St. Patrick’s Breastplate

St. Patrick’s Breastplate is one of the great hymns of the church, sung especially for Saint Patrick’s Day, on Trinity Sunday, and at baptisms, confirmations, and ordinations. It is an Old Irish prayer of protection called a lorica, and the text is attributed to St. Patrick or his followers in early Celtic monasticism. Literally, lorica is the Latin term for body armor, thus the title “Saint Patrick’s Breastplate.” Cecil Alexander translated the prayer into an English hymn in 1889, and since then, it has also been known by its first line: “I bind unto myself today.”

Musically, this is one of the more challenging hymns to sing, not only because it is long but also because it contains multiple tunes: ST PATRICK for “binding verses,” but then DIERDRE for the “Christ be with me” verses. Some who encounter the hymn for the first time find it disorienting or even objectionable, but others receive this very strangeness as a part of its appeal and its power. This is an ancient prayer that reverberates across time, a witness to the strength of the Trinitarian God in every generation.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1

For Saint Patrick, the Trinity is not so much an abstract doctrine in need of explanation as it is the very character of God to be applied to our lives. That is why he seeks to bind the Trinity to himself:

I bind unto myself today
The strong name of the Trinity
By invocation of the same
The Three in One, and One in Three.

The language here is reminiscent of the great commission in Matthew, where Jesus sends the apostles to make disciples of the nations, “baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). As the Trinitarian name graced our baptism, in this hymn we apply it to ourselves once again, inviting God’s grace and protection for today.

Verse 2

Within this Trinitarian strength, the second verse applies the incarnation of the Son:

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 spiced tomb
His riding up the heavenly way
His coming at the day of doom
I bind unto myself today.

This verse, of course, sounds much like the early Creeds of the church, which similarly emphasized Jesus Christ’s life, death, resurrection, ascension, and second coming. An additional detail included here is Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River, which picks up on the Trinitarian significance of Jesus’ baptism and our own.

Verse 3

The third verse focuses on the holy creatures of God:

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of cherubim
The sweet “Well done” in judgment hour
The service of the seraphim
Confessor’s faith, apostle’s word
The patriarch’s prayers the prophets scrolls
All good deeds done unto the Lord
And purity of virgin souls.

This verse references angels and saints from across the full sweep of time. The reference to cherubim recalls the angels at the Garden of Eden, the patriarchs and prophets represent the people of God in the Old Testament, the apostles represent the New Testament, the confessors and virgins represent the church, and the seraphim and the spoken “Well done” point to judgment at the end of time. Thus, in this verse, we bind to ourselves the communion of the saints in heaven and on earth, which provides strength in even the most challenging of circumstances.

Verse 4

The fourth verse focuses on God’s natural creation:

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heav’n
The glorious sun’s life-giving ray
The whiteness of the moon and 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.

The natural imagery here, so typical of Celtic spirituality, recalls the Biblical creation stories in Genesis, Job, and the Psalms. Job 38-39 details the mystery of God’s creation in the beginning, and Psalm 148 speaks to the praise that every natural creature gives unto God. This verse also speaks of the “virtues” that we find in creation and thus suggests that we humans can use these virtues to our created purpose, as instructed in Genesis 1, to “fill the earth, subdue it, and take dominion” (Genesis 1:28-29).

Verse 5

The fifth verse returns to the attributes of God himself:

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.

Notice the bodily references to God’s eye, ear, hand, and shield. Of course, Christians understand that God is a spirit and, therefore, without a body, but the scriptures speak metaphorically of God’s body parts to communicate his character. This verse does the same, pointing to God’s capacity to watch, listen, guide, and protect. This power is exercised in the Christian life by the Holy Spirit, who leads us in prayer, protects us from evil, comforts us in affliction, and strengthens us for service. Moreover, the reference to God’s wisdom and his Word brings us back to God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who is the focus of the next verse.

Verse 6

This sixth verse is sung to a different tune and often more slowly to underscore Christ’s significance.

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.

There are two key details to see here. First, the direct address to Christ and the repetition of his name. To this point, the hymn has been speaking about God but not to him. But here, at the mystical core of the hymn, we speak directly to God in Christ.

Second, we apply Christ to every point of ourselves, both outside in every direction and also inside of ourselves and inside everyone we engage. David Adam says this is a “weaving of the Presence around our lives like the Celtic patterns on stones and in the illuminated Gospels: Christ moves in and out, over and under” (from The Edge of Glory: Prayers in the Celtic Tradition).

Verse 7

The seventh verse concludes the hymn with a return to the explicit discussion of the Trinity:

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.

The final verse recapitulates the first and then situates the same Trinity as being present and revealed in Creation, as Father, Spirit, and Word. We know this truth of the Trinity in Creation because of Christ, who saves us. Thus, the final lines praise the Lord for his salvation and assert the fundamental claim of the faith: “Salvation is of Christ the Lord.”

