The Christian Origins of Saint Patrick’s Day, Essay Example

Introduction

When the name Saint Patrick is heard in America, it brings about images of green beer, drunken revelry, four-leafed clovers, pinching those that do not wear green, drinking songs, and all manner of faux-Irish imagery. Unfortunately, amidst all the holiday cheer and fun the message, origin, and purpose of Saint Patrick is lost on the masses. Saint Patrick’s Day transformed into a secular holiday in America, and specifically into a drinking holiday. Its early-church roots have been removed from the general celebration.

Lost are the great deeds of the historic Saint Patrick, which are confirmed in his own writings that survive to this day and by the writings of many church officials from his relative era. His selfless acts and tireless devotion to spreading Christianity are not celebrated, nor even recalled, on his namesake holiday. Rather than hold his actions in reverence, an exemplary example of an individual, those that claim to celebrate the holiday involve themselves in unrelated activities under the assumption that they are ‘Irish things to do.’ When celebrating, or remembering, Saint Patrick’s Day it is important to maintain the link to Christianity and not just use the day as an excuse to get drunk, put on a green outfit, and declare oneself Irish.

Who Was Saint Patrick?

A complicating factor in understanding the life and times of Saint Patrick is the troublesome chronology. The church’s annals and history scholars disagree on the timing of his life (Dumville, 1993, p. 282). The three main chronologies of that time period in Ireland are the “annalistic chronical,” the chronology presented by the Roman emperors, and the “formal” chronological structure (Dumville, 1993, p. 282). According to Dumville (1993), each of these chronologies vary around thirty years, starting at the earliest in 393 A. D. and ending at 497 A.D. at the latest (p. 283). Yet, due to Patrick’s own extant works and works written about him a few centuries later, much can still be gleaned from the historical record about his life.

Saint Patrick lived in the time of the failing Western Roman Empire, and he was, in fact, a Briton not native to Ireland (Thompson, 1999, p. xi). His identity is confirmed, more assuredly than some historical figures, because two works written in Latin and attributed to him still exist (Thompson, 1999, p. xi). Despite these two primary source documents, his writings are difficult to understand due to Saint Patrick’s colloquial use of Latin and his tendency to avoid “lucid exposition of facts” (Thompson, 1999, p. xv).

From Patrick’s small books, which are more letters than novels, a few details of his life can be established (Thompson, 1999, p. xii). They account his actions against a few Christians that killed some of their fellow Christians and enslaved those that survived the attack (Thompson, 1999, p. xii). Patrick excommunicates the perpetrators and secures the release of the enslaved (Thompson, 1999, p. xii). Thompson (1999), author of Who Was Saint Patrick, claims that Patrick then went on convert many other natives of Ireland and eventually became a bishop (p. xiii). According to Thompson, archeological evidence and the medieval writings on Saint Patrick are absent of crucial details (p. xiii).

The core of the church’s power was on the European continent, and not in the isles of Britannia, so knowledge of Saint Patrick’s efforts, and the efforts of others in Ireland, went unnoticed for centuries (Thompson, 1999, p. xiv). During, or shortly after, Patrick’s life the Western Roman Empire collapsed (Thompson, 1999, p. xiv). Thompson states that news of successful conversions in Ireland spread briefly in the fifth century, but true understanding of what Patrick, and others, had accomplished in Ireland was not written about until the late eight century; his writings did not reach the European mainland until the ninth century (p. xiv).

Oddly enough, his Irish compatriots nearly forgot him as well. According to Thompson (1999), all facts beyond the writings of Patrick himself were lost by the time a copy of his manuscripts were made sometime before 630 A.D. (p. xiv). Thompson (1999) infers that due to the lack of storytelling about Patrick in Ireland, at that point in time, and the lack of other testimonies of his work, that those in Ireland at that time did not understand Saint Patrick’s significance in the overall progress of Ireland from paganism to Christianity (p. xiv). Given this evidence, it is clear that forgetting Saint Patrick is not a new phenomenon.

