The Confession of Saint Patrick

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! For some that means green beer, pins with the message "kiss me, I'm Irish," jigs, happy Celtic music, and the wearin' o' the green. And what do you think of when you think of Saint Patrick? Ireland, without a doubt. He gets credit for chasing the snakes out of the Emerald Isle, but it is unlikely that snakes ever lived there. Some people know about the story of him using the shamrock to explain the Trinity, but not much more.

Most of what we know about Patrick comes from second or third-hand reports and legends that grew up over the years, but there are two important writings that are directly attributed to him. One is "A Letter to Coroticus," addressing the soldiers under this man who raided some of Patrick's converts, a scathing complaint lodged against such raids. The other is "The Confession of Patrick," an autobiography that he wrote in Latin near the time of his death. Most of what we actually know about Patrick comes from his confession. What is remarkable is his humility, devotion, love for God, desire to serve God and the Irish people. To commemorate this day of Saint Patrick, I feel like the best words are those of the man himself; well, a translation from Latin to English thanks to Ludwig Bieler. The following is just a small portion from the beginning, but hopefully it will inspire you as you read it. I chose it not so much for the historical content, but for insight into the beliefs and faith of a true servant of God.

...I was then about sixteen years of age. I did not know the true God. I was taken into captivity to Ireland with many thousands of people---and deservedly so, because we turned away from God, and did not keep His commandments, and did not obey our priests, who used to remind us of our salvation. And the Lord brought over us the wrath of his anger and scattered us among many nations, even unto the utmost part of the earth, where now my littleness is placed among strangers.



And there the Lord opened the sense of my unbelief that I might at last remember my sins and be converted with all my heart to the Lord my God, who had regard for my abjection, and mercy on my youth and ignorance, and watched over me before I knew Him, and before I was able to distinguish between good and evil, and guarded me, and comforted me as would a father his son.


Hence I cannot be silent---nor, indeed, is it expedient---about the great benefits and the great grace which the lord has deigned to bestow upon me in the land of my captivity; for this we can give to God in return after having been chastened by Him, to exalt and praise His wonders before every nation that is anywhere under the heaven.


Because there is no other God, nor ever was, nor will be, than God the Father unbegotten, without beginning, from whom is all beginning, the Lord of the universe, as we have been taught; and His son Jesus Christ, whom we declare to have always been with the Father, spiritually and ineffably begotten by the Father before the beginning of the world, before all beginning; and by Him are made all things visible and invisible. He was made man, and, having defeated death, was received into heaven by the Father; and He hath given Him all power over all names in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess to Him that Jesus Christ is Lord and God, in whom we believe, and whose advent we expect soon to be, judge of the living and of the dead, who will render to every man according to his deeds; and He has poured forth upon us abundantly the Holy Spirit, the gift and pledge of immortality, who makes those who believe and obey sons of God and joint heirs with Christ; and Him do we confess and adore, one God in the Trinity of the Holy Name.


For He Himself has said through the Prophet: Call upon me in the day of thy trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. And again He says: It is honourable to reveal and confess the works of God.

{I invite you to read the whole translation at Episcopalnet or at Celtic Twilight, which contains both the Bieler translation and an older one (1905) by Rev. Dr. White of the Royal Irish Academy.}

Celtic Wisdom: Treasures from Ireland

It was a long wait for me before I could buy and read Celtic Wisdom: Treasures from Ireland. It was published in the UK a year before the United States release, and I saw a copy back in 2008 when I first met the author, Cindy Thomson. Finally, I was able to sit down to really enjoy this precious gem this past week. Well, the wait was long, but I feel like it was worth it.

Celtic Wisdom  wasn't exactly what I expected. For some reason I had it in my mind that this was a collection of quotes and sayings. There are many quotes, sayings, and traditional blessings scattered throughout the book, but those are just a small portion of it. And they are an important part, as are the wonderful photographs of Ireland that appear on nearly every other page. More properly, though, this is a brief history of Early Christianity in Ireland, a history that I was far more ignorant about than I realized. It begins with the three most important figures in Irish Christianity: Patrick, Brigid, and Columcille (also known as Columba). I thought I knew a fair amount about Patrick, but I was astounded at how much more is actually known about him. Brigid and Columcille were only names to me up until now, and it's a little embarrassing that someone who proudly tells people she has Irish ancestors would know so little about these heroes of Irish faith. After covering the top three, Cindy introduces us to several other people who were notable in the early Irish church. She also gives great insight to the culture of the time, a culture which seemed to be ready to accept true Christianity at a time when the Roman world was being overrun by pagan ideas  in that wave that plunged Europe into the Dark Ages.

