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Muirchú moccu Machtheni (), usually known simply as Muirchú, (born sometime in the seventh century) was a monk and
historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...
from
Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
. He wrote the , known in English as '' The Life of Saint Patrick'', one of the first accounts of the fifth-century saint, and which credits Patrick with the
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of
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
in advance of the spread of
monasticism Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Chr ...
. This work was dedicated to Bishop Aedh of Slébte, who was also the one who suggested the biography be written, and was the patron for the work.Ludwig Bieler, ed.,''The Patrician Texts in the Book of Armagh'', (Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies 1979), p. 1. Muirchú's work is of little historical value in relation to the distant fifth century, but is a useful source for the time in which he lived and how Patrick was viewed in the seventh century.


Life

Muirchú was possibly a member of the Tuath Mochtaine clan, who resided on Mag Macha, the Armagh plain. Ludwig Bieler believes this can be seen through Muirchú's recorded last name, Machtheni. Muirchú, along with Bishop Aedh, is recorded to have been among the ecclesiastics who attended the Synod of Birr in 697 A.D. Their attendance at the Synod suggests that the two were concerned with the unification of the two churches in Ireland, the southern and northern churches, Romani and the Hibernenses, who had various differing customs and some opposing ideas on religious matters.


The ''Vita sancti Patricii''

Muirchú's ''Vita sancti Patricii'' only survives in four copies, none of which are complete versions, and some of which are only fragments. There are three partial versions of the ''Vita'' that survive in Europe and one in Ireland. The incomplete copy in Library at
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(Cap 77) was copied sometime in the thirteenth century, another incomplete copy at Bibliothèque Royal in
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(Reg.64) appears to have been copied in the 11th century, and the two fragments at the Nationalbibliothek (Ser. Nov 3642) in
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are recorded in insular
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script dating to the later eighth century. The version that survived in Ireland was contained within a manuscript called '' The Book of Armagh'' (Dublin, Trinity College, Ms.52), which contains most important later traditions about Patrick and dates from the second half of the seventh century.R.P.C Hanson, ''Saint Patrick: His Origins and Career'', (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968), 75. The biography about Saint Patrick written by Muirchú is just one of many documents relating to Saint Patrick contained within this book. The manuscript was copied in the year 807, shortly after the ''Vita Patricii'' was written, and is likely the most authentic version. However, due to the incompleteness of all four surviving copies, scholars have found it difficult to piece together a comprehensible version of the ''Vita''. We can summarise from what is written in Muirchu's prologue to the ''Vita'' that it was the Bishop of Sletty, Aedh, who encouraged Muirchú to write, eventually commissioning and sponsoring the writing of the manuscript.Hanson, ''Saint Patrick: His Origins and Career'', 78. Muirchú also informs his readers in the prologue that nobody else had attempted to write a similar kind of text except for his father Cogitosus. The term used is that Cogitosus was his “father,” but it is generally agreed upon by scholars that this was a figurative term, meaning spiritual father or spiritual companion. Muirchú is most certainly referring to the same Cogitosus who wrote a hagiographical ''Life of St. Bridget'' in the earlier seventh century. If Muirchú is to be believed, this would make him one of the earliest Irish hagiographers of any saint, second to Cogitosus. Muirchú's written sources for his writings included Patrick's own ''Confessio'' and ''Epistola''. The first part of the ''Vita'' is certainly based on the ''Confessio'', and on a narrative of Saint Patrick's stay in
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. Following the pre-Christian tradition of oral teachings and storytelling, Muirchú likely got information from some
oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...
s as well. Muirchú also mentions that he used material composed by Bishop Ultán. Muirchú was aware that his sources might not always be reliable, as he was writing fairly long after Patrick's death, but made an attempt to tell the story of Patrick's life as best he could with the available sources.McCreary, ''Saint Patrick's City: The Story of Armagh'', 23. The ''Vita'' is a hagiography, written to tell the life story of a
Saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
, but also including events that may have simply been added to make the Saint seem more impressive. Muirchú writes in a more fluent style than Patrick had in his works, which were notably written in what was considered bad Latin, but not as polished as Cogitosus’ Latin. This is not to say with certainty that Muirchú was less educated, because there is a slight possibility that the ''Book of Armagh'' did not reproduce the ''Vita Patricii'' properly. Latin was almost always the second language of Irish monks unless they came from outside Ireland, so the discrepancies between the three authors could also be contributed to this. Muirchú is also seen to quote books other than the bible, including classical authors such as
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and Sedulius, again alluding to the fact that he was clearly very well educated by monastic standards.


