Heroism and Genius: How Catholic Priests Helped Build -and Can Help Rebuild - Western Civilization

by William J. Slattery

"Every chancellery in Europe, every court in Europe, was ruled by these learned, trained and accomplished men the priesthood of that great and dominant body." 
— President Woodrow Wilson, The New Freedom

With stubborn facts historians have given their verdict: from the cultures of the Jews, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and Germanic peoples, the Catholic Church built a new and original civilization, embodying within its structures the Christian vision of God and man, time and eternity.  

The construction and maintenance of Western civilization, amid attrition and cultural earthquakes, is a saga spread over sixteen hundred years. During this period, Catholic priests, because they numbered so many men of heroism and genius in their ranks, and also due to their leadership positions, became the pioneers and irreplaceable builders of Christian culture and sociopolitical order.

Heroism and Genius presents some of these formidable men: fathers of chivalry and free-enterprise economics; statesmen and defiers of tyrants; composers, educators, and architects of some of the world's loveliest buildings; and, paradoxically, revolutionary defenders of romantic love.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Catholic

544 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 7, 2017

Reviews

[Julie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

'But my home, such as I have, [said Aragorn] is in the North. For here the heirs of Valandil have ever dwelt in long line unbroken from father unto son for many generations. Our days have darkened, and we have dwindled; but ever the Sword has passed to a new keeper. And this I will say to you, Boromir, ere I end. Lonely men are we, Rangers of the wild, hunters — but hunters ever of the servants of the Enemy; for they are found in many places, not in Mordor only.

'If Gondor, Boromir, has been a stalwart tower, we have played another part. Many evil things there are that your strong walls and bright swords do not stay. You know little of the lands beyond your bounds. Peace and freedom, do you say? The North would have known them little but for us. Fear would have destroyed them. But when dark things come from the houseless hills, or creep from sunless woods, they fly from us. What roads would any dare to tread, what safety would there be in quiet lands, or in the homes of simple men at night, if the Dúnedain were asleep, or were all gone into the grave?

'And yet less thanks have we than you. Travellers scowl at us, and countrymen give us scornful names. "Strider" I am to one fat man who lives within a day's march of foes that would freeze his heart or lay his little town in ruin, if he were not guarded ceaselessly. Yet we would not have it otherwise. If simple folk are free from care and fear, simple they will be, and we must be secret to keep them so. That has been the task of my kindred, while the years have lengthened and the grass has grown.

'But now the world is changing once again. A new hour comes. Isildur's Bane is found. Battle is at hand. The Sword shall be reforged.'

— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

They had me at Aragorn. This quote launches the book's introduction and gives you a sense of the spirit of the work.

The subtitle really tells you what the book is about: How Catholic Priests Helped Build — and Can Help Rebuild — Western Civilization.

This book looks at priests' roles in building and maintaining Western civilization. The author begins with modern historians' assessments and then goes on to tell the stories of some of these remarkable men. I was impressed with the lengthy list of historians who recognize the Church's pivotal function throughout much of Western civilization.

UPDATE

The Catholic historian cannot empty his heart when he writes about the Church; he has the eyes of a lover, enchanted by the beauty of his bride, and they remain the eyes of a lover even when she has been dressed in rags by treacherous men; he will always chronicle as a builder who wants to learn from history how to renew the institution he loves.

I've now had a chance to read Part 1, I wanted to share what I especially enjoy - William Slattery's romantic style of writing, which we don't see very often any more. It conveys the passion he feels and the romance of the faith and the Church. It would seem over the top, perhaps, except that it is grounded in solid understanding of the faith and of human nature. Slattery looks at history with the eyes of a realist but also with the eyes of someone who knows we can again be great as our forefathers were. Here's just a bit more...

Hence the purpose of this book is not lionizing and nostalgia, a yearning to live in some mythical "good old days," an attempt to find excuses to handcuff progress to obsolete standards. Instead, it is a shout to contemporary priests—"Remember!"—as they stand at a crossroads of history and confront the Western civilization of the past and the dictatorship of relativism of the present: Remember who you are and what you once achieved; recall the crucially important social consequences of your priesthood; remember that the priest, by being truly teacher, sanctifier, and shepherd, changes society and builds Christian civilization—that he simply cannot fail to change the world by being an authentic priest of Jesus Christ!

I'm enjoying the heck outta this so far...

