01 — Foundations
The source-critical bedrock of the whole collection. These two files establish the central fact of the subject — that Patrick is known from his own two authentic Latin writings and almost nothing else contemporary — and set out the dating problem and the “two Patricks” debate that govern everything downstream.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| the-two-authentic-writings.md | FLAGSHIP (§3.5): the Confessio and Epistola ad Coroticum as the only contemporary sources; the sources inventoried as dated artifacts; the dating problem (461 vs 493) and the “two Patricks” / Palladius chronology debate; the rules by which this collection writes |
| what-can-be-known.md | The secure minimum the two writings establish, set against what the legends supply but the genuine sources do not — the line drawn at its sharpest |
See Also
- 02 — The Confessio — the narrative the genuine Confessio supplies
- 05 — The Legends — the companion flagship: the later tradition sorted from the core
- 09 — Modern Scholarship — the works underwriting the source criticism
- Master README — the collection overview