Catharsis
catch u on the flip scythe
Fabulous pwnage, phoenix_night. 
Happy St. Patrick's Day
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classical_hero
In whom I trust
Well they still have enough to celebrate though.
Seeing as I
a) Don't drink
b) Don't have a drop of Irish blood in me (and not much European blood, for that matter)
This holiday was never anything important to me. Spent the day getting pinched by my Irish Catholic friends, watching basketball, and going to a concert.
a) Don't drink
b) Don't have a drop of Irish blood in me (and not much European blood, for that matter)
This holiday was never anything important to me. Spent the day getting pinched by my Irish Catholic friends, watching basketball, and going to a concert.
Cuchullain
Prince
In all likelihood, Patrick's "Autobiography" was written by one of his successors at the See of Armagh. It is almost certain that Patrick himself was virtually illiterate, having spent his formative years as an Irish slave, herding sheep. There is evidence (from other sources, contemporary to Patrick) that he was embarassed by his lack of formal education. This is actually one of the qualities that endeared him to the Irish --- because he spoke to them as a regular person, and did not appear arrogant, or pretentious. Nevertheless, he was an extremely clever and intelligent man.
With the exception of one legend, there is no evidence that Patrick was ever violent in any way. That one legend states that when he converted the king of the province of Munster, he accidentally thrust the point of his crozier through the king's foot during the ceremony, but the king remained silent. When it was finished, Patrick was upset, and asked the king why he never cried out. "I thought it was part of the ceremony," the man said.
As to his being sent to Ireland to convert the island by "whatever means necessary", this notion is absurd. First, Ireland was of little value to the church at the time. Little was known of the island, except that (by Roman standards) it was thoroughly uncivilized --- as it had never known the pleasure of being part of the Roman Empire. To the Romans, the people of Ireland were little more than bloodthirsty savages, best kept a spear's length away. Second, Patrick himself was not the first Roman missionary sent to Ireland (or even the second), and was not the church's first choice to lead the next mission to the island. He had to petition his superiors several times to be allowed to lead it.
With the exception of one legend, there is no evidence that Patrick was ever violent in any way. That one legend states that when he converted the king of the province of Munster, he accidentally thrust the point of his crozier through the king's foot during the ceremony, but the king remained silent. When it was finished, Patrick was upset, and asked the king why he never cried out. "I thought it was part of the ceremony," the man said.
As to his being sent to Ireland to convert the island by "whatever means necessary", this notion is absurd. First, Ireland was of little value to the church at the time. Little was known of the island, except that (by Roman standards) it was thoroughly uncivilized --- as it had never known the pleasure of being part of the Roman Empire. To the Romans, the people of Ireland were little more than bloodthirsty savages, best kept a spear's length away. Second, Patrick himself was not the first Roman missionary sent to Ireland (or even the second), and was not the church's first choice to lead the next mission to the island. He had to petition his superiors several times to be allowed to lead it.
