Celebrating St. Patrick, Abolitionist By Reed Metcalf
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ARCH 17, ALSO KNOWN IN the United States as Blind Stinking Drunk Day, is the Feast of Saint Patrick. The celebration of the Patron Saint of Ireland slowly morphed over time from its ecclesial roots into an all-out culture celebration on the Emerald Island; all over the world it has become a heritage celebration for the Irish and Irish-descended in exile. We Americans party just as hard as anyone, and though only 30 million Irish-Americans were recorded in the last census, it seems everyone has a greatgreat-great-grandfather from Dublin or Belfast on St. Patty’s Day. I DO NOT COME FROM A HIGH church tradition, but my family always celebrated the Feast of Saint Patrick. After Fuller’s Experiential Courses in Ireland, however, I began to see a true reason to celebrate the life and work of a remarkable Christian. Patrick, roughly contemporary with Augustine, set in motion an evangelistic movement that converted almost all of Ireland, Scotland, parts of barbarian Germany and Scandinavia, and
the snakes out of Ireland, but various sciences have shown that there have never been snakes on the island—ever. One of the most bizarre myths was that Patrick had duels of supernatural power with the druid shamans who served the Irish High King; Patrick won these battles by setting his opponents ablaze and casting them into the stratosphere. Crazy, right? Not compared with what he actually did. PATRICK, OR PATRICIUS IN HIS native Latin, was a son of a nobleman, kidnapped when Irish slavers raided the western coast of Roman Britain. He worked as a shepherd during his slavery, and eventually escaped when prompted by a vision from God, who more or less guided his steps back to Britain. After a reunion with his family and resettling into elitist life, a second vision from God called Patrick into ministry for the pagan Irish. He sought asceticism, education, ordination, and pushed for a missionary appointment to Ireland; he instead was attached to the first Bishop of Ireland, Palladius, who was sent to the small
His biblically-laced letter goes on to fight for the human rights of the Irish—1300 years prior to Paine or Jefferson’s writings on intrinsic human rights—and to call for the abolition of slavery and equal treatment of all humans, 1400 years before the heyday of the American abolition movement. revitalized the faith of nominal Christians across major sections of Britain, France, Switzerland, and even Italy. PATRICK’S LIFE IS SURROUNDED BY legend. The most popular is that he drove
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Christian population on the southeastern coast. When Palladius died within a year, Patrick was made bishop and charged into the pagan territories with the Gospel in hand in 431. Within a few years, the Irish were being baptized in droves.
THIS LEADS TO ONE OF THE MOST amazing parts of Patrick’s ministry. One Easter morning, shortly after Patrick has finished baptizing and anointing a great number of new converts, the British (and supposedly Christian) warlord Coroticus raids a newly converted part of Ireland. Irishmen are executed while the women and children are led off to slavery, many still in their baptismal garb. Patrick sends an emissary to plead for the captives’ re-
cause Patrick had just kicked one of the most powerful and ruthless men in Britain out of the good standing of the shaky and fragile Roman Empire. Instead of vindicating Patrick, the British bishops write to the pope and get Patrick recalled to a punitive tribunal in Britain. BETRAYED AND REALIZING HE risks his death by entering Coroticus’ territory without the protection of the church,
The man who was mad enough to evangelize the people who enslaved him, excommunicate a warlord, and walk unarmed through a country notorious for human sacrifice doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would run from the hostile tribunal bent on his destruction or capitulation. lease; when Coroticus laughs in his face, Patrick excommunicates him and plans a personal visit to the petty tyrant. The shepherd of the Irish writes to Coroticus, “I am not sure who I should pity more— the murdered, the captives you took, or you who have been enslaved by the devil.” The rest of his biblically-laced letter goes on to fight for the human rights of the Irish—1300 years prior to Paine's or Jefferson’s writings on intrinsic human rights—and to call for the abolition of slavery and equal treatment of all humans, 1400 years before the heyday of the American abolition movement. A whole lot better than getting rid of snakes, no? WELL, PATRICK ALSO SENDS THIS “Letter to Coroticus”—one of two works of his still in existence—to the Bishops of Britain as well as the warlord. The bishops just about mess their pants, no doubt be-
Patrick writes his Confession, defending his work on behalf of one of the most barbaric peoples in Roman eyes as part of God’s mission to reach “the ends of the earth.” Patrick’s disciples continue on his work and create the Celtic monastic and evangelistic model that penetrates almost every corner of Europe in the 7th-9th centuries, but Patrick is never heard of again. THERE ARE TWO SCHOLARLY camps in regards to what happened to Patrick. The first is that he died peacefully in Ireland of old age. The other is that he was killed when he obeyed the summons to the tribunal, whether he was intercepted by Coroticus’s troops or executed for disturbing the peace in the church. I lean towards the later; the man who was mad enough to evangelize the people who enslaved him, excommunicate a warlord, and walk unarmed through a country
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notorious for human sacrifice doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would run from the hostile tribunal bent on his destruction or capitulation. No, I do not think Patrick simply faded into the mist; his life had been dedicated to the Irish barbarians, and I think his death was as well. LEGEND SAYS HE WILLED HIS bones scattered across Eire so his remains
die for the freedom of others. May we be flesh and blood reminders of the love of God for even the most despised. May we be the Body of Christ who acts in, through, and with the Holy Spirit for the sake of the world. UNFORTUNATELY, THE BEST PARTS of Patrick’s career did not make it into the legends. His sacrifice of privilege on
Patrick was the exemplar of Christianity for the Irish, and his appearance in the 5th century was seen as a historical promise that the Irish were valued by God and would one day see his justice done on their behalf. would not become an idol to his followers. Regardless of where or how he died, his body is now part of the soil of Ireland. His bones may not have become an object to cling to for the Irish, but his memory did. Can you blame them? Ireland would be pillaged by the British again, most notably in the 12th century; this time the Brits conquered the island and remained an occupying force until the 20th century. Patrick, the one who had stood up for the Irish and demanded their freedom, became an unsurpassed hero in his adopted country during almost 800 years of disenfranchisement, racism, and oppression. He was the exemplar of Christianity for them, and his appearance in the 5th century was seen as a historical promise that the Irish were valued by God and would one day see his justice done on their behalf. For the church as a whole, may we become such examples: not simply good preachers or writers of pristine theology, but courageous women and men who are willing to speak for the voiceless in the face of hopeless odds, who are willing to
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behalf of the detested, his fierce cry for abolition, and his steadfastness in the face of martyrdom make him sound more like Mohatma Ghandi or Martin Luther King Jr. than anything or anyone typically toasted on St. Patty’s Day. He was a devoted follower of Christ, a radical exemplar, and defender of the oppressed. By all means, still raise a Guinness or Jameson on March 17th, but when you do, thank God for Brother Patrick. May his true memory live on.
Reed Metcalf (MDiv '13) is the Editor of the SEMI. His Irish ancestry shows up in his love for traditional Irish music, food, and the red tint of his beard. In an odd turn of events, he and his wife Monica were married on St. Patrick's Day, 2012.