Several times, Patrick uses the word “fear” in adjunct with a seemingly contradictory word that directs the meaning of “fear” away from what we might normally expect. He asserts, for example, that God called upon him to “faithfully serve, ‘with fear and reverence’...” (Davies & O’Laughlin 70). Soon after he discusses how “more and more, the love of God and fear of Him grew” in him (Davies & O’Laughlin 71). And perhaps the most significant of all his uses of the word, Patrick’s ending address to his reader is a prayer “for anyone who believes in, and fears, God” (Davies & O’Laughlin 83).
Within this context, Patrick’s prior guidance to interpreting his words becomes an invaluable instrument. His use of fear is therefore not to be associated