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Christianity or Solar Monotheism: The Early Religious Beliefs of St Patrick
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 February 2009
Extract
Any modern study of St Patrick must recognise the essential truth in Binchy's observation that while ‘ we certainly know a great deal about St Patrick the man and the servant of God… of the life and labours of Patrick, apart from a few data furnished almost by accident in the Confessio and Epistola, we know virtually nothing’.1 It might, however, be more positively phrased to the effect that while we do not know many facts about Patrick's life, we know a great deal about how he saw his life.
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References
I am indebted to Nicholas Brooks, Angus Buchanan, Peter Harper, Chris Wickham and Frances Young for their comments on earlier drafts of this paper. They are not responsible for any errors of fact or interpretation that remain.
1 Binchy, D. A., ‘Patrick and his biographers: ancient and modern’, Studio Hibemica 2 (1962), 7–123, at p. 39.Google Scholar
2 Confession et Lettre à Coroticus, ed. and trans, into French by Hanson, R. P. C., Paris 1978; The Works of St Patrick, trans.Google ScholarBieler, L. (Ancient Christian Writers 17), Westminster, MD 1953.Google Scholar
3 Charles, Thomas believes Patrick may have based his Confessio on an earlier set of replies to specific charges levelled against him by opponents within the British Church: Christianity in Roman Britain to AD 500, London 1981, 331–40.Google Scholar
4 Thompson, E. A., ‘Christianity and the northern barbarians’, in Momigliano, A. (ed.), The Conflict between Paganism and Christianity in the Fourth Century, Oxford 1963, 5 6–78.Google Scholar
5 ‘Deum enim uerum ignorabam et Hibernione in captiuitate adductus sum cum tot milia hominum secundum merita nostra, quia a Deo recessimus et praecepta eius non custodiuimus et sacerdotibus nostris non oboedientes fuimus, qui nostram salutem admonebant.’
6 ‘et Deum uiuum non credebam, neque ex infantia mea, sed in morte et in incredulitate mansi donee castigatus sum et in ueritate humiliatus sum a fame et nuditate, et cotidie.’
7 Confessio I.
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20 Confessio 18.
21 Ibid 17.
22 Ibid. 18–19.
23 ‘ Eadem uero nocte eram dormiens, et fortiter temptavit me Satanas, quod memorero quamdiu fuero in hoc corpore; et cecidit super me ueluti saxum ingens et nihil membrorum meorum praevalui. Sed unde mihi venit ignarum in spiritem ut Heliam vocarem Et inter haec uidi in caelum solem oriri et dum clamarem “Helia, Helia” uiribus meis, ecce splendor solis illius decidit super me et statim discussit a me omnem grauitudinem; et credo quod a Christo Domino meo subventus sum et Spiritus eius iamtune clamabat prome, et spero quod sic erit in die pressurae meae, sicut in evangelio inquit: in ilia die, Dominus testatur, non uos estis qui loquimini, sed Spiritus Patris uestri qui loquitur in uobis': Ibid 20.
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28 Thus Bieler, L., St Patrick and the Coming of Christianity, Dublin 1967, 56, interprets Patrick's cry as an appeal to Christ (Sol Salutis) whom Patrick had confused with the pagan Sol Invictus. This explanation, though certainly somewhere near the mark, assumes an unlikely degree of religious sophistication on Patrick's part.Google ScholarHanson, , Saint Patrick, 91, suggests that Patrick had confused Elijah with Helios, but this is subject to the same criticism that I have levelled at the explanations above, that Patrick was not sufficiently knowledgeable of Christianity to be confused by such details.Google Scholar
29 Liebeschuetz, J.H.W.G., Continuity and Change in Roman Religion, Oxford 1979, 283f.Google Scholar
30 Ibid 243. Lane, Fox expresses certain reservations: Pagans and Christians, 575.Google Scholar
31 This is explored by Liebeschuetz, , Continuity and Change.Google Scholar
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36 Confessio 59–.
37 Saint Patrick, 123.
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