1/2: Celtic Paganism, Palladius and Patrick Flashcards
(28 cards)
who are the two main figures concerning the Irish conversion?
Palladius and Patrick
What was Irish society religion like before the arrival of christianity?
B/c Ireland was never invaded by the Romans, Iron Age society remained largely uninterrupted.
But we have very little information concerning Irish paganism, which can make it hard when studying the conversion as we don’t really have much to compare it against.
Who authorised Palladius’ mission?
Pope Celestine I
Where does our limited information about Palladius come from?
The account of his contemporary, Prosper of Aquitaine.
We can substantiate Prosper’s account by the fact that he went to Rome and was associated with the Pope, and thus he had good sources.
Why does prosper say palladius was sent to Ireland?
As part of a broader campaign against pelagius
-IMPORTANT– He probably wasn’t sent there to convert, but to act as a leader to prevent plagiarism from taking root.
Who was Pelagius?
A contemporary Briton who promoted a new doctrine interested in the relationship between human merit and divine intervention.
he was the adversary of St Augustine, who had Pelagius’ ideas condemned as heresy
Why was the papacy concerned about Pelagius?
Many former areas of the empire were falling out of christianity, including Britain – so it seems that Palladius was sent to Ireland to ensure that the Pelagian heresy didn’t read there, as it had in britian
Who was Palladius?
He was from the continent, where in a sense, the Roman world was still thriving.
What do we know about celtic paganism and how do we know this?
We know some stuff from classical writers who wrote about continental celtic paganism, such as Proinsas.
– BUT– in using this for Ireland we are presuming that there was a form of nebulous celtic culture that linked all celts and that it was archaic and dint change.
The names of Patricks two surviving texts
‘Epistola ad coroticum’ and ‘Confessio’
What format is the epistola?
It is a letter to Coroticus
What format is the confessio?
It is patricks long defence on his career in Ireland, probably to defect criticism he must have fallen under
He quite often seems to be on the defence about his life and missionary work in Ireland
What is the issue with using Patrick’s works as sources?
Neither of them are preserved contemporarily – the most useful versions are in the Book of Amargh, which was produced c. 807
Why is the fact that patrick’s worked are preserved in a MS from Armagh an issue?
At this time, Armagh was the most powerful church in Patrick’s cult and increasingly in the whole of Ireland
HOWEVER most scholars do accept that we have the genuine writings of Patrick.
Where was Patrick from, and how do we know this?
In his confessio, Patrick says that he was born ‘bannaven tabernie’.
This location remains unknown but is most likely on the western coast of Britain, as in his Epistola he implies that he was born in a Christian area of Britain.
He also says that his father was a member of the town council and that his grandfather was a priest
What happened when Patrick was young?
He was captured as a place and spent a long time in Ireland.
However he eventually escaped, but then says that he felt the need to go back as a missionary
Who did patrick write for?
He definitely wrote with a specific audience in mind, probably an ecclesiastical british one
– In his Confessio, patrick refers to his audience as ‘you clerical intellectuals’
Who does Patrick seem to have aimed his conversion at?
seems to have beelined for slaves and the aristocracy, particularly young princes and princesses
What topnymic evidence do we have to corroborate Patrick’s account?
The word ‘Domnach’ is only associated with early churches, as the word ‘cell’ replaced it in the 6th century– thus it seems fair to discern that those with the surviving ‘domnach’ element are those founded by patrick and his early followers
What does patrick show, in broader terms?
shows that throughout the 5th and 6th centuries, there were many links between Britain and Ireland
What does hughes argue?
Hughes argues very strongly against the idea of a a common British church, preferring a view of regional complexity.
What is one of the major issues when studying Patrick?
His mission is hard to pin down chronologically, but we think that he arrived some time after Palladius?- although this could just be because later writers found this to be convenient.
– not a single date can be given to Patrick’s life
Quote of prospers’ to use in reference to Palladius’ mission, that has quite a lot of implications…?
‘he made the barbarian island Christian while taking care to keep the Roman island Catholic’
What it is important to remember when thinking about conversion?
That broad features of society tend to change slowly
