Lectures - St. Patrick and Celtic Christianity

How did a medieval missionary to Ireland become one of Christianity’s major saints and the figure behind today’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations? Two short writings—the Confession and the Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus—describe a Roman-British Christian captured by Irish raiders who later returned to Ireland as a Christian missionary. In the centuries that followed, Christianity in Ireland developed in relative isolation from the church in the Roman Empire, producing a distinctive form of Christian life centred on powerful monasteries rather than diocesan bishops, with unique practices and traditions that historians often describe as Celtic Christianity. In this live lecture, John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will examine the historical Patrick, the independent development of Irish Christianity, its influence on the spread of Christianity across Britain and continental Europe, and how centuries of legend and tradition transformed a missionary bishop into the figure celebrated each year on St. Patrick’s Day. Join the livestream to participate in the discussion and to ask questions of our lecturer during the Q&A. This lecture is part of our series exploring Christianity and the Bible from an academic perspective through history, mythology, archaeology, theology, and biblical studies. 📚 Browse our catalogue of free lectures at https://www.centreplace.ca/lectures Your generous support allows us to offer these lectures at no cost. Please consider making a donation (tax deductible in the US and Canada): ❤️ https://www.centreplace.ca/donate More about this lecture: At the end of the Second Century Christians recorded traditions that the Apostle Peter had eventually found his way to the city of Rome where he became its first bishop and was ultimately crucified there at the Vatican Hill. The apostle Paul, who had met the historical Peter in both Jerusalem and Antioch sometime in the 50s AD. Although Paul sends personal greetings to over two dozen Christians in Rome, he makes no mention of Peter, who evidently was not present there. Similarly, although the Book of the Acts of the Apostles gives much attention to the careers of Paul and Peter, it makes no mention of Peter ever traveling to Rome. Although two letters included in the New Testament canon claim Peter as their author, they are pseudepigraphic: written by someone else writing in Peter’s name.