Ireland's Saint: The Essential Biography of St. Patrick

by J. B. Bury, Jon M. Sweeney (Editor)

Overview

Explore Patrick's place in history, the spread of Christianity beyond the Roman Empire, how Patrick first came to Ireland, the influence of the earlier Palladius on Patrick's work, political and social conditions at that time, and the spiritual battles with the Druids. This 21st century edition includes notes from other notable biographers, mystics, historians, and storytellers of Ireland and is an ideal place to begin any exploration of this much loved but little-known saint.

[This book was previously published in hardcover and trade paperback and is now available in this smaller format, with a new cover design, for the first time.]

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781557257970
Publisher:	Paraclete Press
Publication date:	01/02/2013
Series:	US
Sold by:	INDEPENDENT PUB GROUP - EPUB - EBKS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Jon M. Sweeney is an independent scholar and award-winning author. His books have been translated into many languages. He's a popular interpreter of the life and work of Francis of Assisi, and author of more than 40 books including St. Francis of Assisi with a foreword by Richard Rohr, and The Complete Francis of Assisi used by Third Order Franciscans. HBO optioned the film rights to Sweeney's book on the medieval Pope Celestine V, The Pope Who Quit.

In 2023, Jon published Sit in the Sun: And Other Lessons in the Spiritual Wisdom of Cats, and Meister Eckhart's Book of Darkness and Light, coauthored with Mark S. Burrows. Jon has been interviewed on CBS News, WGN-TV, Fox News, and CBS Saturday Morning, and by publications online from CNN to Romper. He's a practicing Catholic who also prays regularly with his wife, a congregational rabbi. He loves the church, the synagogue, and other aspects of organized religion. He would never say he's "spiritual but not religious." He is the father of four and lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sweeney is codirector of The Lux Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies at Sacred Heart Seminary; religion editor at Monkfish Book Publishing; editor of Living City magazine; and contributing editor for books at SpiritualityandPractice.com.

J. B. Bury (1861-1927) was an Irish historian, an expert on the Greek and Roman Empires, and the prestigious Regius Professor of Modern History at Cambridge University.

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

1 Patrick's Place in History 21

1 The Spread of Christianity beyond the Roman Empire 31

3 How Patrick Came to Ireland 41

4 Captivity and Escape 51

5 Sojourn in Gaul and Back to Britain 61

6 Palladius and Patrick 77

7 Political and Social Conditions at That Time 87

8 The First Mission 97

9 Legends of Patrick and the Druids 109

10 Early Conversions and Communities 125

11 Preaching and Legends in Connaught 133

12 Visit to Rome 147

13 The Preeminence of Armagh 153

14 Cloisters and Chieftains 163

15 His Denunciation of Coroticus, and the Confession 173

16 The Real and the Mythic Patrick 185

17 Death and Burial 189

Appendix: The Seventh-Century Biography by Muircbu 195

Sources 199

Acknowledgments 202

Index 203

Editorial Reviews

Editor-writer Sweeney gives Bury's 1950 biography of the legendary St. Patrick a greater contemporary context in this meticulously researched and presented work.” —Publishers Weekly

“Bury and Sweeney have studied St. Patrick and the culture surrounding him. They are able to present an extensive portrait of St. Patrick beyond the myth that surrounds him.” —St. Anthony Messenger

“Bury proves to be more than a mere dry historian; he turns out to be a fine storyteller as well, and his accounts of Patrick's spiritual duels with Druid priests for the heart and mind of the Irish king are quite gripping.” —History Book Club

From the Publisher