W
WJL
Guest
I stumbled across an anti-Catholic protestant site while looking up information on ancient and medieval Ireland. The site makes the claim that St. Patrick allegedly preceded St. Palladius and established a non-Catholic church in Ireland c. 405 AD (rather than 432 AD) which Palladius was supposedly sent to in 431 to “bring the Irish church into communion with Rome,” etc. It alleges:
It cites this book for its sources: whatsaiththescripture.com/Text.Only/pdfs/St_Patrick_of_Ireland.pdf
What’s the truth regarding these claims? How can this protestant argument be addressed?
Official Chronology of St. Patrick.
Year Event
373 Patrick is born along banks of River Clyde in Roman Britain, now a part of Scotland. Even though he had Christian parents and was baptized, that didn’t make him (or anybody else) a Christian!!
389 He is taken captive by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland.
395 He is converted to Christ; escapes from slavery and returns home.
405 St. Patrick arrives in Ireland with one Book: the Latin Bible. He begins to preach the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead.
431 He has great success in Ireland. Thousands are converted to Christ by faith alone. He puts an end to Druid human sacrifices. Slavery is ended. Churches and schools are built everywhere.
465 St. Patrick dies and goes to his eternal reward in Heaven. After preaching the Gospel for 60 years the great Apostle of Ireland is buried near the spot where he began his ministry.
News of St. Patrick great success with the Gospel soon reached Rome. Celestine, Bishop of Rome, sent a man named Palladius to demand that those new Christians accept him as their bishop. Palladius was repulsed and flew for his life. He never returned to Rome and died later in Scotland on March 16. . . . In order to confuse the world, and hide his failure, Palladius was substituted for St. Patrick and his chronology was revised!!
Revised Chronology of St. Patrick.
Year Event
431 Palladius arrives from Rome. He is rejected by the Irish Christians and has to leave Ireland in a hurry. He died later in Scotland on March 17!! If he had come 25 years earlier he would have ended up a Druid sacrifice. The first thing the noble converts of Patrick did was to reject the Bishop of Rome.
“They know not the voice of strangers”(John 10:5).
432 This is the revised date of the beginning of St. Patrick’s ministry when he would be almost 60 years old!! It was revised to honor Palladius, cover up his rejection, and make him the Apostle of Ireland!!
reformation.org/ireland.htmlThe first and best witness to the truth of the above is St. Patrick himself in his autobiography: his “Confession” As a sober and trustworthy authority, it out weights all the medieval chronicles put together. The picture it presents of Ireland at the time of Patrick’s arrival is that of a pagan country. Not a word does he say of any previous preachers in this field. He is seen building up the Church from the very foundations. He says that he “went about among them from his youth” (Latin “iuventus” a young man)
The Roman Catholic St. Patrick is PURE FICTION. Papal Rome came to Britain with the Norman Conquest of 1066. A century later, the same Viking-Normans brought their cathedrals and crosses to Hibernia.
This year is the 1633 anniversary of the birth of St. Patrick (373-2006). His autobiographical confession was written in Latin, toward the end of his life. It is over 1500 years old and it is a real miracle that any of it has survived. It is missing a major section - at least 30 years of his life. It jumps from his dreams at home to an incident in Hibernia 30 years later. His greatest triumph on Tara Hill is not even mentioned. The Papal censors were very busy with this one!!
St. Patrick believed that the end of the world would come with the evangelization of the Hibernians. They were the last known people to the ancient world, living in the uttermost part of the earth. God always keeps the best for last!!
He mention 3 periods of his life:
His boyhood: pueritia
His youth: adolescens
His young manhood: iuventus
reformation.org/patrick.htmlThe age of St. Patrick when he became a deacon and left for Hibernia may be off by 1 or 2 years; Patrick simply says that he ministered among the Scots from the time that he was a “iuventus” a young man. Most of the great Biblical heroes began their ministry around 30. The revised chronology sends him to Hibernia when he would be almost 60 years old. A youth of 60!!
It cites this book for its sources: whatsaiththescripture.com/Text.Only/pdfs/St_Patrick_of_Ireland.pdf
What’s the truth regarding these claims? How can this protestant argument be addressed?
