St. Patrick and the Early Church of Ireland
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SAINT PATRICK, AND THE EARLY CHURCH OF IRELAND. BY THE REV. WM. M. BLACKBURN, D.D., AUTHOR Of " WILLIAM PAML," "Aoino PALIARIO," ULRICH ZWINOU," ETC., Era I lIILADELPHIA: PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION, No. 821 CHESTNUT STREET. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by THE TRUSTEES OF TH PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION, In the Clerk s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. WJSSTOOTT * THOMSOK, Stereotype, Philada. CONTENTS. PREFACE. The Myth and the Man Book of Armagh Writings of Saint Patrick Evidences of Authenticity Other Ancient Authorities Modern Writers 7 CHAPTER I. HOME AND PAi Alc-lnyd Good Blood Potitus the Presbyter Calpurnius the Deacon, and Decurio Culdee Cells Conchessa First Missions in Scotland Ninian, a specimen 21 CHAPTER II. THE YOUNO CAPTIVE. a Saint- Patrick Baptized Foolish Legends The Lad not Pirates Patrick Sold in In-land T-iids the Cattle- Rough Days Remembers his Sins Turns to God His Religion CHAPTER III. THE ESCAPE. Dreams The Fugitive On Shipboard A Storm A Desert A Strange Spell Home Again Dreams of Ireland Will be a Missionary &4 3 4 CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. THE FAILURES OF PALLADIUS. Early Missions in Ireland Churches Celestine Interested Palladius Sent Not well Received Goes to Scotland His Disciples Servanus Ternanus 63 CHAPTER V. SIFTING THE LEGENDS. Germanus Stories of Patrick s Wanderings Climax of Fable Was Patrick ever at Rome ? Was he Sent forth by the Bishop of Rome ? Silence of Ancient Authors on the Question Sechnall Fiacc Prosper Bede Patrick Confounded with Palladius Silence of the Confession Roman Mission a Legend 75 CHAPTER VI. AMONG THE DATES. When did Patrick go to Ireland to Preach? Where Labour before he Went? Any ties with Germanus? Germanus and Lupus in Britain Glastonbury Movement in Ar- morica Patrick Goes to Ireland Young at Forty-five 96 CHAPTER VII. FIRST LABOURS OF PATRICK IN IRELAND. An Affrighted Herdsman A Wrathy Master Patrick not a Pirate Fury Calmed Preaching in a Barn A Church Rises Patrick s Visit to his Old Master Repulse Look ing toward Tarah The Young Benignus Patrick s Tent before Tarah... .. 110 CONTENTS. 6 CHAPTER VIII. THE DRUIDS. Cutt ng the Mistletoe Sacrifices Baal Sun-worship Druids Doctrines Priests Superstitions Holy Wells Charms Bel tine Fires Bards Scotch Plaids Irish Hos pitality Danger from the Druids 123 CHAPTER IX. SAINT PATRICK S ARMOUR. Great Feaat at Tarah King sees Patrick s Fire Tho Court on the Move Patrick in the Great Hall Preaching Duh- tach and Fiacc Listen The Hymn of Patrick 140 CHAPTER X. CAUSES OF SUCCESS. A Commanding Presence Conall Converted Mode of Teaching King s Daughters Doctrine of the Trinity of the Shamrock Treatment of JTf Lj>ygnd Superstition The Crora-cru:i k destroys the Great Idol Pagan Customs A-l.-pt. <! by Christians Centres of Influ ence Love of riniifcrin^- Enthusiasm Patrick s Ex tended Travels Daring Spirit Goes into Connaupht Robbed Y .:! Km 1 urn nn <--!:. -fn-a Is of Gifta Attention to i:.->l, of All Young Men mj>tion Captives done in the Name of the Lord Willing to be a Martyr Power of Prayer National F.T -y in Ireland Persecution Patrick s Charioteer dies in place of his Master The Leinster Men... 151 6 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XI. PATRICK S CREED. His Confession Tillemont s View of it The Doctrines in it Occasion of the Epistle to Coroticus Christian Captives Noble Appeal by Patrick An Embassy Scorned Doc trines of the Epistle 183 CHAPTER XII. THE CHURCH OF SAINT PATRICK. Theme of Controversy Students under Patrick Cell of Ciaran Culdee System of Schools Young Men ordained Bishops Fiacc made Bishop of Sletty Certain Conclu sions More Bishops than Churches Her Synods Glory of the Early Irish Church The Decline Invasions by Danes and English Henry II. delivers Ireland to the Pope Two Churches in Ireland Strange Reversions in History 196 CHAPTER XIII. LAST DAYS. Reform of the Laws Patrick s Purgatory Old Age Toiling to the Last St. Brigid Patrick dies Ireland in grief True Character... 