What did I learn from this brief, 95 page package stuffed full of treasures? Plenty. I didn't realize the role Ireland played in preserving scripture and true Christianity during the Dark Ages; it was further isolated from the rest of Europe, even England, than I had considered. I learned that the monastic life in Ireland was a far cry from anywhere else, and that the Roman rules didn't apply. Did you know that there were married priests in Ireland? And women clergy? Neither did I. Many of us knew that Patrick was a missionary from England, but maybe others are as ignorant as I was of how Ireland then returned the favor, sending out missionaries to other countries to  re-introduce the fundamentals and truths of the Bible. Patrick's Confession  was a far larger and more important document than I knew before, and after reading the translated excerpts in Celtic Wisdom, I am determined to seek a translated copy of the whole thing. The whole culture of the early Irish Christians appears to be much closer to the New Testament church than I ever imagined. It was reassuring to know, yet it left a feeling of sadness as I wondered at the changes over time. But this can be said of the state of the church everywhere today.

Celtic Wisdom  is a rather scholarly work, complete with bibliography (as it should be). Since much of what is known of that time is based on oral tradition and legends, those are included. Often Cindy Thomson recounts  traditional stories and legends without any comment as to their veracity, leaving it to the reader to decide what to accept and what to take with a grain of salt. On occasion she offers plausible alternatives, as in the true origin of the legend that Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland. She also provides insight into the shamrock legend and the importance of Three in Old Ireland (I noted to myself that three has great significance throughout the Bible as well). Some of the legends I found amusing, but all of them lead to a better understanding to that early group of Christians.

I wish my printer was working so I could give you an idea of the pictures that grace this book. The publisher or editor chose them, not Cindy, but they do add significantly to the value (and, I suppose, to the price). For some reason, the publisher didn't write any information directly under the photos, so you have to look in the back of he book if you want to know what you're looking at. A minor flaw, and one that has no bearing on Mrs. Thomson's marvelous work.

Make Celtic Wisdom a part of your library, but leave it on the coffee table for others to pick up and enjoy as well. Only 95 pages--small, but that actually makes it more accessible for those of us who are always too hurried to sit down to a longer scholarly work. Well researched and enlightening, Celtic Wisdom  is a real treasure.

You can learn more about Cindy Thomson and her writings at her website, Cindy's Writing and her blog, Celtic Voices. She also has a page on Shoutlife and Facebook.

Celtic Wisdom should be available through most bookstores, Christian emphasis or otherwise. Online, you may order it through Christianbook (best price I found at $7.99), Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

Celtic Wisdom: Treasures from Ireland by Cindy Thomson

Publisher: Lion Hudson (www.lionhudson.com) (2008 UK printing; Sept., 2009 USA)

ISBN-10: 0745953255

ISBN-13: 978-0745953250

This review was completely unsolicited with no compensation given to me. I actually bought the book myself!

The Man Behind the Legend: Patrick of Ireland

St. Patrick's Day was originally a special day to honor a man through whom the Lord did an incredible work. Around the year 390, Patrick was born into a Christian family in Britain. At age 16, his village was raided by the Celts and he was captured and taken to Ireland where he was sold as a slave to one of the tribal chiefs. He eventually escaped from his captors and returned to Britain. Years later, Patrick had a dream in which he saw Irish children begging him to bring the gospel to them. He took this as a sign of God's calling, and, in 432, he returned as an ambassador of Christ to the very land from which he had once escaped.

Little is known about what happened next, but, just a few years later, most of Ireland had converted to Christianity. Close to 300 churches were established and roughly 120,000 people had been baptized as Christians. This work had an ongoing impact as Ireland became the major center for the translation and preservation of Scripture. There's no telling how many souls were eternally affected as a result of the work that God did through Patrick. Consequently, the church in Ireland decided to set aside the day of his birth, March 17, by tradition, in honor of his service for the kingdom.

Today in the United States, it has disintegrated into an excuse for drinking green beer and a lot of silliness. The leprechauns and all the "wearin' o' the green" is not problem, but it is sad to see the true testimony of Patrick, such as we know of it, lost even among Christians. Little is much in the hands of God. One slave boy was used to reach a nation for Jesus. What could He do with you or me if we let Him have complete control?