The Dying Gaul

I've been reading Pagan Christianity? lately, and while I agree with it and get appropriately riled by it, the book itself admits to presenting only a single side.
The other morning over breakfast, Dad, recounting an History Channel show on the Dark Ages, touched on the other side: the church of that era, though rife with abuses and misconceptions and errors, got one thing really right-- kings were no longer supreme rulers and gods of the known world. Jesus was king, and as such all earthly kings must bow to him.
And then I found a rant in my journal from nearly 18 months ago when I'd read a chapter of How the Irish Saved Civilization, and realized the Lord must be underlining something because I'm starting to see a theme. The rant went something like this:

This is The Dying Gaul, or rather my sketch of the head. I have never been so impressed by a piece of sculpture in my life. It combines all the brilliant craftsmanship and understanding of Greek and Roman art, and leaves out their boring, milque-sop, equine-nosed, lofty-looking, stereo-types. It's Adam on his last gasp, the most perfect example of male physique I've ever seen. It makes me want to clap my hands and say, "See! See!? This is what God was after when He first sculpted man."
Saint Patrick found the Gauls thus: marvelous and dying. They lived in a capricious world where the gods set traps for them. Even the most heroic were doomed before they began. Shape-shifting was an accepted "fact" of life. Human sacrifice (both the noble, selfless variety, and the imposed variety) was the cultural norm. Warfare was esteemed, being the only chance for glory. And they were mighty men. But the gods took and took and took and laughed and changed and laughed and took some more. The people lived with little self-identity and constant fear.
Then Patrick came, bringing a higher "three-faced" God (an established icon of Gaelic culture). He also required blood-sacrifice, but this God took the responsibility, shifted shape into human form, and died Himself. Out of love. And throughout He remained constant and good. Revolutionary!
Oh, and did we mention, Ireland, that this God rules over creation and has beneficent intent toward you? Stop fearing every tree, every storm, every body of water, afraid they are gods in disguise! He has given you authority over them! In fact, if you say to that mountain, "Move!" it will move! And all that warrior mentality you fear will go to waste has a new outlet: fight the old gods of this world (yes, they're real, but there's a new God in town). Yet learn to be a people of peace. No more fear, no more despair.
No more dying Gaul. Living, breathing hope. Because Patrick lived a faith that did not fear the Gauls or their gods or their druids, natural powers, or monsters in the loch. He slept at night in peace and died in peace, having fought the good fight. And that one life lived in faith was enough example for all Ireland, and thence the world. He lived like Jesus.

And look what Jesus did! I'm reading Defeating Dark Angels again. It's all about this. It's about knowing who we are in Jesus, living in faith, without fear of anything this world can throw at us. After all, "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39 That pretty much covers it.

That's the theme.