From the hard evidence above it can be surmised that a historical figure attributable to Saint Patrick did exist. The common facts are that there were missionaries in Ireland at the time of Saint Patrick, and that territory being ministered to by the church under the deacon Palladius. Despite his virtually unknown status for centuries after his death, Saint Patrick became the Patron Saint of Ireland over time, but he was never officially canonized by the Catholic Church. Numerous legends popped up about Saint Patrick from him chasing all the snakes out of Ireland to him fasting for an impossible number of days. From his writing his historicity is confirmed, yet all later folklore about him is filled with myths and legends so it can easily be discounted. No snakes were harmed in the life of the true Saint Patrick. March 17^th in the seventeenth century Saint Patrick’s Day became an official holiday, and it is celebrated worldwide largely due to the Irish diaspora.

The Writings of Saint Patrick

Two surviving texts, The Confessioand the Epistola, are attributed to Saint Patrick. In the Confessio, henceforth The Confession, Saint Patrick announces himself as a sinner and explains his early life (Wright & Patrick, 1894, p. 46). Patrick states he was taken captive and taken to Ireland (Wright & Patrick, 1894, pgs. 46-47). He then proceeds to give his testimony and explain how he understands God and takes Christ to be his savior; afterward he remains humble and refers to his own writing as “drivel” (Wright & Patrick, 1894, pgs. 47-49). Clearly, this aspect of the faith and humility of Saint Patrick is completely lost in the modern celebrations of his namesake holiday.

In chapter two of his Confession, Saint Patrick (1894) gives thanks to God, via quoting a portion of 2 Thessalonians 2:16, for giving him the strength to bring Christianity to the Irish and to convert “so many thousands” (p. 52). He also thanks God for granting him favor in the land [Ireland] wherein he never expected any sort of warm reception (Wright & Patrick, 1894, pgs. 52-53). This passage sheds light on the sort of person Saint Patrick was, or at minimum, it informs as to his mindset and his concept of self.

Later in chapter two of his Confession, Saint Patrick describes his early life in Ireland wherein he used to feed cattle (Wright & Patrick, 1894, p. 53). Saint Patrick (1894) claims that he prayed and was imbued with holy strength that prevented him from feeling “harm” or “slothfulness” during his work in the cold and the rain, which he attributes to “the spirit” being within him (p. 53). Further on in the chapter, Saint Patrick (1894) claims he heard a voice, which complimented him on his fasting and told him that a ship would take him to his country (p. 53). Saint Patrick (1894) then recalls traveling through a “desert,” albeit a probably figurative one, and having scarce food and numerous troubles (pgs. 53-54). He closes out the chapter with his struggle with Satan after many days of starvation and a renewed faith after he emerged victorious in his internal struggle (Wright & Patrick, 1894, pgs. 54-55).

In chapter three, Saint Patrick (1894) recounts his second instance of being captured by the inhabitants of Ireland (p. 56). Saint Patrick (1894) claims that the Lord delivered a message to him that he would be with the captors for two months, and at the end of the sixtieth day in captivity the prophesy came true and he was freed (p. 56). After securing his freedom, whether by actual divine assistance or imagined, Saint Patrick finds himself back in the Britons with his family (Wright & Patrick, 1894, pgs. 56-57). He meets up with an “intimate friend” and recalls his early struggles with his faith and the many messages he received from God (Wright & Patrick, 1894, pgs. 57-60). Throughout the third chapter, his writings obscure what is real and what is intended to be allegorical.

At the opening of chapter four of the Confession, Saint Patrick (1894) struggles with the question of whether or not he should leave his parents, this time of his own device, to return to Ireland to preach (pgs. 61-62). In the true fashion of a saint, Patrick (1894) declares his willingness to die in service to God’s will, and he gives thanks for all of the many gifts that God bestowed upon him, despite all the many extraordinary difficulties that Patrick suffered through in the early years of his life (p. 62).

In the second half of chapter four, he justifies his choice by reiterating the lessons set by the apostles in the Gospels, specifically Matthew and Mark (Wright & Patrick, 1894, p. 63). Saint Patrick (1894) closes out chapter four by recounting another bit of internal turmoil wherein he desires to return to Britain, or even travel far south the Gallic lands, yet he steels himself and reminds himself that he is God’s servant and must assist in the conversion and baptism of the land of Ireland (pgs. 64-65).

