St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography. Philip Freeman. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2005.
The book by Philip Freeman takes the reader deeper into the life and times of St. Patrick of Ireland than any previous publication has been able to do. Freeman's thesis is that there have previously been many unknowns about St. Patrick and the author was determined to solve those mysteries as thoroughly as he could. The work was written based on Freeman's passion to truly understand and share his knowledge of St. Patrick to readers around the world. Bringing St. Patrick's fascinating life into a well-thought-out narrative was a valuable historical service for Freeman. The purpose of this book review is to present a realistic portrait of St. Patrick, the saint after whom a special day is designated -- and while millions of people celebrate St. Patrick's Day, very few are likely to know anything at all about the man.
Brief Summary of the Book
After five hundred years of ruling the known world, the Roman Empire fell in A.D. 410, but England remained a Roman colony, and Ireland remained a wild society that used slaves, many of them captured in Britain and brought through the Irish Sea to Ireland. A fifteen-year-old upper class Roman citizen in Britain -- who had committed a horrific sin that was never revealed -- was kidnapped by the Irish and taken back to Ireland where he was sold into slavery. This was the beginning of the book. After six years in slavery (tending sheep) in Ireland he believe he heard God tell him he must return to England, so he escaped and returned to England but in time -- after becoming drawn to Christianity and hearing a call -- Patrick returned to Ireland where he began to serve as a missionary to Irish people who were pagans or at least had no religion. He built his reputation on that foundation and went on to become renowned, respected, and ultimately was made a saint.
Extensive Critique of Book's Strengths and Weaknesses
For the son of wealthy, educated parents, who was kidnapped and caught up slavery in Ireland, and then experienced freedom back in England -- and upon returning to Ireland (where he had been a slave) he began spread the Christian Gospel -- this is a rather amazing story. And the telling of the story without over-writing or exaggerated narrative for the most part is a major strength of the book. The author covers as much information as he could...
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