Most people enjoy wearing some green beads, a green shirt, or even dress up like a leprechaun once a year, but very few people know the real story behind St. Patrick. The Lord inspired him to make sure the Gospel had a chance to reach the ends of the known Earth during the end of the Roman Empire and into the Dark Ages. The Gospel changes lives, and when the Gospel changed St Patrick’s life, this transformation changed the nation of Ireland, and eventually the continent of Europe. In order to understand this time period more clearly, “How the Irish Saved Civilization” views this time period through the insight of both Augustine (354-430), and St. Patrick (387-461).
The end of the Roman Empire came about slowly and very few of Rome’s citizens dreamt it could come about. This is one of the biggest reasons for the collapse; if people do not see a problem or agree on what the problem is, problems just grow larger. Simply put, Rome collapsed due to inner weakness both spiritually and socially. Anywhere outside of Rome where people did not speak Greek, the Barbarians were waiting to seize on any opportunity to make their lives more prosperous and find more hope. Many of the Barbarians trickled into the Empire slowly over time, and eventually, the Barbarians were ready for an all-out invasion. God used two men to preserve and spread the Gospel during this tumultuous time.
St. Augustine was the last of the classically educated men at this time. By the end of his life, a well-informed citizenry was no longer present. He, along with other educated Bishops, were the guardians of academia moving forward. What really survived at the end of the Roman Empire was its law because unfortunately, most libraries and books were burned by the barbarians. He wrote the famous “Confessions” which to many is the first genuine autobiography in human history. Prior to this work, autobiographies and thoughts were like cookie cutter fortune cookies, rather than an authentic sharing of a life that was transferred and saved. His type of writing was not seen again until the start of the modern period. He is also a distinguished beginner in the modern science of psychology. If liberal arts are for the few, philosophy is for the fewer. Augustine had an unrelenting passion to find Truth. God would use the words of Paul in Romans 8:29,30, to “break” Augustine, and force him to throw himself upon the grace of God. Augustine’s battle from this point forward would be to fend off the heretics of his day (Pelagius, Julian, Arians, and others).
The Irish culture was a stark contrast to Roman. The Irish had the reputation of not thinking too much and for being impulsive, but they acted bravely. They were not civilized, but they were confident. Their outlook set the foundation for great songs and stories but there was little personal peace or social harmony. The Irish lived big, bold lives, because they knew that in the end the world would break their heart. This serves as the backdrop for Patricius who would become known as St. Patrick. It is remarkable to think that of all the places that the Gospel has been introduced, Ireland would be the place where there was no bloodshed to make it happen.
St. Patrick started the first 16 years of his life in Roman culture, but then the Irish enslaved him and forced him to be a shepherd-slave. This experience put him in a situation where he needed to reach out to God for sustenance, which is a complete change of direction for him since he previously thought religion was foolish. By the end of his 6-year enslavement he became a holy and transformed man through God’s intervention and provision. As a result, God inspired him to reach out to his Irish countrymen with the Gospel. He knew them, could identify with them, and connected the Gospel to their hearts. He was different than his peers due to his lack of education. He had missed many years of learning during his shepherding. What he lacked in education, though, he made up for in passion.
There was no known missionary from the time of Paul to Patrick. Paul could be categorized as a missionary to the Romans, and Patrick the missionary to those who were beyond the influence of Roman law. One thing that was different about Augustine and Patrick, is that Augustine didn’t go on pilgrimage, he was constantly afraid of being ambushed, but doctrinally, Augustine was always up for a fight. Patrick’s bravery looked a little different in that he wasn’t afraid of physical danger. When you compare the “Confessions” of these two men, Augustine intellectually knew the duality of man and the power of the Gospel inside and out, Patrick knew it emotionally inside and out, and most likely at a deeper level than Augustine. Augustine appeared self-obsessive; Patrick was obsessed about the plight of his people and ending slavery. It is remarkable to think that these two spiritual giants were not known well outside of their spheres of influence during that time, and in fact, they probably had never heard of each other.
Patrick devoted the last half of his life to his spiritual “warrior children” and through his work many monasteries were built in Ireland and the mainland. He set up a framework by which many other groups would follow. When a community grew to about 150 members, a leader and twelve others would branch off and start a new community. By the end of the 6th century, 60 monastic communities had been founded in Ireland. One of his apprentices, Columbanus, set off to Europe and himself established 60-100 monastic communities. More than half of all biblical commentaries between 650-850 AD were written by Irish. As the Roman Empire went from peace to chaos; Ireland was being transformed from chaos to peace due to Patrick’s work. It is fascinating to think about what would’ve happened when Islam tried to convert Europe, or where Western Civilization would be today without these heroic efforts from St. Patrick.
Strangely, most secular books do not speak much, if anything, about St. Patrick. I can only guess as to why this would be. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this book to have a fuller understanding of what occurred during this “Dark Age.” After reading this book, to me this era wasn’t as “dark” as most of the world thinks. The darkness of this world can not overcome the light of God’s Word! God will always provide and inspire new warriors to make sure that the Gospel is preserved and preached until He comes once again to establish an everlasting Kingdom that will not fade away.