In conclusion, St. Patrick’s Breastplate is a mysterious and deeply moving hymn to the Trinity through the salvation of Christ. Though we are faced with many dangers, insecurities, temptations, and evils in this life, through Christ, we may put on the Trinity as spiritual armor, confident in the hope of our Lord.

Evil Empire

On this day in 1983, Ronald Reagan stood before the 41st Annual Convention of the National Association of Evangelicals in The Sheraton Twin Towers in Orlando and made history. In his speech Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as an “Evil Empire” and “the focus of evil in the modern world”. Staffers repeatedly cut the phrase from his speech leading up to the keynote address, however, Reagan left in it and the rest is history. Courage under fire.

3/8/1983 President Reagan addresses the Annual Convention of the National Association of Evangelicals (“Evil Empire” speech) in Orlando Florida

Evangelical Bible Translation Survey

These are the results of the question: “Which translation do you use most often? (there were approximately 1400 responses). The NASB figure represents all 4 forms of the NASB 77,95,20,LSB. We are extremely grateful to be able to publish all of these (except the NRSV) – and hope to publish others in the future: (our hope is the RVR-60). Feel free to comment below with thoughts.

History of the English Bible Timeline

1,400 BC: The first written Word of God: The Ten Commandments delivered to Moses.

500 BC: Completion of All Original Hebrew Manuscripts which make up The 39 Books of the Old Testament.

200 BC: Completion of the Septuagint Greek Manuscripts which contain The 39 Old Testament Books AND 14 Apocrypha Books.   Septuagent (LXX) – Greek translation of the Hebrew.  72 Jewish scholars translated in 72 days in Alexandria.   Reminiscent of the 72 elders with Moses in the presence of the lord (Exodus 24:9-11.  The very first translation of the Hebrew Bible was made into Greek, probably as early as the third century BC. This, the so-called Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, is traditionally dated to the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Egypt (285-246 BC).

1st Century: Completion of All Original Greek Manuscripts which make up The 27 Books of the New Testament.

185-254: Origen Hexapla (Sixfold) – This book is one of the earliest examples of textual criticism and scholarly apologetics, as well as a true interlinear Bible. The Hexapla is formatted in six columns: one column of Hebrew text in parallel with five columns of various Greek translations. Origen’s purpose in compiling this was to counter Gnostic and Jewish attacks on early Christianity. This work also provided Christians with a comprehensive guide to the Old Testament. The original is estimated to have been more than 6,500 pages long and took more than 28 years to complete.  Lost between 4th and 7th centuries.  Only fragments exist today. 

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“Target Acquired” Series 001: Pastor Robert Morris, Dallas / Fort Worth

The latest internet and television huckster and charlatan Robert Morgan recently used Matthew 23:23 to strongarm his followers to “tithe”.

Robert Morris has made millions by preaching lies and deceiving people into thinking they have to tithe and give money to his church. He is a false teacher and a phony. In this video false teacher Robert Morris tricks his gullible audience into thinking that Jesus commanded Christians to tithe. He ignores the context of Jesus words and his audience just has no idea because they don’t read their bibles. If the church he was preaching to read their bibles for themselves they would be able to see that Jesus was speaking to the scribes and Pharisees and the scribes and Pharisees were Jews living in the promised land under the Old Covenant. Even a child could see this but no one in Robert Morris’s church seems to realize this. Why? Because they are spiritually lazy and won’t study the Bible for themselves. Instead they rely on false teachers like Robert Morris.

Romans 4:20 – Failure of Faith

There are six New Testament expressions that trace the decline of faith in an individual.

BEFORE a person is saved, he may have:
1) “vain faith” or belief in the wrong doctrine (1Cor 15:14-17)
2) “dead faith” or belief in orthodox doctrine without personal belief in Christ (James 2:19-20)

AFTER a person is saved, he can experience the following varieties of faith:
1) a kind of unbelief – experienced by the believers who fail to accept the whole work of Christ (Mark 16:11-14)
2) “little faith” – a mixture of faith and unbelief (Mark 7:26)
3) “weak faith” – referring to belief expressed as mere legalism (Rom 14:1)
4) “strong faith” – faith that is rooted in the promises of God (v. 20)

Illustration: As Christians mature, they should grow in faith. This was the experience of Abraham. Early in his pilgrimage with God, he could not trust God to protect him in Egypt. This was “weak faith” (Gen 12:10-20). He was later able to trust God, in sacrificing his son Issac. This was “strongfaith” (Heb 11:17-19)

Application: The Chrisitan life is a continual growing adventure in faith. (Gen 15:6, Rom 4:20, cf Rom 8:16)