The only true apostle of Ireland who more or less converted the country single-handed? or A Christian bishop from the embattled edge of a crumbling empire? All that can really be known of Patrick comes from his authentic writings - the Confessio and the Epistola (Address to the Soldiers of Coroticus). Thomas O'Loughlin's engaging yet scholarly reflections on these fifth-century texts lead us into a greater understanding of the mind of Patrick, the man, believer and missionary. Explanatory notes woven through the translations illuminate a very different world and time; it is not long before we realize, however, that Patrick's theology is no less relevant to our own. Includes a full index of biblical references