A protestant looking into St. Patrick—what’s up with that? I guess I’m curious about Patrick (Latin Patricius; Irish Padraig; c. 380-461 CE) because there is an actual historical figure lurking behind all the legends. Last year we posted on Padraig’s body armor, the famed breastplate prayer attributed to him. This year we turn to his Confessio, sometimes called the Declaration.
Historiography and Hagiography
When it comes to Padraig, we’re conditioned to think of a legendary figure who drove the snakes out of Ireland. This is the St. Patrick of blarney, the one popular with those who guzzle green beer in pubs each year on March 17. Yuck, thank goodness for Guinness.
I’m not interested in the St. Patrick of blarney, though it would be fun to visit that stone some day. I’m interested in the Padraig of history, who actually preached the gospel in Ireland, the one who is said to have used the shamrock to teach the doctrine of the Trinity to pagan nature-worshipers. The shamrock business may also be blarney, but at least it’s theological blarney.
“I am Patricius, a sinner, a simple country person, the least of all believers and looked down upon by many.”
Getting into the Confessio
What sort of writing is Padraig’s Confessio? The earliest copy we have dates to the 9th century but its rustic Latin is older, dating to the 4th or 5th centuries. Most scholars think the Confessio goes back to the historical Padraig. It’s hard to classify the Confessio, but I guess we should think of it as a rambling memoir of life and ministry. It repeatedly defends Padraig’s integrity as it tells of a crucified life. It’s a sort of farewell address, like the apostle Paul’s in Acts 20 and 2 Timothy.
The Confessio recounts Padraig’s traumatic kidnapping and enslavement in Ireland, and how God called him to faith and freedom in Britain only to summon him back to Ireland again to preach Christ. It speaks of persecution by both pagan kings and churchmen. It tells of thousands of baptisms and lives dedicated to the service of Christ. It recounts that Padraig, like Moses, always thought of himself as lacking in eloquence.
A google search yields several English translations of the Confessio. I like this one—it’s contemporary and it arranges the text into 62 paragraphs. I encourage you to read the Confessio. You can probably do it in 30 minutes or less, but I’d advise going slower and reflecting on its message.
Getting Something out of the Confessio
Padraig’s Confessio is both cautionary and encouraging. Here are a few of its features that stuck with me:
- Knowing the Bible is vital for ministry. Padraig constantly recalls Scriptures as he writes, especially the prophets, the Gospels, and Paul’s letters. He affirms the Trinity early on in the Confessio and speaks clearly of the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in his life.
- Being raised in the church doesn’t make you a Christian. Padraig’s father was a deacon and his grandfather a priest, but he didn’t come to faith until he was kidnapped and enslaved in Ireland. Those near the means of grace don’t always experience the end of grace.
- Experiencing disaster doesn’t make you a failure. Padraig’s 6-year enslavement brought him to repentance and faith. His weaknesses and opponents kept him near the cross and focused his mind on the power of Jesus’ resurrection..
- Having success in life and ministry shouldn’t make you proud. Padraig’s humility is clear throughout the Confessio, literally from the first sentence to the last.
- Looking back over a lifetime of ministry isn’t prideful. Like the apostle Paul, as he neared the end of his earthly life Padraig could reflect on good times and bad in a wholesome way that gave God all the glory.
- Learning about exemplary Christians and following their example is healthy. We need to see how the gospel message is embodied in the lives of faithful followers of Jesus. We can do this wisely without becoming hero-worshipers like the Corinthians (1 Cor 3-4).
So Why Bother with Padraig?
Larry Norman once asked “Why should the devil have all the good music?” Whether we agree with Larry about the use of rock music to praise God or not, we can ask a similar question about Padraig: Why should we let the world pretend that remembering St. Patrick is about getting drunk on March 17 every year?
Today more than ever we need positive role models like the humble, plain-spoken Padraig, whom God used to bring thousands of Irish people to Christ (Phil 2:25-30). Let’s get to know the real Padraig through his Confessio, and let’s get the word out about the man who wrote “So I’ll never stop giving thanks to my God, who kept me faithful in the time of my temptation. I can today with confidence offer my soul to Christ my Lord as a living victim” (Rom 12:1).
