospect, the author can see how God prepared her for His writing in her early publishing years and then claimed not just her music but also her writing when she was ready. At that point He brushed away all her reservations regarding inspirational fiction, and she took the leap of faith. Linda has never looked back.
While all of Linda’s inspirational novels have been recognized with awards and rave reviews in both the ABA and CBA markets, she is most blessed by the 2002 Christy finalist award for Riona and the numerous National Readers Choice Awards for Best Inspirational that her historicals and contemporaries have won. Riona actually astonished everyone when it won against the worldly competition in the RWA Laurel Wreath’s Best Foreign Historical category.
To Linda’s delight, Maire, Book One of the Fires of Gleannmara Irish Celtic series, was rereleased by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers with a gorgeous new warrior-queen cover in 2009. Christy finalist Riona and its sequel, Deirdre, are now available with print on demand through standard and Internet booksellers. Her most recent works include Healer and Thief, the first two books in the Brides of Alba series with David C Cook.
Another of her novels, For Pete’s Sake, Book Two in the Piper Cove Chronicles, is the winner of the Golden Quill; finalist in the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, Colorado RWA 2009 Award of Excellence, and Holt Medallion Avon Inspire in 2008; and winner of the Best Book of 2008 Award—Inspirational (Long & Short Reviews). It also won the 2009 National Reader’s Choice Award—Best Inspirational and Best Book of the Year—Inspirational (Romance Reviews Today).
Linda’s research for the early Celtic Fires of Gleannmara series resulted in a personal mission dear to her heart: to provide Christians with an effective witness to reach their New Age and unbelieving family and friends. Her goal continues with the Brides of Alba series, which reveals early church history, much of which has been lost or neglected due to intentional and/or inadvertent error by its chroniclers. This knowledge of early church history enabled Linda to reach her daughter, who became involved in Wicca after being stalked and assaulted in college and blamed the God of her childhood faith—a witness that continues to others at medieval fair signings or wherever these books take Linda.
Linda is convinced that, had her daughter known the struggle and witness of the early Christians beyond the apostles’ time and before Christianity earned a black name in the Crusades and Inquisition, she could not have been swayed. Nor would Linda herself have been lured away from her faith in Christ in college by a liberal agenda.
Linda’s testimony that Christ is her Druid (Master/Teacher) opens wary hearts wounded by harsh Christian condemnation. Admitted Wiccans and pagans have become intrigued by the tidbits of history and tradition pointing to how and why druids accepted Him. She not only sells these nonbelievers copies of her books, but she also outsells the occult titles surrounding her inspirational ones.
When Linda isn’t writing in the late eighteenth-century home that she and her late husband restored in Maryland,, she’s busy speaking and/or playing music for writing workshops, faith seminars, libraries, and civic and church groups. She and her husband were professional musicians and singers in their country and old rock-and-roll band, Homespun. She also plays organ for her little country church in the wildwood. Presently, she’s trying to work in some painting, wallpapering, and other house projects that are begging to be done. That is, when she’s not Red-Hatting or, better yet, playing mom-mom to her grandchildren—her favorite role in life.
Visit Linda Windsor at her website:
www.LindaWindsor.com
What people are saying about …
Rebel
“There’s nothing more romantic and enchanting than a novel set in sixth-century Scotland and penned by author Linda Windsor. Kella and Alyn’s tale in Rebel is no exception. Loaded with romance, adventure, treachery, and the mystical, this was my kind of read!”
Elizabeth Goddard, award-winning author of Oregon Outback
“Linda Windsor delights me every time I read one of her books, whether it be romantic contemporary or impeccably correct historical. In Rebel, Linda takes the reader to sixth-century Scotland, a place filled with intrigue, peril, and romance. I came away in awe of a master storyteller and inspired by the integrity, nobility, and courage displayed by the characters. Don’t miss this third and final book of the Brides of Alba series.”
Donita K. Paul, best-selling author of The DragonKeeper Chronicles and The Chiril Chronicles
“In a land filled with superstition and pagan beliefs, one man risks all to take a courageous stand for the one
true God. A story of faith, truth, and unconditional love, Rebel will leave you cheering. This is Linda Windsor at her best.”
Vickie McDonough, award-winning author of the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series and coauthor of The Texas Trails series
“Rebel is another wonderful story wonderfully told. I love the strength of the characters and the wonderful feel of the period. I’m sorry to see this series end.”
DeAnna Julie Dodson, author of In Honor Bound
“Linda Windsor has crafted another beautifully moving tale, painting it with unforgettable characters, breathtaking landscapes, inspiring faith, and enduring love. Rebel is an immensely satisfying conclusion to the Brides of Alba series.”
Tamara Leigh, author of Restless in Carolina and Dreamspell
www.davidccook.com
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