Saint Patrick到底是何方神圣？

爱思英语编者按：你知道三叶草吗？你知道有这样的一个节日男人都争戴“绿帽”吗？每年的三月十七日,是著名的爱尔兰人的Saint Patrick's Day（圣帕特里克节），也就是他们的国庆日。随着爱尔兰后裔遍布世界各地，很多国家都开始庆祝这一节日，如美国、加拿大等。节日正式到来的前几天起，人们就开始戴着绿帽子，穿着绿衣服、佩戴三叶草，开始游行、狂欢。今天我们来追踪溯源，看看Saint Patrick有何魅力，让世人如此疯狂。

Who Was Saint Patrick?

Slave, traveler, evangelist, abolitionist, and saint. A scant 400 years after Jesus' birth, the priest known as Patrick took the Great Commission seriously, to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth by converting the frightening barbarians of that scary outpost known as Ireland. Dates and details of Patrick's life are somewhat ambiguous since written records from fifth-century Ireland are scarce. A lot of what we know comes from what little Patrick himself wrote, or from biographies written long after his time.

According to tradition, Saint Patrick was born Maewyn Succat in Britain (different sources say England, Scotland, or Wales) to Roman parents around AD 387. In his later ministry, he went by the name Patricius Daorbae which means "Patrick who was once a slave."

When he was around 16 years old, Patrick was kidnapped by Irish marauders who sold him into slavery to a Druid herdsman named Milchu. Patrick remained in Ireland for six years. During this time, Patrick learned the Celtic language and became acquainted with the practices of the Druids. He later wrote that he became close to God during this time and prayed every night for his deliverance. He ran away after hearing direction from an angel and walked 200 miles to catch a boat back to Britain. Afterward, Patrick was sent to France to begin his training for the priesthood despite the long break in his formal education. When he achieved priesthood, Patrick was assigned to Britain, but his dream was to return to Ireland to convert the pagans.

According to later biographers, his teachers recommended him to Pope Celestine I for a mission to Ireland, or it’s possible he left for Ireland on his own because of a vision. While Patrick was not the first Catholic bishop assigned to Ireland, he was the first who set a goal of converting the entire country. His predecessor Palladius was mainly concerned with ministering to the existing Irish Christian minority in the south and protecting them from the influence of the Druids. Celestine sent Patrick to Ireland in 428 or 432.

Patrick's first quest in Ireland was to see the slave owner of his youth, the Druid Milchu; not to seek revenge, but to convert him. Milchu heard the news of the priest's arrival in Ireland and he committed suicide by burning himself, his home, and his treasures before Patrick arrived. Sources of this story vary, with some saying Milchu killed himself out of fear that Patrick was seeking revenge. Others say Milchu was a proud Druid who preferred death to listening to the foreign gospel. In any case, Patrick was devastated.

Patrick's first church was in what is now County Down. He converted a Druid chieftain named Dichu who granted him a barn on a hill, or Sabhail (pronounced Saul), where Patrick founded a church.

The priest traveled from coast to coast in Ireland, visiting kings and chieftains, speaking their language and evangelizing. He confronted Druids and performed miracles by resisting their powers and escaping the several times he was taken prisoner. Patrick converted leaders and slaves alike, and founded churches in many corners of Ireland. One Easter, Patrick and his followers started a fire early in the morning near Tara. The local law forbade anyone starting a fire before the king did, so King Laoghaire and his Druid priest faced off with Patrick, who did not back down but told those present of his powerful God. As the story goes, a Druid magician challenged Patrick to a trial by fire, which led to the magician's death.

Patrick was especially proud of bringing Christianity to Ulster in the northern part of Ireland, and founded the Cathedral of Armagh, which still stands on a hill he selected.

Odhran, St. Patrick's charioteer, became a martyr by saving the bishop's life. Odhran heard a rumor of an assassination, and persuaded Patrick to change jobs with him on the appointed day as a special favor. Unaware of the threat, Patrick granted his wish, and Odhran was attacked and killed.