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you look back through the history of the Catholic Church, there have been some amazing men and women who helped shape not only the Church, but society as well. The stories of their lives could fill an endless amount of volumes, and each would be a remarkable read, no doubt. Fr. William J. Slattery recently penned a book titled Heroism and Genius. In this book, he narrowed the focus to priests. The book's introduction begins with a lengthy quote from Aragorn to Boromir in The Lord of the Rings. He then summarizes the three main parts of the book. Part One explains what modern historians have concluded with the Church's role in the shaping of Western Civilization, why the book asserts that priests were the constructors of this civilization, and the milestones from from 200 A.D. to 1300 A.D. Part Two "describes the gradual shaping from A.D. 300 to A.D. 1000 of the embryo of medieval Christendom." Part Three shows the "decisive role of priests" in the building of different social, artistic, and economic institutions.

Chapter Two looks at the Fall of the Roman Empire and the Conversion of Europe. It also looks intently at something we take for granted and that is the birth of the parish and the impact it had in shaping and preserving Western Christendom. Chapter Three, a favorite of mine does some heavy lifting in that it discusses the powerhouses that are Ambrose, Augustine, Leo the Great, and Gregory the Great. Augustine gets the lion's share of Chapter Three (as is to be expected), but it was nice to see Ambrose get his dues. He famously stated, "The Emperor is in the Church, not above it," and showed us that you cannot back down from God's truths, even to someone as powerful as the emperor. Chapter Four focuses on St. Benedict and St. Columba and the amazing impact that monasteries had on Western Europe. Chapter Five focuses heavily on Charlemagne, his model of Europe, and the man who mentored him, Alcuin. That was truly a fascinating chapter and shined the light on a man many in history overlook, because he is so overshadowed by Charlemagne.

I just walked you briefly through Part Two of this book. I won't do the same for Part Three. Instead, I will close with my thoughts on why you should buy this book. The Catholic priest right now is the one of the most under-appreciated people in the Western world. Whereas, he used to be held in extremely high regard, he is now seen as just a common man, and talked about behind his back as such too. One could also even argue that the priest is an endangered species. Just for a small sample size, my archdiocese produces one priest a year (on average) with a recent high of four one year. This book explains the vital role that priests have played in Western Christendom and culture since Christ founded the Church, and it does so with history to prove it. Without priests, I shudder to think where our society would be today, or if it even would be. It is for that reason that I encourage you, no implore you, to buy this book and read it. We must appreciate our priests again, help our priests to be the best that they can be, and foster vocations for new priests.

This book was provided to me for free by Carmel Communications in exchange for an honest review.

[Father Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This enlightening survey of the influence of Catholic priests on the development of western society was a well-written introduction to many important figures not only for the Church but the very substance of the institutions we take most for granted. In histories such as this one, I experience something similar to watching "How It's Made" clips on TV as a child. The thought that someone made the everyday things I experienced--crayons, car tires, plastic silverware, grocery bags, chair legs turned on a lathe, saxophones--was something of a revelation. I just assumed they existed, somehow, always. So too with our many civic and ecclesiastical instutions: schools and universities, democracy, capitalism, chivalry, architecture, music, to say nothing of the long tapestry of prayer and liturgy present in the Church. It's a fascinating question to consider: How did these things come about? Were they always there, or were they the result of choice?
Father Slattery is a good writer, with many interesting literary, doctrinal, and historical sources. It lends things an academic tone at times, but it does serve to ground his reflections in a wide body of research that provides a worwhwhile bibliography. I found his section on free-market economics particularly illuminating, as I have never read about the origins of this idea within the tradition of scholastic thought.
It took me almost a year, but I enjoyed the plodding ride through the ages and recommend it to all those interested in a series of profiles in the many foundations and pillars of Western Civilization: heroic Catholic priests.

[Jim Gallen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Western civilization and culture are so much of our world view and so pervasive that it is sometimes difficult to realize that it was not always there and was not inevitable. “Heroism and Genius” is the story of the crucial role of Catholics priests and the Church in their creation.

Western Christian civilization is the product of the Millennium, quirkily named the Middle Ages, between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance of the fourteenth century. In fact, this was a series of eras in which the Roman Emperors tried to defend the borders, barbarians conquered the Empire region by region, surviving Christian communities preserved Christian culture that gradually coalesced into the Catholic civilization that flourished from A.D. 1100-1300 but declined in the following century.

With its fall the duties of the Empire often devolved on the Church. The conversion of the people of Europe by evangelizers, including Sts. Patrick of Ireland, Augustine of Canterbury in England, Boniface in Germany and Ansgar in Denmark and Sweden, among others, unified the continent into a Christendom even more extensive in Europe than the Roman Empire of old.

