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Title: How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill ISBN: 0-385-41849-3 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 01 February, 1996 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.39 (176 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Irish Impact on the West Cannot Be Overlooked
Comment: When thinking of the Irish, people unfamiliar with their history are prone to pointing out their negative stereotypes. Thomas Cahill's "How the Irish Saved Civilization" challenges the negative images characteristic of the Irish.
Cahill's book begins with a retelling of the Roman Empire and how its fall precipitated the perfect situation for the Irish to contribute to society. The Middle Ages ensued upon the fall of the Roman Empire; this age is also referred to as the Dark Ages because of its relative lack of artistic and literary accomplishments. Almost everybody during this time was illiterate...that is, on the European continent.
During the height of the Roman Empire up to its fall, Ireland was mainly a nomadic land with few, if any, cities. Paganism was prevalent because of limited Roman influence (England received more attention from the Romans than Ireland). As Cahill explains, the spark behind the burgeoning of Irish influence was, ironically, a man from England who was kidnapped and brought to Ireland-Patricius, later known as St. Patrick.
The Irish monks should be known not only for preserving the great texts of the past but also for converting thousands upon thousands of pagans and animists to Christianity. Aside from their contributions to literature, if they had not held such aspirations to spread their religion, one can only wonder how much of Europe would have been converted to Islam in the seventh and eighth centuries.
Civilizations studied in high school and college usually have at least one defining characteristic, yet the Irish civilization of the first few centuries A.D. does not seem to possess any identifiable traits without extensive knowledge of it. Ironically, if it were not for the Irish monks, we today would not know of most of the great civilizations of the past.
This book can be read by anyone because Cahill does not presuppose the reader possesses a great deal of background information about the Irish. He writes for an audience that might never have even known Irish monks existed.
Cahill makes the reader look past all the negative stereotypes of the Irish to appreciate them and even to relate to them. It is hard to find a culture that has not gone through both periods of richness (whether economically or artistically) and of hardships, and certainly the Irish are not to be excluded from this category.
Rating: 5
Summary: Need to have History Class 101 before reading this!
Comment: To truly appreciate this book, I suggest becoming familiar with Western Civ, on a first name basis, before reading this. Mr. Cahill doesn't explain who Catullus is to the reader, he just assumes we know. Or Cuculain. Who are both awesome characters by the way. The good about this book: Excellent readability! Just wonderful, modern overview on early church and Irish history. Makes his topic interesting. Honestly, you don't get around to why the Irish saved western civ until the last quarter of the book---but, who cares!? We are having so much fun reading about stuffy old Augustine, or the marvelous character of Saint Patrick himself, to pay much attention. If you have the wee'ist bit of Irish in you, this will make ya proud to have it. It truly glorifies the Celtic race on that little isle of green. I also wanted to mention that his quotations, with Irish poetry thrown in, are delicious. Something unexplored by the modern masses, Irish poetry.... Bad thing about this book: Mr. Cahill LOVES to jump around and go on tangents. I didn't mind it in the least in this book. It makes it easy to pick up and put down if you are doing other things. It is a light read, bring it to the beach or the pool. And you will surely become enlightened and proud! Thank goodness they saved as much as they did! :)
Rating: 4
Summary: St Patrick is Cool!
Comment: How the Irish Save Civilization. Thomas Cahill
The basic premise of the book is that the Irish saved Western Civilization because St. Patrick went to Ireland becoming the first missionary since Paul, 400 years earlier.
The Roman empire fell as the Romans, like us, could not control the migration of foreigners into their country. At the end, Alaric, king of the Visigoths was at the gates of Rome. The Romans wanted to know how much the ransom for the city would be. Everything, he replied. But what does that leave us, responded the Romans. "Your lives", said Alaric.
Patrick set about creating missions that copied the remains of what was left after the barbarians had sacked the Roman empire and destroyed most of the libraries.
His students went to Europe to spread the word and to show the illiterate how to read.
They were the curators of the knowledge of the Greeks, the Romans, and the Bible. Virgil, Cicero, Homer, Plato, Aristotle thus survive due to Patrick. People had to know a lot of languages. Latin, Greek, Celtic,.
Missionary Patrick also freed the slaves in Ireland and stopped human sacrifice. Women were allowed to become priests. Marriages in Ireland were renewed each year on Feb 1. May day and Halloween are ancient Irish festival days. The confession under Patrick became a private conversation between sinner and priest. Before, the confession was a public one.
Following Patrick was Columcille. Someone copied his stuff and he complained and the local king was in Columcille's favor, thus the first copyright case.
Augustine invented original sin, the trinity. The inquisition idea of punishing those without correct beliefs.
The Irish missionaries continued for hundreds of years until the Viking raids in the 800's and 900's destroyed many of the churches in Ireland from where the missionaries had come.
Many cities in Europe were begun due to the planting of monasteries by the Irish missionaries.
Charlemagne was illiterate and had Irish missionaries help him to understand the workings of the universe,
Freud was so exasperated with the Irish that he said that they were the only people that could not be helped with psychoanalysis.
The book concludes with note of the Irish famine killing millions and forcing millions to leave Ireland.
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Title: The Gifts of the Jews : How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels by Thomas Cahill ISBN: 0385482493 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 17 August, 1999 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Desire of the Everlasting Hills : The World Before and After Jesus by Thomas Cahill ISBN: 0385483724 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 13 February, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter by Thomas Cahill ISBN: 0385495536 Publisher: Nan A. Talese Pub. Date: 28 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $27.50 |
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Title: Jesus' Little Instruction Book by Thomas Cahill ISBN: 0553374338 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 September, 1994 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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Title: Story of the Irish Race by Seumas Macmanus ISBN: 0517064081 Publisher: Gramercy Pub. Date: 24 March, 1990 List Price(USD): $14.99 |
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