SOURCE: Anderson, John D. “The Voyage of Brendan, an Irish Monastic Expedition to Discover the Wonders of God's World.” The American Benedictine Review 43, no. 3 (September 1992): 262-82.

In the following essay, Anderson discusses the monastic observance described in the Navigatio Brendani, a medieval narrative of a seven-year voyage.

Introduction

One of the most intriguing theological texts of the early Middle Ages, the Navigatio Brendani (Voyage of Brendan) explores the wonders of God's actions throughout creation. A seven-year sea voyage reveals a panorama of marvels drawn from natural phenomena, monastic communities, historical personages, and angels. Brought along on Brendan's journey, the reader experiences the magnalia Dei (wonderful acts of God) with him and his crew through the immediacy of narrative. The instructional power of experience is effectively harnessed in this early text as the reader confronts the strange and wondrous places Brendan encounters. The Navigatio Brendani shares some of the...