Patrick was one of the first people in the history of the world to publicly denounce the institution of slavery. Slaves had no voice—those in power owned slaves, and the church didn't condemn slavery for another thousand years. Patrick, however, had been there, done that, and his identification with the downtrodden helped him convert those who were ignored by the powers that be. He was also an early feminist, actively evangelizing women in an age when many missionaries discounted or feared them. His activities in this area may have led to some trouble with the Catholic church, which led to Patrick writing his extensive Confessio.

Croagh Patrick, or St. Patrick's Mountain, was his refuge and purgatory. It was on this hill that Patrick fasted and prayed for 40 days straight for the people of Ireland. He pleaded to God for special treatment for the Irish on judgment day. The hill became a pilgrimage site, and gold was discovered there in the 1980s, but is not mined.

Later in life, Patrick retired to his first church, Sabhail. He wished to die at Armagh, but a vision told him to stop his journey and return to Saul and remain there. St. Patrick died in 463 or 491 or some year on March 17th, which became his feast day, as is the custom for saints, although St. Patrick was never officially canonized by the Vatican, as his sainthood predated formal canonization.

人物简介：

爱尔兰主保圣人——圣帕特里克（约385-461）出生在威尔士，少年时被绑架到爱尔兰成为奴隶，后来逃走。他冒着生命危险回到爱尔兰传播基督教，成为爱尔兰主教。

直到 16 岁的时候，他一直感觉自己是个不信奉主的人，更谈不上成为一个圣徒。碰巧这个时候，他的村庄遭到一伙强盗的抢劫，他自己也被卖作了奴隶。在那段被囚困的艰难日子里，他和主的关系开始慢慢变得亲近起来。6 年以后，他逃了出来，到了盖尔的一所修道院，跟随杰门神父 - 奥克瑞的主教学习了 12 年。在这段岁月里，他清楚地意识到他的使命，那就是让更多不信上帝的人 成为基督徒。于是，他产生了一种强烈的想要回到爱尔兰的冲动，他希望让自己的同胞都信奉上帝，但他的修道院长却聘请了派拉多神父，直到两年以后派拉多去了苏格兰。帕特克 ( 他很早就开始用的一个教名 ) 才被聘请为第二任爱尔兰主教。

帕特克传教非常成功，这也激怒了盖尔凯特督伊德教的祭司。他们多次把帕特克逮捕入狱，但每次帕特克都成功地逃了出来。他传教的足迹遍布爱尔兰，在全国主持修建了很多修道院。他还兴建了很多学校和教堂，这些帮助他完成了 “ 使整个爱尔兰民族信仰耶稣基督 ”的理想。

圣帕特里克节

终其一生圣者帕特里克都留在爱尔兰，把宗教的光芒带到岛上的每个角落，建立教堂和学校教育人民，在爱尔兰有许多教堂和学校都以他命名。因此爱尔兰人为了纪念这个守护着他们的圣者，就以他去世的日子三月十七日，订为爱尔兰最重要的节日之一"圣帕特里克节" (另一种说法是公元432年，圣帕特里克受教皇派遣前往爱尔兰劝说爱尔兰人皈依天主教。他从威克洛上岸后，当地愤怒的异教徒企图用石头将他砸死。但圣帕特里克临危不惧，当即摘下一棵三叶酢浆草，形象地阐明了圣父、圣子、圣灵三位一体的教义。他雄辩的演说使爱尔兰人深受感动，接受了圣帕特里克主施的隆重洗礼。公元493年3月17日，圣帕特里克逝世，爱尔兰人为了纪念他，将这一天定为"圣帕特里克节")。

这一节日5世纪末期起源于爱尔兰，如今已成为爱尔兰的国庆节。随着爱尔兰后裔遍布世界各地，现在，圣帕特里克节已经渐渐在一些国家成为节日。美国从1737年3月17日开始庆祝。圣帕特里克节的传统颜色为绿色。