Saint Patrick, A Catholic?
By Kluane Tozier
I remember a few years ago my Mom talking about Saint Patrick and how it was very likely that he was a Baptist. Being interested in Baptist history I thought I would take a closer look.
Saint Patrick wrote two documents that are recognized by every denomination as being genuine. One was an epistle to the Christians under the king Coroticus, the other one was his Confession also known as Epistle to the Irish. He writes that he was born around the year 389 A.D. in Britain. His father was a deacon and his grandfather was a pastor in the ancient church of Britain. That church was thought to have been one of the churches started when the church of Jerusalem was spread abroad, Acts 8:1-4.
Dr. J. Lewis Smith, in his book Patrick of Ireland Not a Romanist says, “We have in hand now 140 letters of Pope Leo the Great and we have not found a line written by him or any other Pope or any other man rejoicing over the wonderful additions to the Roman Church by Patrick and his disciples.”
Patrick was a missionary to Ireland and in those days any missionary from the Catholic Church were sent by the pope. But in Patrick’s Confession he says that he was called by God, and he wrote nothing about being sent by any one else. Likewise if he had been told by a pope to go as a missionary there would have been some record of it by the Catholics, but again there is nothing.
The Catholic Church has made lots of “saints” throughout the years, but Patrick would not consider himself one of them. In humility he understood, as Paul wrote in 1Timothy 1:15 “…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” And he started his Confession “I, Patrick, a sinner”. His writing’s never talk about him performing any miracles to warrant sainthood as is believed you must, to be a saint by Catholics.
Patrick was a Baptist; his writings are full of scripture. Baptists have always believed that the Bible is inspired by God and no other writings carry any authority for Christians 2Timothy 3:16, 17. You would search in vain through Patrick’s writings to find any mention of relics, holy places, or any superstitious teaching about the Virgin Mary or the doctrine of purgatory.
Patrick the preacher never mentioned that his followers were saved by participating in the sacraments (baptism or the Lord’s Supper). Baptists have always believed in Salvation by Grace, repenting (turning away) from your sins and trusting in the shed blood of Jesus as the payment for breaking Gods law. Exodus 20:3-17, I John 3:4, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5. Baptism is an act of obedience adding you to the church not the Family of God. Baptizing babies was a trademark of the Catholics and Patrick never wrote anything about baptizing babies, but he did mention baptizing adults.
The Catholics did a good job of trying to make him into a Catholic but he was dead 175 years before they even started writing about him. History shows that there were only two religious organizations in the third century, Baptists and Catholics. Error crept into the church that Jesus built after his death and resurrection. Men began to assume authority that wasn’t given to them by God; this was the beginning of Popish rule. Bible believing churches separated themselves from these irregular churches that eventually became Catholic. Baptist have been called by many names down through the centuries but they can all be traced through their common doctrines as laid down by their founder Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. (The Trail of Blood, by J.M. Carroll)
Taking a look at the writings of Patrick of Ireland, I find no proof that he associated in any way with the Roman Catholic Church, nor do I see that he held to any of their unbiblical doctrines. I can not find that any of the early Pope’s wrote of him in their transcripts. Although much “Blarney” has been attributed to the missionary, I see a humble man, who was a great servant for Jesus Christ.
Excerpts from Patrick's Confession letter:
This is my CONFESSION
"...I render thanks to God, Who has comforted me in all things, that He might not restrain me from the journey on which I had determined, nor from the work which I had learned from Christ my Lord...
"I have a Creator Who knew all things before they came to pass. Because I am very greatly a debtor to God, Who bestowed so great a grace upon me, that multitudes of people should, through me, be born unto God...
"... it becomes us to fish well and diligently, as the Lord admonishes and teaches us, saying: `Follow Me, and I will make you Fishers of men.' Therefore, it greatly behooves us to spread our nets, so that a numerous multitude and crowd may be taken for God, and there may be everywhere clergymen, who shall baptize and exhort the poor and needy people, as the Lord in the Gospel enjoins... `Go unto all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. Whosoever will believe and be baptized, shall be saved; but whosoever will not believe shall be condemned.' (Patrick did not have the KJV, when he wrote this. It did not exist at that time. E.L.B.)
"Whence, then, is it that in Ireland, those who never had knowledge, but always worshipped filthy idols, have somehow lately been made the people of the Lord, and are called the children of God?"...I see myself in the present world that am exalted above measure by God. And I was not worthy, nor such that He should perform this for me, since I know that poverty and calamity much better suit me than riches and delicacies.
"...This is my confession before I die." Patrick.
References:
Wikipedia
KJV Bible
St. Patrick was a Baptist, by John Summerfield Wimbish, D.D.
.jpg)
+003.jpg)
+001.jpg){kind=link}