To many people March 17th means little more than clover, Irish crosses, and Guinness. On this day very few actually stop to consider the influence and contributions made by St. Patrick.
Author/historian J.B. Bury tackles the saint in his 1905 biography "Ireland's Saint-Th
e Essential Biography of St. Patrick". Mr. Bury who was formerly professor of Modern History at Cambridge walks us not only through the life of Patrick from his birth through his captivity, and his ultimate conversion, but also gives us a "mind blowing" look at Ireland both before and after the Patrick's life. As professor Bury states; "To understand the conversion of Ireland, we must take it first as an episode in the history of Europe, glancing first at the general conditions of the early propagation of the christian idea."
Patrick was born to a Briton deacon in or around 389 a.d. . He was taught the scriptures but not until much later did he embrace them. At the age of 17 a group of Irish raiders landed, plundering menservants, maidservants, and of course Patrick. He was taken to Ireland and forced into slavery and it was at this time that he turned his eyes to the Lord. We pick up here with professor Bury; "He had never given much thought to his religion, but now that he was a thrall among strangers, 'the Lord' Patrick says 'opened the sense of my unbelief.' The ardor of religious emotion, the 'love and fear of God,' so fully consumed his soul that in a single day or night he would offer a hundred prayers. And he describes himself, in woodland or on mountainsides, rising form his bed before dawn and going out to pray in hail, rain, or snow."
Patrick continued to fasting and praying through his captivity when on a certain night he heard a voice telling him that his ship was waiting on the coast, and that liberty was at hand. He then made his way to the sea ( Mr. Bury conjectures that he probably went 180 miles to the port town of Wicklow). It was here that he gained passage on a ship and eventually found himself on the Lerins Island on France's southern coast. On Lerins Patrick joined the monastery. Among the Monks of Lerins Patrick had his first exposure to Monastic living. He stayed among the monks for several years before returning to England.
Mr. Bury explains "Then Patrick returned to his old home, his kin welcomed him 'as a son.' In using the expression 'as a son', Patrick shows that parents was intended to mean kinsfolk, not parents, because it is most likely that his parents were dead by this time. They implored him to stay and never leave them again. But if he had any thought of yielding to their persuasions it was dismissed when he became aware all at once, that the aim of his life was determined. The idea of laboring among the heathen, which may have been gradually though quite unconsciously gathering force and secretly winning possession of his brain..."
As Mr. Bury points out, the seeds of Irish Christendom had already been planted before Patrick landed on the shores. But Patrick with tenacity, and a vision changed the hearts of his people.
Mr. Bury's biography is imperative for those who want to understand Ireland's entry into the christian (and dare I say 'modern') world. the Professor lays out a fascinating view of the social and religious climates both before and after Patrick's reformation.
Professor Bury passed on in 1927 and much more of St. Patrick's life has since been uncovered. In the latest printing from 'Parclete Press' noted author and editor Jon M. Sweeney has added some footnotes and made some minor grammatical changes which he explains in the introduction. This book is paramount not only for those who are eager to understand one of the least understood reformers of all time, but also for those who want to see the fulfillment of a vision.
