Lorica of St. Patrick
The above image is a cuirass, part of the armor of a Greek warrior. The piece is on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The image is in the Public Domain.
In antient Rome, the soldiers protected themselves with armor made of leather or metal. One of their coverings was a cuirass—a piece of armor which covered their bodies from neck to waist. The Latin word for this piece of armor was—and is—lorica (pronounced “low-RIE-ca”).
In the Irish monastic tradition, the monks and nuns recited prayers of protection, in which the petitioner invoked all the power of God as a safeguard against evil in its many forms. This type of prayer was also called a Lorica.
The idea behind the prayer style may derive from Ephesians 6:10-18, where the Apostle Paul urges the reader to put on the full armor of God so they could stand against the schemes of the devil. In Ephesians 6:14, the Greek word θώραξ (thórax) translates to Latin as “lorica” and translates to English as “breastplate.”
One Lorica prayer is attributed to St. Patrick, the 5th-century bishop, and patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick’s prayer has been called the “Lorica of St. Patrick” and “St. Patrick’s Breastplate.” This prayer is written in the style of the earlier druidic incantations for protection on a journey.
According to legend, Saint Patrick composed the prayer in the year 433. Patrick and his followers planned to travel to the Hill of Tara, the inauguration place and seat of the High Kings of Ireland. There Patrick would preach the Gospel. But he was aware that the druids planned an ambush to kill him and his group. During their march, Patrick and the group chanted the prayer. And as the druids lay in hiding, waiting to strike, they did not see Patrick and his followers, but instead saw a gentle doe and twenty fawns.
The oldest copy of the full prayer text is found in an 11th-century collection of hymns. In 1864, James Henthorn Todd translated the old Irish text. Todd’s translation is included below. In old Irish, the first five sections of the prayer begin atomruig indiu ("I bind unto myself today"), followed by a list of sources of strength that the prayer calls on for support.
The prayer text is conventionally divided into eleven sections:
- invocation of the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit).
- invocation of Christ's baptism, death, resurrection, ascension and future return on the last day.
- invocation of the virtues of angels, patriarchs, saints and martyrs.
- invocation of the virtues of the natural world: the sun, fire, lightning, wind, etc.
- invocation of various aspects of God – his wisdom, his eye, his ear, his hand, etc.
- lists of the things against which protection is required, including false prophets, heathens, heretics, witches and wizards (druids)
- brief invocation of Christ for protection
- repeated invocation of Christ to be ever present (Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, etc.)
- continuation of the theme of Christ within every man
- repetition of the first verse
- short stanza in Latin (invoking Psalm 3:8, "Salvation is the Lord's")
1. I bind to myself to-day,
The strong power of the invocation of the Trinity:
The faith of the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the elements.
2. I bind to myself to-day,
The power of the Incarnation of Christ, with that of his Baptism,
The power of the Crucifixion with that of his Burial,
The power of the Resurrection, with the Ascension,
The power of the coming of the Sentence of Judgement.
3. I bind to myself to-day,
The power of the love of Seraphim,
In the obedience of Angels,
(In the service of Archangels,)
In the hope of Resurrection unto reward,
In the prayers of the noble Fathers,
In the predictions of the Prophets,
In the preaching of Apostles,
In the faith of Confessors,
In purity of Holy Virgins,
In the acts of Righteous Men.
4. I bind to myself to-day,
The power of Heaven,
The light of the Sun,
(The whiteness of Snow,)
The force of Fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The velocity of Wind,
The depth of the Sea,
The stability of the Earth,
The hardness of Rocks.
5. I bind to myself to-day,
The Power of God to guide me,
The Might of God to uphold me,
The Wisdom of God to teach me,
The Eye of God to watch over me,
The Ear of God to hear me,
The Word of God to give me speech,
The Hand of God to protect me,
The Way of God to prevent me,
The Shield of God to shelter me,
The Host of God to defend me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the temptations of vices,
Against the (lusts) of nature,
Against every man who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
With few or with many.
6. I have set around me all these powers,
Against every hostile savage power
Directed against my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths and druids,
Against all knowledge that binds the soul of man.
7. Christ, protect me to-day
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.
8. Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
(Christ in the fort,
Christ in the chariot-seat,
Christ in the mighty stern.)
9. Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks to me,
Christ in the eye of every man that sees me,
Christ in the ear of every man that hears me.
10. I bind to myself to-day,
The strong power of an invocation of the Trinity,
The faith of the Trinity in Unity
The Creator of the Elements.
11. (Salvation is the Lord's
Salvation is the Lord's
Salvation is Christ's
May thy salvation, Lord, be always with us!
Amen.)
In 1889, hymnwriter and poet Cecil Frances Alexander wrote a hymn based on the prayer at the request of H. H. Dickinson, Dean of the Chapel Royal at Dublin Castle. Alexander wrote prose to adapt the text to an even meter while maintaining the meaning and significance of the original text.
I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;*
I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.
Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.
Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
* Note: In the second section, "day of doom" is an Old English term meaning "Day of Judgment.”
Recent scholarship suggests the author of the prayer may be anonymous. Regardless, the prayer reflects the spirit with which St. Patrick brought the Gospel to the people of Ireland.
-
Comments
Post a Comment