Saint Patrick by Jonathan Rogers

I've heard lectures on Patrick, but hadn't read a biography before.  Rogers gives an overview of the political and historical situation, looking at everything we know about Patrick's life, and interpreting it in light of what we know about Patrick's world.  He also analyzes Patrick's surviving writings, his Confession, and a letter he wrote his superiors.

On the whole I  enjoyed his look at the historical context, and the Patrick legends he retells.  Also, I love that while the  Confession is available on the web, it (as well as the text of a letter written by Patrick) is in the book for easy reference!

While I mostly liked this book, I disliked his his characterization of Patrick as an "antiauthoritarian" "renegade".  Also, Rogers suggests Patrick may reveal "his own prejudices" by referring to the Picts as "blood-thirsty", "wicked, abandoned, and apostate."  Puzzlingly, he interprets this as Patrick dismissing them as hopeless despite having seen the Irish convert.  I disagree. He isn't calling them unsaveable, he's stating the obvious- these are violent barbarians. They need Christ, just like the Irish did.  As do we all.

(Thomas Nelson provided me with a complimentary copy of Saint Patrick to review via Booksneeze.)

 

(Oh, and there's an Online Reader's Guide available, too.)