It can be hard for us, today, to wrap our minds around the theological idea known as "the
atonement." When Saint Patrick sought to explain it in fifth-century Ireland, however, he
discovered that his preaching fell on fertile ground.
That was because, in Ireland at that time, everyone had an "honor price." It was the price
you had to pay if you insulted or dishonored someone. A chieftain had an honor price of
thirty cows, while an ordinary citizen might be worth just one. Slaves -- being not really
people, in the eyes of that culture -- had no honor price at all.