The ''Vita sancti Patricii'' as a work of literature

Many scholars argue that the ''Vita sancti Patricii'' should be seen as a piece of literature, usually falling into the category of hagiography. This is often attributed to the contrast between Patrick's own writings and Muirchú's, because there are parts that vary to a fair degree. The beginning of the ''Vita'' generally follows along the same lines as Patrick's accounts of his life, but after the scenes where Patrick escapes from Ireland and returns to Britain, it takes a different turn. Muirchú added on to Patrick's outline of his life, stating that the Saint, after he left Britain for the second time, intended to travel to
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but instead stayed with Germanus in
Auxerre Auxerre ( , , Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Auchoirre'') is the capital (Prefectures in France, prefecture) of the Yonne Departments of France, department and the fourth-largest city in the Burgundy historical region southeast of Par ...
for many years, and it was in Auxerre that he heard of the mission to convert Ireland and decided to return. The lack of evidence in Patrick's writings for certain events that take place in the ''Vita'' indicates Muirchú's was enhancing Patrick's life and adding new events to make Patrick's tale seem more impressive. Similar to a piece of literature, the ''Vita Patricii'' contains two climaxes, suggesting that Muirchú added these for dramatic effect. Muirchú also uses an interesting stylistic device in which he places the current event he is discussing in between two biblical quotes. This is to mark the beginning and end of passages within the ''Vita''. The frequent appearance of miracles in the ''Vita'' also attests to its classification as a piece of literature, in the form of hagiography. There are several incidents in which Patrick is seen to have a miraculous or divine nature. One particular episode in which Saint Patrick drinks from a poisoned cup but is unharmed, shows him to be almost supernatural and above death. The inspiration for this type of event is Biblical, from the end of Mark's gospel, and demonstrates Muirchú's in-depth knowledge of the biblical stories. Patrick is also seen as being able to raise the dead in the ''Vita,'' which gives him a miraculous,
Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...
-like quality. In these events Patrick is portrayed as a kind of medieval superhero and saint who could perform miracles and challenge evil forces. Patrick's dedication to converting
pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...
Ireland is seen through many events in the ''Vita'', and this dedication was no doubt shared by all monastics, Muirchú included. Muirchú's desires for a solely
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
Ireland are compatible with Patrick's and appear to be integrated into his portrayal of the character of Patrick.


''Vita sancti Patricii'' and the Church of Armagh

The second half of the seventh century say an outburst of literary activity related to Patrick. Alongside Muirchú's ''Vita Patricii'' we have
Tírechán Tírechán was a 7th-century Ireland, Irish bishop from north Connacht, specifically the Killala Bay area, in what is now County Mayo. Background Based on a knowledge of Irish customs of the times, historian Terry O’Hagan has concluded that T ...
's near contemporaneous ''Collectanea'' as well as other works such as the '' Liber Angeli''. These are preserved in the
Book of Armagh The ''Book of Armagh'' or Codex Ardmachanus (ar or 61) (), also known as the ''Canon of Patrick'' and the ''Liber Ar(d)machanus'', is a 9th-century Irish art, Irish illuminated manuscript written mainly in Latin. It is held by the Library of Tri ...
. These texts, and particularly Muirchú's ''Vita Patricii'', are often thought to have been written to promote the ambitions of
Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...
as the prime church in Ireland. Armagh held a powerful position in the Irish church from the early
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
onward. There are no sources earlier than Muirchú and Tírechán's works that suggest Patrick had a special connection with Armagh.Nicholas Boyter Aitchison, ''Armagh and the Royal Centres in Early Medieval Ireland: Monuments, Cosmology, and the Past'', (Rochester, N.Y: Published for Cruithne Press by Boydell and Brewer, 1994), 201. This goal of making Armagh head of the church is evident throughout the entire ''Vita'', where numerous references are made to Armagh. Most scholars agree that this was an attempt to compete with Cogitosus and his attempts to establish
Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare Cathedral, historically the site of an important abbey said to have been founded by Saint ...
as head of the church. Cogitosus had written a ''Vita Brigitae'', much in the same style as Muirchú's ''Vita'' where he had claimed that Kildare (through Brigit) was the head church in Ireland. Hagiographies were often used to contest supremacy for their separate churches. According to Muirchú, Patrick founded his main church at Armagh, and stated in his work that Armagh was beloved by Patrick. In the ''Vita'', Muirchú writes that Patrick intended to die in Armagh, and though an angel convinced him not to specifically go there, the angel stated that Patrick's ‘pre-eminence’ would be at Armagh. Monastics were eager to crush any connections to pre-Christian pagan religions, and Armagh was home to various important pre-Christian sites. Foremost, Armagh was located close to the important pre-Christian site, Emain Macha (The Twins of Macha), a place steeped in mythological lore and associated with the goddess, or figure of Macha. By establishing Armagh as head of the church, it was an attempt to replace and reclaim the land from this, and any other pagan associations. Hughes’ ''Early Christian Ireland'' notes that Patrick set up his church in
Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
, a province that still must have spread over much of
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, and contained Armagh.Hughes, ''Early Christian Ireland'', 230. Bishop Aedh, the patron of the ''Vita'', was originally from the
Irish midlands The Midland Region (coded IE063) is a Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, NUTS Level III NUTS 3 statistical regions of the Republic of Ireland, statistical region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It consists of the territory of the C ...
but had moved to Armagh. Bishop Aedh had then merged his church with the Paruchia Patricii (the confederation of Patrician churches) in Armagh anytime from 661 to 668. Aedh as patron of the ''Vita'' must have had some say in what underlying messages were written into the ''Vita'', and Muirchú's companionship with Aedh could have led him to want to help establish Armagh as an important center. Hughes also believes that Muirchú presents Patrick not only as the founder of a church in Ulster but as a missionary, who was accepted by the Ui Néill, the dominant power in Northern Ireland in Muirchú's time. That being said, in the ''Vita'', Muirchú confines Patrick's activities to the north-east of Ireland, and more specifically, in the second part of the ''Vita'', his activities are mainly confined to the province of Ulster.


