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Great Debt
When St. Patrick's Day comes around, I emphasize the greatness of Patrick and the early Christian missionaries. It was they who abolished human sacrifice, freed the slaves, and introduced the Latin alphabet, Greco-Latin culture, and the Bible. The Irish remember Patrick as their Lincoln and their Bartolome de las Casas. They honor this Romanized Briton as one of the great teachers and missionaries of history. All peoples of the British Isles, indeed people around the globe, should recognize the very great debt western Europe owes to Irish Christianity. It was Patrick and his disciples who introduced the indigenous peoples of the far reaches of the British Isles to Christianity and a more humane civilization.

Richard Munro
Arvin, California

Saint Patrick's breastplate has brought my father so much comfort. I printed out the story of St. Patrick and the words of his breastplate to share with him. He came close to death this August as part of a complicated heart surgery, and this prayer brought him close to God.

Mary Baker
Ambler, Pennsylvania

Getting peoples straight
I have detected an error in the caption "Calendar Conflict" (page 39). King Oswy of Northumbria was not Celtic. He was a follower of the Celtic practices rather than the Roman, but ethnically he was not Irish, British (Welsh) or Dalriadan Scot. He was of Angle descent.

Stephen Pegler
Bannockburn, Illinois

There were six Celtic nations, and Cornwall, Wales, and Brittany are Brythonic-speaking. And the Galatians were almost certainly Celts. But the Celts were disparate and different tribes. Some tall with blue eyes and blonde hair, others short and dark with ruddy complexions. A motley crew indeed. And we don't know about the aboriginal races of Ireland and Britain—certainly there would have been intermarriage among them.

Cath Filmer-Davies
AOL

Timeline-plus
I've enjoyed your magazine and have always respected its blend of scholarly rigor and readability. But your Celtic timeline seems rather skewed towards Ireland. I would suggest a few more dates:

381 - Emperor Maximus removes legions from Britain.

410 - Rome tells Britain to fend for itself.

c. 700 - founding of the Culdee [Céle dé] movement in Tallaght

715 - Monastery of Iona accepts Roman practice of Easter

c. 730 - Welsh church accepts Roman practice of Easter

c. 1050 - Queen St. Margaret of Scotland discontinues Celtic practices among the Scots.

1627 - Last mention of a continuing Culdee community in Armagh

One thing that surprises many people is the very large Eastern Orthodox interest in Celtic Christianity. They are among the largest and most vocal voice on the Net.

Jack Horner
San Francisco, California

Pre-Patrick abolitionist
Mary Cagney (page 14) wrote, "He [Patrick] was, in fact, the first Christian to speak out strongly against the practice [of slavery]." He was certainly one of the first, but Gregory of Nyssa, who died just before Patrick was born, was also an outspoken opponent of slavery. In his Fourth Homily on Ecclesiastes, Gregory said, "[You say], 'I have bought male and female slaves.' Tell me, how much is your life worth? What have you found among the creatures that is as valuable as your human nature? How many cents did you pay for human reason? How many pence did you think God's image is worth? How many coins were you charged for the creature God has made?"

Matt Gunter
Glenview, Illinois

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