04 — The Letter to Coroticus
The second of Patrick’s two genuine writings, and in some ways the more startling: a public letter of excommunication against the soldiers of a British warlord who had killed and enslaved Patrick’s newly-baptized Irish converts. The first file walks through the letter and its occasion; the second draws out what it reveals of Patrick’s conscience — a fifth-century bishop’s clear moral protest against the slave trade and against violence done to the baptized.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| against-the-slave-raider.md | The excommunication letter against Coroticus’s soldiers; the converts “still in their white garments”; the sale of Christians to the Picts and Scots; Patrick’s moral authority and his stance against slavery — by section |
| the-bishops-conscience.md | What the Epistola reveals of the working bishop and his conscience; the rhetoric of grief and judgment; Patrick the former slave who indicts a slave-raider |
See Also
- 01 — The Two Authentic Writings — the Epistola as one of the only two contemporary sources
- 03 — The Mission to Ireland — the converts the raid struck were the fruit of the mission
- 02 — The Spiritual Autobiography — the companion genuine writing
- Master README — the collection overview