Posted on 08/15/2018 12:42:13 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
“At the first glance as you entered Clairvaux ... you could see that it was a temple of God; and the still, silent valley, in the modest simplicity of its buildings, spoke of the sincere humility of Christ’s poor. Moreover, in this valley full of men, where no one was permitted to be idle, where one and all were occupied with their allotted tasks, a silence as deep as that of night prevailed. The sounds of labor, or the chanting of the brethren in the choral service, were the only exceptions …. As I watch them singing without fatigue from before midnight to the dawn of day, with only a brief interval, they appear a little less than angels, but much more than men.” - William of St. Thiery, 12th Century
The description doesn’t fit the picture many have of medieval Christendom. From the fall of Rome in A.D. 450 until the Reformation in the 16th century, they envision “images of dirty, sickly people in mud huts ... worshiping statues of Mary, opulently dressed churchmen hawking relics and indulgences, and sneering inquisitors burning witches and Protestants,” as described by Jamie Blosser in his book, Positively Medieval: The Surprising, Dynamic, Heroic Church of the Middle Ages.
This is the urban legend of a Catholic Western Europe mired in poverty, disease, ignorance, superstition and Church corruption. Born in English Reformation rhetoric, this helped to create an assumption of Church history and Western history that would become common English and American understanding of the times.
But this medieval Christendom, Blosser shows, was engaged in rebuilding Western civilization after the collapse of Rome, while Christianizing the culture through passionate missionary work, a deep faith life, rich theological study and social leadership.
(Excerpt) Read more at osv.com ...
Lovely and grand. Thank you, CondoleezzaProtege!
I’m considering ordering this book. Thanks for the tip!
They call this ‘rewriting history’...The time period was called the ‘Dark Ages’ for a reason...
The Dark Ages were created by the Mohammedan invasion of Europe and their piracy on the seas.
I am acquainted with C.R.’,s piano mentor. Very kind and humble man, as well as an excellent musician.
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