220 "Litany of St. Patrick" Canonization PREFACE. " THERE is profit in guesses at truth," when they expose errors long and widely prevalent They are like links of circumstantial evidence, no one of them sinirry of much a positive value, but when joined and welded, they make chain not easily broken. They are probabilities, and, according to their degree of -tremrth. they afford convictions of certainty. I do not claim to set forth in this volume a series of events all of which are the undoubted verities of hi.-tory. I do claim that the statements are as near to the complete truth concerning the subject treated as it has been possible for me to exhibit them after long and labo rious research. t< title No r<uie.-^i..n i- made -iijier>titiini by giving the u of saint" to the man whose name has become so popular, and, after fourteen hundred \v:irs. i> .-till a> fresh as the hhamrurk and L lven :i< the emerald. Without the title he would hardly be identified or seen in his distinctive character. A good gospel word was abused when Rome f < hri.-ti:m< the of assumed to confer u]>on eminent honour being saints, and limited tlie term to them. By the New tment charter we may claim it for all true ChristUMM, however humble or unknown 7 PREFACE. Was there ever such a man as Saint Patrick ? It was wise to consider this question before attempting to write his life. By some it has been doubted, by a few others denied. But in such cases there has usually been a strong party feeling, or an ignorance of certain original sources of history. There is a distinction to be made between the myth and the man. has us a Robinson Crusoe the real man Imagination given ; was Alexander Selkirk. The Saint Patrick of the ordinary Irish heart is certainly very mythical. The portrait of him was drawn from the imagination ; colours are not those of the fifth, but those of the twelfth or fourteenth century. The deeds are manufactured to order and by the job, and the life is made of the baldest legends. This Patrick is a fully-developed Papist of the time, when certain errors pre vailed, which he could not have known in the fifth century. He is constantly working miracles, some of them very trifling, and some of them astounding, beyond all that was ever recorded of a mere man. For his especial benefit divine revelations are made to him, which cause a greater amazement than any ever made to Moses or Paul. He is too wonderful to be real. The myth business was entirely overdone. The manufacturers did not perceive that com mon sense might some time be restored to the human race. In the Middle Ages "it was customary with the monks to exercise their scholars in writing the lives of imaginary saints that it a ; asserting was pious and very improving way of exercising the imagination ! ! The best of these fanciful were laid aside biographies for future use ; and after the lapse of a few ages, when their statements could not be disproved, were produced and published as genuine. PREFACE. 9 It is said the monks of Holywell applied to De Stone, a writer of the thirteenth century, to write for them the life of their patron saint. He asked for materials, but on being informed that they had none, he volunteered to write it without any. In this way the lives of St. Patrick were greatly multiplied, and were filled with the most marvellous * legends." Dr. Geoffrey Keating, more than two hundred years ago, " said: We an- informed by a manuscript chronicle of antiquity that sixty-four persons have severally written the lif- of this " reverend mis-iimary." As to the antiquity." it would not have been so very antique wit li iim-t of them. Dr. Lanigan, a Roman Catholic historian, felt ashamed of the and he legend-makers, says of these lives that "they are full of fall. -,. and seem to have been copied, either from each other, or from some common repository in which such stories have been collected. It would be idle to nn-n- tion the many proof- which they exhibit of being patched up at a late period." And Bollandus, one of their learned writer ii.eniin-r them, "They have been patched ber by iiM>t fabulous authors, and are none of them more anr-i.-nt than the twelfth century." This is not said of all the account- "riven of Patrick by the annali-N. ><mie of whom wrote at a much earlier period. It is said of the fuller lives. In them is seen Patrick, the myth. Very different was the man Patrick. If we strip away the burdening growth of wild ivies, we may get at the Ireland and the Irish, Kirwan N. by (Rev. Murray. T>.I>.) This title was given to a seriv- .f 1. 1 tors publirhed in the N. Y. Observer, 1856, and to which I am much indebted. 10 PREFACE. oak genuine sturdy of his character.