Palladius (bishop of Ireland)
Palladius | |
---|---|
Bishop of Ireland | |
Born | Early 5th century |
Died | 457–461 |
Venerated in | Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Anglican Communion |
Patronage | Leinster, Kincardineshire |
Palladius (fl. AD 408–431; died c. 457/461) was the first bishop of the Christians of Ireland, preceding Saint Patrick. It is possible that some elements of their life stories were later conflated in Irish tradition. Palladius was a deacon and member of one of the prominent families in Gaul. Pope Celestine I consecrated him a bishop and sent him to Ireland "to the Scotti believing in Christ".[1]
Armorica
The Palladii were thought to be amongst the most noble families of
Palladius was married and had a young daughter. He is described as a friend and younger kinsman by Namatianus. In Rome, he kissed his family goodbye in the manner of the Apostles, and lived as an ascetic in Sicily around 408/409, giving his daughter to a convent on that island. He seems to have been ordained as a priest around 415. He lived in Rome between 418–429,[citation needed] and appears to be the "Deacon Palladius", responsible for urging Pope Celestine I to send the bishop Germanus to Britain, where he guided "the Britons back to the Catholic faith."[4]
Prosper of Aquitaine describes Palladius as a deacon.[5] Butler and P.F. Moran say that Palladius was a Deacon of Rome, as it is unlikely that a deacon of Auxerre would exercise the influence in Rome that many have assigned to Palladius; and that it is in accordance with St Prosper's usage to indicate the Roman deacon by the simple title "diaconus."[2] Historian Kathleen Hughes regards it as more probable that he was a deacon of St Germanus, and that Germanus sent him to Rome,[6] where he received a commission from the Holy See for Germanus to travel to Britain in response to a request from the bishops there for assistance in combatting Pelagianism.[7]
Ireland
In 431, "Palladius, having been ordained by Pope Celestine, is sent as first bishop to the
Irish writers who chronicled the life of St Patrick state that St Palladius preached in Ireland before St Patrick, although he was soon banished by the
Scotland
According to
Death
His date of death is unknown; however, the Annals of Ulster contain the following references:
- 457 "Repose of the elder Patrick, as some books state"
- 461 "Here some record the repose of Patrick"
- 492 "The Irish state here that Patrick the Archbishop died."
- 493 "Patrick... apostle of the Irish, rested on the 16th day before the Kalends of April..."
Thus, it is possible that later writers confused Palladius and Patrick. If the earlier dates of 457/461 indeed refer to him, then it seems that the actual St Patrick died much later about 492/493. Patrick's mission was largely confined to Ulster and Connacht, while Palladius seems to have been active in Leinster, particularly in the area around Clonard.
The
See also
Notes
- ^ "Christianity in Ireland before Patrick". The Irish News. 21 January 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
- ^ a b c Moran, Patrick Francis Cardinal. "St. Palladius." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 30 Jan. 2013
- ^ Duff, J. Wight and A. M. Duff trans. (1922). Minor Latin Poets. Loeb Classical Library. pp. 782f.
- ^ Stokes, G.T., "Palladias, bishop of Ireland", Dictionary of Early Christian Biography, (Henry Wace, ed.), John Murray and Co., London, 1911
- ^ Patrologia Latina 51:594.
- ISBN 9780198217374, p. 302
- ^ a b Cusack, Margaret Anne, "Mission of St. Palladius", An Illustrated History of Ireland, Chapter VIII, 1868 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Entry for AD 431 Chronicle of Prosper of Aquitaine
- ^ Stalmans, Nathalie and T.M. Charles-Edwards. "Meath, saints of", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
- ^ a b Butler, Rev. Alban, "St Palladius, Bishop and Confessor, Apostle of the Scots", The Lives of the Saints, Vol.VII, 1866
- ^ "Muirchú's text in English (Transl. L. Bieler) | St. Patrick's Confessio".
Bibliography
- "New light on Palladius?", Peritia iv (1986), pp. 276–83.
- Ó Cróinín (2000). "Who was Palladius 'First Bishop of the Irish'?". .
- Vita tripartita Sancti Patricii (MS).
Further reading
- O'Rahilly, Thomas F. (1942). The Two Patricks: A Lecture on the History of Christianity in Fifth-Century Ireland. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.