Pursuing Veritas

Reflections by Jacob J. Prahlow
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  • 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 use…

  • 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,…

  • 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 end…

  • 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 (Sayings…

  • 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 of…

  • 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 train…

  • 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 “The…

  • SSP: Introducing the Historical Patrick

    This post is part of an ongoing series on the Scriptures of Saint Patrick of Ireland. The historical evidence surrounding Patrick is scant and problematic apart from what he tells his readers in his Confessio and Epistola.[1] As we will see in future posts, the biographical information included in these writings avails itself to a…

  • Happy Fourth of July

    Happy Birthday to the United States of America! As is my custom on this holiday, I encourage you to read the Declaration of Independence (signed this day in 1776) and to reflect on the ideals of government found therein. IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When…

  • Recommended Readings: July 2

    If you read one article this week, engage The DaVinci Code All Over Again by Grant Kaplan. For those of you with additional reading this time weekend, check out the following selections, gathered from around the interwebs over the past several weeks. Think I missed something worth reading? Let me know in the comments section.