Padraig concluded his Confessio with these words:
I pray for those who believe in and have reverence for God. Some of them may happen to inspect or come upon this writing which Patrick, a sinner without learning, wrote in Ireland. May none of them ever say that whatever little I did or made known to please God was done in ignorance. Instead, you can judge and believe in all truth that it was a gift of God. This is my confession before I die.
• • • • • • •
Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith. (Hebrews 13:7 NLT)
• • • • • • •
Collect of the Day: Patrick, Bishop and Apostle to the Irish, 461
Almighty and everlasting God, you called your servant Patrick to preach the Gospel to the Irish people: Raise up in this and every land evangelists and heralds of your kingdom, that your Church may proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
For Further Thought:
Here is a site dedicated to the Confessio with many helpful resources about Padraig.
From the Díseart Centre of Irish Spirituality and Culture in Dingle comes this helpful overview that distinguishes between the mythical St. Patrick and the historical Padraig.
Christopher Laws writes here about Padraig’s context, focusing on the Confessio and providing resources for further reading.
The only thing I will challenge you on about your blog is that I believe Patrick was only a saint in the same sense as you and I are.
Greetings Marcellus. I’m always up for a challenge but what did I say that made you think I would disagree with what you said?
OK, I’ll keep going. As a protestant I believe in the priesthood and sainthood of all believers. I don’t hold to remarkable individuals being formally canonized as saints who receive veneration as intercessors with God and Jesus. As I understand it, popes didn’t begin doing that until the 10th century. You can get the picture here: https://www.britannica.com/topic/canonization
On the other hand (you knew this was coming), I think it’s proper for us to
recognize people whose faithful stewardship of God’s gifts has been especially blessed. We should recognize and honor such people, beginning with Jesus’ inner circle—his mother and apostles. We need such folks as role models whose lives embody biblical truth and teach us by example.
Excellent post, Dr. Turner! I actually climbed to the top of Blarney Castle and kissed the stone in 2010. I highly recommend it, although people would disagree with the practice these days, I suppose. And it always makes me sad when people celebrate this saint’s feast day by getting hammered. Patrick did confess a serious sin to a peer early on. No one knows what it was, but it was serious enough that it almost cost him his ministry in Ireland years later, when the peer repeated it to the higher ups. If he had that caliber of repentance, to confess a sin and never return to it, I would say he was a saint. But I run in different circles these days. 😉 Thank you for this well-researched, necessary reminder!
Good to hear from you again Jeremy. Yep, getting hammered is bad, period, whether you use St. Patrick as an excuse or not. Arthur Guinness brewed his famous Stout partially to keep people from getting hammered by gin.
From what I gather from Confessio 26-30, Padraig’s sin to which you refer was brief and occurred when he was only 15 years old, before his kidnapping and enslavement. He later told his “friend” about it and was betrayed, evidently to hinder his ministry. He says he grieved more for his betrayer than for the sin.
From the video on the website, kissing the Blarney stone requires a bit of gymnastic dexterity. Not sure I’m up to that if I ever get there.
Email me and let me know about your current circles!
It’s not that bad. The middle of the castle is fallen in. You climb stairs along the outside walls, and the top tier is reinforced. Mac just sort of leans you upside down, and you kiss cold block (the Blarney Stone itself is not that glamorous). Of course, what would your trip be without a souvenir? A camera mounted above the stone snaps your picture, which suckers like me purchase back down at the gift shop. I still put my foot in my mouth all of the time, so I never got the gift of gab. I’m only 18% Irish, but I have always been fascinated with the country and the man who did so much to spread the Gospel there. I need to go back!
Yep, I saw the video at the Blarney stone site. They even have a person sanitize it between smooches. I’m Welch; wonder if Padraig lived in Wales before he was kidnapped?