Within the final chapter, chapter five, of the Confession, Saint Patrick (1894) shares more specific information about the conversion process in Ireland (p. 67). He recounts colleagues questioning his dedication to converting the locals, and quotes them as saying ‘Why dost that fellow put himself in danger among enemies who know not God?” (Wright & Patrick, 1894, p. 67). Saint Patrick (1894) encourages his fellow colleagues to work toward greater things (p. 67). He also describes how he traveled deep into lands previously untraveled by Roman citizens, and how he brought gifts to Irish kings and spoke with them (Wright & Patrick, 1894, pgs. 67-71). Throughout this final chapter, St. Patrick (1894) recounts his deeds and confirms that he is but a sinner writing his final confession (pgs. 68-72).

Many lessons can be learned from the Confession of Saint Patrick. The first of which, as aforementioned, is humility. While Saint Patrick does recount his extensive deeds in both successfully contacting the Irish tribes and their kings and converting many of them, he does not do so with a boastful tone. He also couches all of his descriptions with biblical quotes and credits all of his deeds and success to God.

Another lesson to be learned from the Confession of Saint Patrick is to avoid bemoaning being stuck in a poor situation. Unlike Hamlet, another youth stolen away at a young age, Saint Patrick does not whine and gnash his metaphoric teeth over his capture and subsequent enslavement. Instead, he finds strength in his faith and eventually secures his freedom, albeit he gives no specific information on how he secured said freedom.

A final lesson to be gleaned from the Confession of Saint Patrick is that all earthly things are possible through God. Countless times within the short work, he gives all credit to God and looks to God for both guidance and strength in troubled times. At no point does Saint Patrick take credit for his own deeds, nor does he claim that he could have accomplished them without divine guidance. He claims in his confession that he feels the Spirit throughout he life, doubly so in the most difficult times, and he even claims to hear a voice that he attributes to God himself. With few exceptions, these aspects of Saint Patrick are not often recognized during celebrations on his holiday, yet his confession and his account of the conversion of Ireland is just one aspect of the Saint.

Saint Patrick’s (1894) second book, the Epistola, or the Epistle to Corticus, is aimed at the soldiers responsible for the capture and deaths of Christians (p. 74). He reports that new converts to Christianity, shortly after their anointing ceremony, were killed by locals (Wright & Patrick, 1894, p. 74). Saint Patrick (1894) demands that the soldiers responsible do repentance for their crimes against the Irish Christians otherwise they will remain “alien” to him and also suffer eternal damnation (pgs. 74-75). He also reminds the soldiers responsible of the commandments they have broken, which implies that those responsible were Christian’s themselves or would know of the commandments that Saint Patrick spoke of, and chastises them for running afoul of God’s decrees (Wright & Patrick, 1894, pgs. 75-76). He closes out the short epistle by reminding the soldiers that they too were converted to Christianity and cannot be counted among the flock until they repent for their actions and free their Christian slaves from bondage (Wright & Patrick, 1894, pgs. 76-80).

Between the two short texts attributable to Saint Patrick, it is clear why his status as a saint has stood the test of time. He had all the necessary hallmarks of sainthood. He was pious, benevolent, and he dedicated his life’s work in service of the Lord. Furthermore, he spread Christianity into one of the harshest lands of Europe. He met with heavy resistance, as evidenced by his capture and by the pushback he received from the various tribes of Ireland. Despite the hardships of his early life, he remained in the clergy and in arguably the most difficult location in which to preach. Where others might have given up and headed back to the less wild and more Christianized Britannia, Saint Patrick stayed put in Ireland and got to work. The details of his life after the writing of the work are unclear, but what is clear is, from his writing in the Epistle to Corticus, is that while shaken he intended fully to continue doing as he had done before. Saint Patrick decried the actions of the soldiers that killed and enslaved their fellow Irish Christians, but the horrendous event did not deter him in the slightest. His mission, to serve God by Christianizing Ireland, was to be a lifelong struggle.

Saint Patrick’s legacy is clear, but what remains a mystery is how the celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day in modern times is neither religious, in most places, nor does it involve anything remotely related to the historic doings of Saint Patrick or any sort of remembrance of the best attributes of Christianity as exemplified by Saint Patrick himself. To understand the evolution, or devolution, of Saint Patrick’s Day, the history of the celebration itself must be explored.

