King Oswald Preached the Gospel and Died in Battle
Oswald, from a 13th-century manuscript.
Oswald came to his throne by a circuitous route. When enemies killed his father, the king of Northumbria, in the 610s, eleven-year-old Oswald fled to Scotland as a relative named Edwin seized the throne. Oswald took refuge with Columba's monks on the isle of Iona. The monks led him to Christ.
In 633 Penda, the pagan king of Mercia, killed King Edwin, leaving the throne to two of Edwin’s relatives. Both had claimed to be Christians, but both reverted to paganism. They were killed in quick succession, leaving the throne open for Oswald.
When he was thirty years old, King Oswald of Northumbria marched with a small army against Cadwallon of Wales, invader of Northumbria. On the eve of battle Oswald erected a cross, saying, “Let us now kneel down and together pray to the almighty and only true God that he will mercifully defend us from our enemy; for He knows that we fight in defense of our lives and country.”
While Oswald slept the night before his battle with Cadwallon, Columba of Iona supposedly appeared to him in a vision, assuring him that he would be victorious the next day. True enough, Oswald's little force defeated and killed Cadwallon.
For the next eight years, Oswald worked to make Northumbria a Christian nation. He restored order throughout its ravaged territory and brought over Aidan and some associates from Iona as missionaries to his people. Oswald translated for Aidan with the result that thousands of Northumbrians heard the gospel and became Christians. King Oswald and now-bishop Aidan freed many slaves. Churches sprang up across the land. Oswald gave the isle of Lindisfarne to Aidan and a famous monastery arose there. In the few years of his reign, Oswald gained preeminence over the other kings in the area we now call England.
The king was known for his charity. Once he gave a silver dish to the beggars at his gate. Aidan blessed Oswald for the deed, exclaiming, “May this hand never perish.” The hand was preserved after Oswald’s death, in fact, and was still in good condition 500 years later.
On this day, 5 August 642, Christians and pagans clashed in England. Penda was again the aggressor. Surrounded by his enemies, Oswald prayed one last prayer—asking for God’s mercy on the souls of his soldiers. Shortly afterward, he died in battle. Oswald was just thirty-eight when he fell to Penda. He is considered a martyr because he died defending a Christian nation.
—Dan Graves
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For more background to this story, read "Oswald and Aidan" in Christian History #72 How We Got Our History