I read the confessio and was struck by his self depreciation. I am curious as to why legend regarding snakes grew up around him. I was led to understand that the way the USA celebrates st. Patrick’s day is very different from where it is observed elsewhere
Hi Leslie, good to hear from you. Re St. Paddy’s day (as we used to call it where I grew up), there’s a good summary of it’s origin, history, and ways of celebration at https://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/history-of-st-patricks-day
You’re right, his humility permeates the Confessio. He got the gospel of God’s grace to us sinners. He says he was neither learned or eloquent and he took no credit for his success. I wonder if he thought much about 1 Corinthians 1:!8-32.
Scientists say there’s never been snakes in Ireland, at least since glacial times. I think legends of Padraig banishing the snakes go back to the temptation of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. Christians often take Gen 3:16 as a veiled prophecy of Jesus. Romans 16:17-20 subtly echoes some bits of Gen 3. The legend of banishing snakes would be a picture of the power of the gospel, maybe even a symbol of Christianity overcoming the nature-worshiping Druids.
I went back and read the prior year post and thus answered some of my queries but another question arose. Why is he called Saint Patrick if he was never canonized. And why does the church recognize him as such.
I’m not a student of Roman Catholicism but I gather that the popes did not formally canonize saints until the 10th century. Before then, I guess noteworthy people were sometimes regarded as saints by growing popular acclamation. I think it’s fine to honor noteworthy people and learn from their example, whether in the church or not, but I would draw the line at praying to saints as intercessors to God. As you may know, Paul’s letters often address the entire church as saints. Both Old and New Testaments use the word in the plural to describe God’s people generically as those who have been set apart to follow him. Saints means “holy ones.” The word occurs only once in the singular in the Bible, in Phil 4:21, with the word “every” in front of it, referring to every believer.
Good one, Dr. Turner
Thanks David. I couldn’t agree with you more.
Cheers to St Patrick,
I had to read his confessio twice to let it sink in. I found it fascinating to read about a child of God from the churches history expressing his faith for others to learn from. I would be very interested in reading other confessio’s of people throughout all the centuries including early church history. I have studied a limited amount of the early church father’s expounding on certain apostles doctrine. I would not consider it a waste of time to study this further.
Thank You David
Good to hear from you Tim. Slainte Padraig! Check out the links at the end of the post to learn more about the Confessio.
You might be interested in reading the Didache (Greek for “Teaching”). It’s the earliest document we have from the church, probably from the second century. It shows us how early Christians (some of them at least) understood Jesus’ and the apostles’ teaching. If you google Didache, you can find out more about it and read an English translation at several Catholic and Orthodox websites.
Dr. David, well done. The Confessio reads right out of the book of the Acts of the Apostles, and a robust outline from 2 Corinthians 11, or maybe an Epistle to the Irish. Might I dare suggest every seminarian (protestants indeed) read Padraig’s confession, create an outline from it and in the spirit of the ancient missionary, write their own. Then they can begin to compose their doctrinal statement for ordination.
Great to hear from you Doug. When Padraig begins to recount his ministry, especially his difficulties, he sounds very much like the apostle Paul.
David
Thank you for this info on Padraig. What a humble man of God. Also an example that no one is beyond the power and grace of God. An inspiration to all of us of how God can transform and use us to accomplish His will.
I ordered a copy of “The Confession” in book form from SAGOM Press, and finally sat down and read through it. I had a few random thoughts while reading this beautiful work. First, at the time Patrick wrote this, there was no division in the church. The Roman Catholics and Orthodox would not split for another 600 years, and Martin Luther was 1100 years out on the horizon. There was one church, one body. How cool would that be?! Second, Patrick’s writing shows us that he believed that the Gospel had “been preached to the ends of the earth.” 1600 years later, we are still trying to accomplish this. Third, whatever Scripture he had access to, it was not organized as our current Bibles are today. He clearly knows it well, but the closest he comes to citing anything is his mention of Osee, which, I assume, we would take to be a reference to Hosea. And finally, because I just have to poke the bear a little, what do you make of Patrick crying out to Elias when he felt the heaviness of a stone upon him while sleeping? It almost seems like he asked the Prophet for intercession, and was aided as a result. Hmmm.