Datblygiad yr Eglwys Geltaidd Gristnogol | Development of the Celtic Christian Church
Datblygiad yr Eglwys Geltaidd Gristnogol | Development of the Celtic Christian Church
Yn y cenhedloedd cynnar rhwng 100 O.C. a 400 O.C. cyrhaeddodd gwahanol lwythi, y Deisi yn neilltuol, arfordir Gogledd Sir Benfro gan dreiddio’r wlad hyd at Sir Forgannwg. Yn dilyn ymadawiad y lluoedd Rhufeinig o Brydain goresgynwyd y rhan ddwyreiniol o Loegr gan yr Eingl, y Sacson a’r Jiwtad o gyfandir Ewrob, ac yn sgil pwysau ar y Brythoniaid brodorol symudodd nifer ohonynt i’r Gorllewin.
Tua’r un amser roedd neges y ffydd Gristnogol yn symud tura’r Gorllewin o’r Canoldir Dwyreiniol trwy Roeg a’r Eidal i Ffrainc a ffiniau Gorllewinol Ewrob. Hwyliodd cenhadon a’u dilwynwyr hyd y moroedd gorllewinol at Gernyw, Gorllewin Cymru ac Iwerddon ac ymhellach i’r Alban ac o amgylch arfordir yr Alban i Northumbria a Lindisfarne a thua’r De. Derbynnir hefyd fod gan rannau helaeth o Dde Lloegr Rhufeinig gymunedau Cristnogol. Yn ddiamau symudodd nifer o’r Cristnogion Prydeinig hyn tua’r Gorllewin gan ddwyn eu ffydd gyda nhw.
Danfonwyd Sant Padrig gan yr Esgob Germanus o Auxerre i sefydlu’r neges Gristnogol yn Iwerddon. Gwnaeth hyn rhwng 430 a 460 O.C. Does dim dwywaith nad oedd cymunedau Cristnogol cynnar yn bodoli mewn gwahanol rannau o Gymru fel Llandaf a Llancarfan ym Morgannwg, Llanbadarn yn y canoldir a Bangor yng ngogledd Cymru. Dewi Sant oedd arweinydd digamsyniol yr eglwys fore Geltaidd yng Ngorllewin Cymru, a tharddiad yr Eglwys Gadeiriol Normanaidd a welir heddiw yn Nhy Ddewi.
Dethlir gweithgaredd Dewi nid yn unig yn yr Eglwys Gadeiriol ond hefyd gan y 52 o eglwysi a gysegrwyd i’w enw ar draws de Cymru. Cysegrwyd nifer o eglwysi eraill i rai o ddilynwyr Dewi.
Gellir olrhain rhai o’r eglwysi cynnar a chanolfannau crefyddol hyn wrth y mynwentydd crwn a welir mewn gwahanol ardaloedd o Gymru gyda nifer ohonynt yng ngogledd Sir Benfro. Ceir arwydddion o’r math hwn o fynwent yn Nhremarchog.
Mae’r ddamcaniaeth hon yn cael ei hatgyfnerthu gan garreg a welir heddiw yn eglwys Tremarchog a’r llythrennau canlynol arni:
“TUNCCETACE UXSOR DAARI HIC IACIT”
(Yma y gorwedd Tunccetace gwraig Darius}
Mae pwysigrwydd y garreg hon yn deillio o’r geiriau olaf ‘Hic Iacet) neu ‘yma gorwedd’. Mae’r geiriau Lladin hyn yn tarddu o Ogledd yr Eidal o’r cyfnod 350 O.C. Lledodd y geiriau hyn drwy’r byd Cristnogol cynnar gyda nifer ohonynt i’w gweld yng Ngorllewin Cymru. Mewn geiriau eraill defnyddiwyd y garreg hon yn wreiddiol ar gyfer angladd Gristnogol Tunccetace fe dybir rywle rhwng 600 a 650 O.C.
Mae’r garreg hon a dwy garreg a symudwyd o fferm Llandridian wedi’u disgrifio yng nghofnod 1925 o Henebion Sir Benfro. Fe’u disgrifiwyd gan Edward Llwyd ar ddiwedd yr ail ganrif ar bymtheg. Yn 1690 darganfuwyd carreg ‘Hic iacet’ gan Edward Llwyd ei hun a ddaeth yn ddiweddarach yn geidwad Amgueddfa’r Ashmolean yn Rhydychen. Darganfu Edward Llwyd y garreg yn eglwys Llanddewi Brefi yng ngogledd Ceredigion. Yn hanes Dewi Sant ceir son am ei ymweliad gyda Llanddewi Brefi a’r anerchiad i’w gynulleidfa ar wahanol esboniadau o’r Gyfraith Gristnogol a Chredo Pelagus ar ddysgeidiaeth y pechod gwreiddiol a wrthodwyd gan nifer o Gristnogion cynnar.