A culture needs its defenders and a literature that defines its soul. St. Ambrose of Milan showed that the priest is no tool of the state, but a leader who stand on the front steps of the Church to be the voice of Christ, the defensor civitatis (defender of the city) and defensor Fidei (defender of the Faith). He told all that “The Emperor is in the Church, not above it.” St. Augustine of Hippo invigorated philosophy with the teachings of Christ and has served as a loadstar through the ages. Pope Leo the Great stood down Atilla outside Rome and confirmed the authority of the Roman See. His successor, Gregory the Great, pursued the spread of the Church to barbarian peoples across Europe.

A successful culture needs learning. This was the contribution of monks of Irish and Benedictine traditions, the men who copied the texts, taught in the schools, administered the sacraments and spawned missionaries who spread the faith. Their influence was profound. It was they who advanced the concept of a personal, loving God, introduced the practice of private confession and forgiveness of sins and made scientific advances in agriculture, food processing, manufacturing, music and art.

Society also needs structure and government. It was priests who instructed, counseled and admonished Christian monarchs, such as Charlemagne and his successors, in their obligations to God and his people. It was they who established the norm that individuals had rights and were not mere property of their kings.

To become pervasive, a culture needs to become institutionalized. It was priests who established the liturgy by which the faithful worshiped God, and promoted the practice of chivalry in which the knight made vows to defend the honor of God, the Church, truth and justice. The knight was admonished to engage in spiritual warfare until he crossed the last frontier. The contemporary gentleman follows a code that has its origins in that medieval knighthood.

As clergymen were among the more educated of their day they are the source of many tenets including those of the university, free market economics, the equal dignity of men and women, architecture, music, art and drama that draw our minds to God.

Is this just a priest’s attempt to defend his profession? I think not. Despite the title, these pages chronicle the roles not only of priests but also male and female religious and laymen and laywomen in the development of the Church and Christian culture.

Why should we read “Heroism and Genius”? Of what interest are people and events of ages long past? First is the history explained in this tome. Author Rev. William J. Slattery has crafted concise introductions to pivotal players in the history of Western Civilization woven into a stream flowing to our own time. By improving the understanding of the roots of our beliefs our appreciation for what is truly important in culture, society and life is enhanced. It aids us in setting aside the trivial that seems so important in the short term and discerning the lives to which we are called. This book makes it easier to reduce questions to their ultimate significance and find God’s answers. Tolle lege, pick up and read!

I did receive a free copy of this book without the obligation to post a review.

[Domenico · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thesis of Heroism and Genius: How Catholic Priests Helped Build—and Can Help Rebuild—Western Civilization is that the whole structure of Western civilization, every major institution, all of its intellectual, entrepreneurial, and cultural accomplishments can be traced to the work of innumerable priests over the past 2,000 years, both famous and faceless.

I have to admit that Fr. William Slattery provides a compelling case that the history of the West, in ways both surprising and unsurprising, owes nearly everything to the Church. But that’s my small quibble. In almost every example given, while the contributions of the ordained clergy of the Church was vital, the contribution of laypeople was just as vital.

Fr. Slattery does acknowledge this early on:

Allow me, however, to clearly underline what this assertion about the key role of priests does not mean. It does not assert the untenable claim to some type of monopoly on achievements: priests obviously hold no property rights on all the heroism, nobility, and genius of a thousand years. Many Catholic laypeople contributed enormously to building the new civilization.

[…]

Allow me, however, to clearly underline what this assertion about the key role of priests does not mean. It does not assert the untenable claim to some type of monopoly on achievements: priests obviously hold no property rights on all the heroism, nobility, and genius of a thousand years. Many Catholic laypeople contributed enormously to building the new civilization.

I don’t disagree with a bit of that, but I don’t think this book necessarily builds the case for it either. On the other hand, whatever the book’s subtitle or thesis, what it does do is provide a look at the remarkable contribution of the Church in the Dark Ages, Middle Ages, and Renaissance to building a better world that we continue to benefit from today.

What Heroism and Genius does best is to strip away the accumulated cruft of centuries of “black legends” concocted by the Protestant reformers as well as Hollywood inventions that collectively created this image of the time between the fall of the Roman Empire and Martin Luther’s 95 theses as an unrelieved slog through the muck and mire of superstition that left 95% of the populace as virtual slaves serving privileged and backward-thinking robed masters. In fact, as presented by Fr. Slattery, the Church—in her priests, bishops and laypeople—advanced the cause of humanity in great leaps.

In the years of the Long Dark, the monasteries and abbeys preserved culture and civilization and became a locus of peace among barbarism. St. Benedict and the tradition he founded were crucial to the shaping of what was to come: “It is no exaggeration to say that the whole of the extraordinary economic development of our modern Western society. can be traced back to Saint Benedict’s initiative.” The monastic schools alone were a remarkable achievement.

In education, the Celtic monastic schools spearheaded what became under Charlemagne and Alcuin a mass-literacy movement, creating a society of educational opportunities rare in history.

