This post is part of an ongoing series on the Scriptures of Saint Patrick of Ireland. Anyone even remotely familiar with the contents of the Christian Bible cannot help but recognize Patrick’s near constant reliance upon the scriptures in his writings. In the words of J.B. Bury, Patrick “was a homo unius libri; but withContinue reading “SSP: Patrick’s Use of the Scriptures”
Monthly Archives: July 2016
SSP: The Vulgate
This post is part of an ongoing series on the Scriptures of Saint Patrick of Ireland. The second major Latin version of the Bible circulating in the Middle Ages was the Vulgate. Commissioned by Pope Damasus in 383 CE, the Vulgate is commonly attributed as the work of Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus or, as he isContinue reading “SSP: The Vulgate”
SSP: Vetus Latina
This post is part of an ongoing series on the Scriptures of Saint Patrick of Ireland. During the course of the Middle Ages two groups of Latin Bibles circulated in the Western world, the Vetus Latina and Vulgate versions. The Vetus Latina (“old Latin”) is a family of locally made Latin translations of both theContinue reading “SSP: Vetus Latina”
The Scriptures of Saint Patrick: The Medieval Scriptural World
This post is part of an ongoing series on the Scriptures of Saint Patrick of Ireland. Two factors shaped the used and form of Patrick’s scriptural context, namely, the “lack of early medieval pandects (single-volume Bibles) and the fundamentally liturgical quality of early medieval biblical books….”[1] There is no doubt that the Bible’s liturgical useContinue reading “The Scriptures of Saint Patrick: The Medieval Scriptural World”
SSP: Who Was the Historical Patrick of Ireland?
This post is part of an ongoing series on the Scriptures of Saint Patrick of Ireland. Who was the historical Patrick? To this point we have outlined the major arguments surrounding the person, life, and writings of the great Irish saint and come to the following conclusions. Born in Roman Britain to a Christian family,Continue reading “SSP: Who Was the Historical Patrick of Ireland?”
SSP: The Confessio
This post is part of an ongoing series on the Scriptures of Saint Patrick of Ireland. The Confessio was remarkably preserved, having circulated since at least the seventh century, and remains at least partially extant in eight early medieval manuscripts.[1] As for when the Confessio was written, it appears to have come near the endContinue reading “SSP: The Confessio”
SSP: The Writings of Patrick
This post is part of an ongoing series on the Scriptures of Saint Patrick of Ireland. As Patrick’s literary output constitutes the “earliest surviving documents written in Ireland”, the importance of these documents can hardly be understated.[1] However, many of the writings traditionally associated with Patrick have been deemed inauthentic. The three Dicta Patricii (SayingsContinue reading “SSP: The Writings of Patrick”
SSP: Other Historical Patrick Issues
This post is part of an ongoing series on the Scriptures of Saint Patrick of Ireland. Less divisive than the issues of chronology and geography, but no less important, are claims surrounding Patrick’s possible monasticism, his Latinity, and the plethora of extant traditions about Patrick’s life and work. From time to time the question ofContinue reading “SSP: Other Historical Patrick Issues”
SSP: On Patrician Geography
This post is part of an ongoing series on the Scriptures of Saint Patrick of Ireland. A second part of “The Patrick Problem” involves geography: the question of whether Patrick was trained in Gaul. As with Patrick’s chronology, there are three basic answers to this query: first, that Patrick visited Gaul but did not trainContinue reading “SSP: On Patrician Geography”
SSP: On Patrician Chronology
This post is part of an ongoing series on the Scriptures of Saint Patrick of Ireland. Apart from the general statements about Patrick noted in my previous post, although much has been written concerning the saint’s life, little has been satisfactorily concluded. This is especially true on the two issues which Charles Thomas terms “TheContinue reading “SSP: On Patrician Chronology”
Pursuing Veritas 