Using the ''Vita sancti Patricii'' to encourage conversion

Another popular belief among scholars is that Muirchú wrote the ''Vita Patricii'' to encourage conversion. Thomas O’Loughlin argues that it is clear that Muirchú was not only aware of what steps needed to be taken to convince people to convert, but had a deep theological understanding of it and the processes it would take. Hughes also mentions that Muirchú's writings clearly indicate that the Ui Néill, the dominant political power at that time, owed their conversion to Christianity to Patrick. O’Loughlin suggests that the aim of Muirchú in the ''Vita'' was to send a message to his audience; that they had seen the truth of Christianity through Patrick's efforts and that they could still rely on him in his saint form as they had when he lived. By having their own saint, in the sense that Patrick's actions were centred in Ireland, the Irish Christians would have had a lasting figure to rely on as an intermediary to God. By portraying that Patrick had convinced the Ui Néill to become Christians, other Irish people may have been inspired to follow suit if the powerful family's path, possibly to gain more powerful positions and favours that may not have been granted to those who were not Christian.


Lasting effects of Muirchú’s work

Use of the ''Vita sancti Patricii'' for all three previously stated reasons is generally agreed on by scholars. Muirchú was an initiator of Irish hagiography, and the ''Vita'' provides one of the earliest examples of hagiography in Ireland, a model for a tradition that would endure for many centuries to come. Muirchú's work would go on to influence later Lives of Patrick, such as the '' Vita tripartita Sancti Patricii''. Though very little is known about Muirchú's life, his education background and his desire to help spread Christianity throughout Ireland and encourage conversions can be seen through the ''Vita Patricii''. Moreover, through examining Muirchú's text it is possible to see an example of what opinions an early Irish Christian had and how he might have imagined his own religious history.O’Loughlin, “Muirchu's Theology of Conversion in His Vita Patricii,” 137. Like the figure of Saint Patrick that Muirchú wrote about, Muirchú was also eager to help with the conversion process, and his desires are reflected in the ''Vita sancti Patricii'' through his historic and literary figure.


See also

*
Tírechán Tírechán was a 7th-century Ireland, Irish bishop from north Connacht, specifically the Killala Bay area, in what is now County Mayo. Background Based on a knowledge of Irish customs of the times, historian Terry O’Hagan has concluded that T ...
*
Book of Armagh The ''Book of Armagh'' or Codex Ardmachanus (ar or 61) (), also known as the ''Canon of Patrick'' and the ''Liber Ar(d)machanus'', is a 9th-century Irish art, Irish illuminated manuscript written mainly in Latin. It is held by the Library of Tri ...


References


Bibliography

* *Aitchison, Nicholas Boyter. ''Armagh and the Royal Centres in Early Medieval Ireland: Monuments, Cosmology, and the Past''. Rochester, N.Y: Published for Cruithne Press by Boydell and Brewer, 1994. * *Bieler, Ludwig, edited. ''The Patrician Texts in the Book of Armagh''. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1979. *De Paor, Liam. ''Saint Patrick's World: The Christian Culture of Ireland's Apostolic Age''. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 1993. *Falaky Nagy, Joseph. ''Conversing With Angels and Ancients: Literary Myths of Medieval Ireland''. Icatha, N.Y: Cornell University Press, 1997. *Hanson, R.P.C. ''Saint Patrick: His Origins and Career''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968. *Hood, A. (trans.) (1978) ''St Patrick : his writings and Muirchu's "Life"'' London: Phillimore. *Howlett, David. ''The Celtic Latin Tradition of Biblical Style.'' Blackrock, Co. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 1995 *Hughes, Kathleen. ''Early Christian Ireland: Introduction to the Sources''. London : Sources of History Ltd, Hodder and Stoughton, 1972. *McCreary, Alf. ''Saint Patrick's City: The Story of Armagh''. Belfast: The Blackstaff Press, 2001. * * *O’Loughlin, Thomas. “Muirchu's Theology of Conversion in His Vita Patricii,” in ''Celts and Christians: New Approaches to the Religious Traditions of Britain and Ireland''. Edited by Mark Atherton. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2002. *Staunton, Michael. ''Voice of the Irish: The Story of Christian Ireland''. Mahwah, N.J: HiddenSpring Press, 2003. * *Walsh, John R. and Thomas Bradley. ''A History of the Irish Church 400–700 A.D''. Blackrock, Co. Dublin: The Columba Press, 1991.


External links


St Patrick's Confessio HyperStack
The website provides Muirchú's Life of Saint Patrick in original Latin and in an English translation, as well as images of all Patrician Texts in the Book of Armagh. {{DEFAULTSORT:Muirchu Moccu Machtheni Irish Christian monks Medieval Irish historians 7th-century Irish writers Irish writers in Latin 7th-century writers in Latin 7th-century historians