Appendix 2. Notes. Chapter 7. Patrick doesn't name the land to which the Irish sailors took him. The traditional view is that it was Gaul, which I believe is the most plausible position. Some modern scholars speculate that the sailors took him to Britain. However, it seems virtually impossible that Patrick and the sailors could have wandered for 28 days in Britain without encountering any inhabitants.
In the middle of his narrative about his escape from Ireland and his trials with the Irish sailors, Patrick states: "And once again, after many years, I was taken captive. On the first night I stayed with them, I heard a divine message saying to me, 'You will be with them for two months.' And so it happened that on the sixtieth night thereafter the Lord delivered me out of their hands." I interpret this second captivity of 60 days to be referring to Patrick's time of servitude with the Irish sailors.
However, other historians interpret it to mean that Patrick was taken captive still another time. Chapter 12. Patrick doesn't tell us what country he was in when the presbyters considered ordaining him as a bishop. Armorica, Brittany, is only one possibility. Concerning his episcopacy, Patrick states: "I was attacked by a number of my seniors, who brought up my sins against my arduous episcopate. As cause for proceeding against me, they brought up, after thirty years, a confession I had made before I was a deacon.
In the anxiety of my troubled mind, I confided to my dearest friend what I had done in my boyhood. On that day, then, I was rejected by those referred to." I interpret this passage to refer to the time when Patrick's seniors first considered ordaining him as a bishop. However, some historians believe this passage is referring to one of the attacks on Patrick after he had already been ordained as a bishop. Chapter 14. In his writings, Patrick does not relate how he presented the gospel to his first hearers.
Tradition tells us that the first king to whom he presented the gospel was Leire. For my narration of Patrick's first presentation of the gospel, I have primarily used statements and thoughts from his testimony. Chapter 15. We don't know for certain that Patrick used seeds of truth in Irish culture to help present the gospel. However, this was the typical method of witnessing used by early Christian evangelists, as illustrated by the works of such early Christians as Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, and Tertullian.
Chapter 21. Patrick's farewell exhortation has been taken almost verbatim from his testimony. Needless to say, Patrick penned his testimony prior to his death, so we don't know for certain that he repeated this counsel on his deathbed. Who's who in Patrick's life? Patrick supplies very few names of his contemporaries in his writings. At other times, he provides a name but gives no description of who the person is.
To relate the story of Patrick's life in a manner that realistically describes the world he lived in, I've tried to bring to life the various persons who are only briefly described or hinted at in his writings. The following summary explains which figures in my accounts are: 1. Historical persons directly described by Patrick or Bede. 2. Figures described in ancient traditions about Patrick. Or 3. True-to-life literary figures created to embody persons who are briefly mentioned or intimated in Patrick's works.
Alb: Irish deacon slain by Coroticus soldiers. Name is traditional, character is literary. Embodies one of the men whom Coroticus and his soldiers slew. Auxilius: Fellow worker of Patrick in Ireland. Traditional. Branoch: British bishop who is friendly to Patrick. Literary: Embodies British clergy described by Patrick. Brone: Irish convert. Name is traditional, character is literary. Embodies those converts whom Patrick says remained celibate. Calpornius: Patrick's father. Historic.
Sid: Patrick's fellow slave in Ireland. Literary: Embodies the thousands of Christians that Patrick says were enslaved in Ireland at the same time he was. Conchessa: Patrick's mother. Traditional: Patrick makes no direct mention of his mother in his works, although he does speak of his parents. Ancient traditions give her name as Conchessa. Coap: King who treacherously imprisoned Patrick and his men. Person is historic. Name is traditional. Coroticus: British king who raided Ireland. Historic.
Described at length in Patrick's letter of excommunication. Many scholars identify him with Cadetic, the self-made British king and hero. And I've followed that interpretation in my accounts. Crispus: Deacon who accompanied Patrick to Ireland. Name is literary. Person is traditional. Donoban: Son of Milchu, Patrick's master. Literary. Etni: Young Irish woman. Historic.
Patrick describes her as a "blessed Irish woman of noble birth, beautiful, full-grown, whom I had baptized." He then describes how a messenger of God admonished her to remain celibate. Her name comes from tradition. Fedelm and Fedelmid: Daughter and son of King Leire. Persons and names are traditional. In his testimony, Patrick specifically states that he converted "sons and daughters of the kings of the Irish." Hengist and Horsa: The two Saxon chieftains who first came to Britain. Historic. Julius: British bishop.
Literary: Embodies British clergy whom Patrick describes. Leire: King to whom Patrick first preached the gospel. Traditional. Lomon: Presbyter who accompanied Patrick to Ireland and who tried to secure the release of the Irish Christians whom Coroticus had kidnapped. Person is historic. Name is from tradition. Patrick describes him as a "holy presbyter whom I had taught from childhood." Macfiennach: Excommunicated king who tried to make a gift to Patrick. Person is literary. Name is from tradition.
Embodies those of whom Patrick wrote. Many gifts were offered to me in sorrow and tears, and I offended the donors, much against the wishes of some of my seniors. Marcella: Patrick's former nurse who was kidnapped with him. Literary: Embodies the servants and maids of my father's house who Patrick says were taken captive with him. Marcus: Patrick's friend who betrayed him. Person is historic. Name is literary. Patrick describes his false friend in his testimony and relates how this friend betrayed him.
However, he mercifully does not reveal his false friend's name. Milchu: Patrick's master when he was a slave in Ireland. Person is historic. Name is traditional. Petronius: British presbyter. Literary: Embodies the British presbyters about whom Patrick writes. Potitus: Patrick's grandfather. Historic. Quintus: Presbyter who opposed Patrick. Literary: Embodies the presbyters that Patrick refers to when he writes.
I was attacked by a number of my seniors who came forth and brought up my sins against my laborious episcopate. Also embodies the seniors who rebuked Patrick for not accepting gifts from sinners and the unbaptized. Secundinus: Patrick's fellow worker in Ireland. Traditional. Telo: The barber at Bannavem Taburniae. Literary. Victoricus: Historic and literary. Patrick relates that in his dream Victoricus came from Ireland with letters from the Irish.
The fact that Patrick gives no further description of him indicates that he was a well-known Christian in Patrick's community. Vortigern: Historic. Identified by Bede as the leader who convinced his fellow Britons to invite the Saxons to settle in Britain.