Ar y garreg a ddarganfuwyd gan Edward Llwyd yn ddwy ran roedd y geiriau
‘Hic iacet Irdnet filius Jacobi qui occusit fuit propter predam Sancti David.’ O’i gyfieithu mae’n cyfeirio at farwolaeth Irdnet mab Jacob a gollodd ei fywyd yn amddiffyn eiddo Dewi Sant. Mae’n debygol mai’r garreg hon o’r 7fed ganrif yw’r unig dystiolaeth ysgrifenedig at Ddewi a’i waith cenhadol cynnar. Mae hefyd yn dangos fod Dewi yn cael ei ddisgrifio fel dyn sanctaidd erbyn y 7fed ganrif.
Felly mae’n debyg iawn fod cell Cristnogol cynnar yn bodoli yn y fynwent bresennol neu yn rhywle cyfagos. Ychydig iawn o wybodaeth sydd gennym o’r cyfnod hwn tan y goresgyniad Normanaidd yn Lloegr ac, yn hwyrach, Cymru. Rydym yn gwybod fod yr ardal o Dy Ddewi i Abergwaun yn rhan o Esgobaeth Ty Ddewi a rhoddwyd iddi’r enw Pebidiog. Cyfeiriwyd at yr ardal yn ddiweddarach fel Dewisland.
In the early centuries 100AD to 400AD, various groups of Irish peoples arrived at the north Pembrokeshire coast, notably the Dieisi tribe, and penetrated the area in some instances as far as present day Breconshire. After the withdrawal of Rome troops from Britain, the eastern part of present day England was subjected to numerous invasions of peoples from continental Europe, Angles, and Saxons and Jutes, all of which produced pressure on the original Brythonic peoples, who in many instances moved westward to escape the invasion.
At much the same time the Christian message and faith moved westwards out of the eastern Mediterranean through Greece and Italy into France and the western borders of Europe. Missionaries and their followers sailed up the western seas to Cornwall, west Wales and Ireland with further extensions to Scotland and around the coast of Scotland to Northumbria down to Lindisfarne and Jarrow and further south.
It is also recognised that substantial parts of southern Roman Britain had Christian communities. Undoubtedly many of these British Christian people moved westward bringing their faith with them.
St. Patrick was sent by Bishop Germanus of Auxerre to establish the Christian message in Ireland, which he did between AD 430 and 460. There were undoubtedly early Christian settlements in various parts of Wales, notably Llandaff, Llancarfan in present day Glamoganshire, Llanbadarn and Bangor in mid and north Wales. Undoubtedly the leading member of this early Celtic church in west Wales was Dewi or David, to become St. David, Dewi Sant, and the cause of the Norman Cathedral, which we see today.
David’s religious activity is celebrated not just in the Cathedral, but by the many churches dedicated to his name across south Wales, some 52 in all. David also had a number of followers who are also celebrated with various church dedications.
Some of these early churches and religious centres can be traced today from the mostly circular church yards found in various areas of Wales, with numerous examples in north Pembrokeshire. St. Nicholas with its elevated church yard today, has the hallmarks of an early Christian settlement.
This assumption is reinforced by the presence in the St. Nicholas church today of a burial stone on which the following letters are written:-
“TVNCCETACE VXSOR DAARI HIC IACIT
(TRANSLATED “Here Lies Tunccetace wife of Darius”).
The importance of this stone derives from the last words “Hic Iacet” or “Here Lies”. These Latin words originated in northern Italy around AD 350 and spread through the early Christian world with a number of examples in west Wales. In other words this stone was originally used for the Christian burial of Tunccetace and is probably dated somewhere between AD 600 and 650
This stone and 2 other stones moved from Llandridian farm are described in the 1925 Pembrokeshire Record of Ancient Monuments. The description was made by Edward Llwyd at the end of the 17th century. The details are shown in this record of Ancient Monuments.:
A similar “Hic Jacet” stone was found in 1690 by Edward Llwyd who later became the keeper of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. He found the stone in the church of Llanddewi Brefi in north Ceredigion. In the story of St. David is his visit to Llanddewi Brefi and his address to the assembled company which concerned the different interpretations of Christian law and the beliefs of Pelagius on the doctrine of original sin which many early Christians objected to.
This stone found by Edward Llwyd ,which was in two pieces, had an inscription which reads “Hic Iacet Irdnet filius Jacobi qui occusis fuit propter predam Sancti David”. Translated this refers to the burial of Irdnet son of Jacob, who lost his life protecting David’s property. This probably 7th century [600s AD] stone is the only written reference to David and his early Christian missionary activity”. It also shows that by the 7th century David is described as a “holy” or “saintly” person.
Thus, it is very likely that either at the present church yard or somewhere in close proximity existed an early Celtic Christian cell. From this period to the Norman invasion of England and subsequently Wales, we have very little information. We do know that the area from St. Davids to present day Fishguard was part of the property of the Bishop or Church Leader from St. David’s and was given the early name of Pebidiog. This was later referred to as Dewisland.