The History of Saint Patrick’s Day

In The Wearing of the Green: A history of St. Patrick’s Day, Cronin and Adair refer to holidays that celebrate saints as “invented traditions” (2002, p. xxi), which seems to imply that both the classification of sainthood and the holidays surrounding celebrations of saints are created after the fact and do not naturally occur. While at first that notion might offend, it seems apt since most holidays naturally form around the day of significance that they arrive out of, for example the Battle of Puebla occurred on the fifth of May, so Cinco De Mayo is a non-invented holiday. In contrast, March 17 held no importance in Saint Patrick’s life according to official documents, albeit that day is the alleged day of his death according to tradition, so that particular date for that holiday did not occur naturally. A further example as to why Saint Patrick’s Day is possibly an “invented tradition” is that the holiday was not first celebrated until nearly thirteen centuries after Saint Patrick’s approximate date of death.

Another interesting fact that Cronin and Adair (2002) bring up is that Saint Patrick’s Day is more widely celebrated elsewhere, specifically in the United States, than in Ireland (p. xvi). That may be partly due to the unsure history of the day of celebration in Ireland. According to Cronin and Adair (2002) March 17 including in the Irish legal calendar as a saint’s day as early as 1607, but it took much longer for it to form into an official holiday focused around Saint Patrick himself (p. 1). By the time the holiday made it overseas, no doubt carried to new English-speaking lands by Irish indentured servants and immigrants, it had already achieved status as a holiday in the UK and Ireland. Cronin and Adair (2002) state that by the mid-seventeenth century Saint Patrick appeared on coins with a shamrock, which is now synonymous with the holiday (p. 2). Cronin and Adair (2002) offer a solid piece of evidence as to why the Irish diaspora tend to celebrate more than those in their native country: in Ireland Saint Patrick’s Day is a point of contention between the oft-embattled Anglican and Catholic factions (p. 6). A final reason for the celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day in America is the Irish immigrants’ role in the American War of Independence, wherein they made a name for themselves on the battlefield (Cronin & Adair, 2002, p. 10). The holiday grew in size and import as more Irish immigrants flocked their restrictive English-controlled homeland to the freer United States (Cronin & Adair, 2002, pgs. 10-12).

Conclusion

At present, all Americans, regardless of their nationality or religious affiliation, are welcomed to participate in Saint Patrick’s Day in the United States, and that should not be interpreted as a negative feature. Inclusiveness is most often a positive feature of any given organization. Yet, in the modern celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day, there is a void of both the historical and religious significance of Saint Patrick.

If the texts attributed to Saint Patrick are genuine and honestly reported by the author (i.e. Saint Patrick), which they seem to be, then he was not just an important figure in Irish religious history but one of the most important figures. Simply put, if the texts are legitimate, Saint Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland and spread it further than any of his predecessors. He did so, according to his writing, by allowing God to work through him and by keeping to the lessons of the Christ, the apostles, and the earlier prophets.

Saint Patrick was never officially canonized, which is common for many of the earlier saints, but he remained on the minds of believers long after his death. To date, he is one of the more recognizable saints, yet sadly he earns this via the drunken celebrations every March 17 and not from his accomplishments and lessons.

In the process of celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day on March 17, it would be a disservice to Saint Patrick’s life of service to God, for people to parade down the streets, drinking and singing songs, without a single thought to the sacrifices and efforts of this great man. He left a legacy of tireless servitude of a higher cause and a capacity for forgiveness that is not often seen on this earth. Each participant in a Saint Patrick’s Day celebration should spent a few quiet moments reflecting on the saint’s life and his message of God’s grace and capacity for forgiveness.

References

Cronin, M. & Adair, D. (2002). The Wearing of the Green: A history of St. Patrick’s Day. London: Routledge Press.

Dumville, D. (1993). Saint Patrick, A.D. 493-1993. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press.

Thompson, E. (1999). Who was Saint Patrick? Rochester, NY: Boydell Press.

Wright, C.H.H. & Patrick, S. (1894). The Writings of Saint Patrick: The Apostle of Ireland . Religious Tract Society, London.