Saint Patrick: The Man and his Works

In this short book, we not only get a good examination of St Patrick and his time/culture, but we also get a well-referenced, and well-commented modern English translation of his Confessions and his Epistle. The Author does try and dig through the myth and legend, so that we can better understand the context and meaning of Patrick's two works - and he also examines what we can learn (and can't learn) about Patrick and his environs from them.I quite enjoyed this approach, and was very pleased with the cross-referencing - as well as the quite involved further reading that is supplied.Highly recommended for those with an interest in Church History.

Saint Patrick's writings [all two of them] have come down to us from the fifth century. His 'Confession' and 'Letter to Coroticus' are presented here in an easy to understand translation, and they are accompanied by many explanatory footnotes. Each text is also introduced with a short essay describing Saint Patrick, his world[s], and his spiritual outlook on life. It is a slim but important book to anyone who is interested in Ireland/Irish heritage.

I was afraid this would be hagiography but it was not - a good balanced assessment of a holy life.

Unlike scholars who impose their own 21st Century prejudices onto the Ancient World, Thomas O’Loughlin allows Patrick to speak for himself in this thoughtfully annotated edition. The upshot is you can hear the fire of Patrick, a burning flame of love for Christ. Unmissable.

This was a great help to me when I was compiling a talk about St Patrick. It was concise and to the point and yet contained a wealth of information. I have passed it on to others.

Top seller.