This educational drive was accomplished with such reckless generosity that any youth keen to study knew that he could just knock on the door of any abbey and he would be admitted: “The Scots [Scoti, Irish] willingly received them all, and took care to supply them with daily food without cost, as also to furnish them with books for their studies, and teaching free of charge.”

That’s just one of the major contributions made by Alcuin, who also managed to curb Charlemagne’s most violent impulses, turning the lawless barbarism of the Dark Ages into a Christian society based on Roman and Christian law, with the Church and the state working in harmony to convince all to live up to their Christian identity in the Gospel.

Likewise, the Church raised up the dignity of women, from their chattel state in pre-Christian societies to equality with men, with equal dignity and nobility and rights, especially in encouraging honor and fidelity toward the Blessed Mother. Fr. Slattery also writes that the Church was responsible for the “elimination of racism in the Dark Ages.”

Another benchmark for the revolutionary changes brought by Christianity is the elimination of racism in the Dark Ages. Missionaries made it clear to Greeks, Romans, and barbarians that a Catholic’s “whole religion is rooted in the unity of the race of Adam, the one and only Chosen Race”, that humanity is meant to be a brotherhood, and that every Christian must be a Good Samaritan to every person.

Of course it didn’t eliminate sin from every heart and from every man’s actions, but “the Church’s insistence on the principles of racial equality and the necessity of freedom of choice for the validity of marriage had another, more subtle, implication: it asserted the rights of the individual over those of the family, community, race, and state.”

I was especially pleased with the chapters on the Chivalric Age, including the deep sacramental meaning of the rite of knighthood, and the way in which an image of Christ as a Warrior again sin and evil appealed to the martial spirit in men’s hearts. Chivalry was a gift of the Church to the world and turned feudalism into something more. “’Chivalry’, said G. K. Chesterton, “might be called the baptism of Feudalism. It was an attempt to bring the justice and even the logic of the Catholic creed into a military system which already existed; to turn its discipline into initiation and its inequalities into a hierarchy.’”

Throughout the book, Slattery gives us examples of the great men of history who changed everything by their deeds: St. Augustine, St. Benedict, Pope St. Gregory, Alcuin, King St. Louis, St. Bernard of Clairvaux. He also covers the contributions to music, art, and architecture to free markets and the the fundamentals of economic theories that today we take for granted.

In some of the most poignant passages, we get a glimpse at “what if.” Slattery relates a recent discovery that the monks of the Rievaulx Abbey in Yorkshire, England in the 1500s had developed technology to create a blast furnace for the mass production of cast iron, which Slattery calls the key factor in the Industrial Revolution. But because Henry VIII had ordered the Catholic abbeys confiscated, the Industrial Revolution would be delayed another 250 years. Who knows, he asks, how history would have been different if the rise of the modern era of technology had begun under the careful ministrations of Catholic monks.

Likewise, in another “what if”, Slattery recalls the School of Salamanca in the 1500s as the seedbed of modern economics, especially a just free-market that encouraged entrepreneurship and allowed for profit. While they are credited with advancing the theory that the value of a product is what a buyer is willing to pay for it, i.e. supply and demand, Adam Smith—whose treatise Wealth of Nations is often offered as an alternative and competing seedbed for modern capitalism—held that the value of an object was determined by the amount of labor and other production costs. Some historians and economists opine that Smith’s labor theory of value became the starting point for Karl Marx in the 19th century. Slattery writes that the reason Smith’s theories were advanced in northern European economic powerhouses like England and Germany was because of the Protestant Reformation. The School of Salamanca was populated by priests, including many Jesuits, which made them anathema to Protestants, while Smith was a Calvinist. Again, how would the world have been different if the Salamanca theories, which eventually informed much of what today we call the Austrian School of Economics, had been dominant and prevented the rise of Marx’s problematic and devastating economics?

Compared to the sections detailing “how Catholic priests helped build” Western civilization, as the subtitle puts it, the “can help rebuild” section is much shorter. I found that it bears some striking resemblance or at least echoes similar treatments of the problem of the decline of Western civilization we see today, especially as we see in Rod Dreher’s The Benedict Option.

Slattery encourages us to have hope for the future. He notes that while the church is 2,000 years old, that doesn’t mean she’s old in the grand sweep of history. Scholars note that Chinese civilization is at least 3,500 years old, and maybe older. And who knows how much history stands before us?

“Instead of considering the Church as old, with the temptation to consider her youth and creative maturity as behind her, we face the fact that, for all we know, she may still be in her infancy,” Slattery writes. “Her vitality, so manifest in the passage from catacombs to cathedrals in the first millennium, is fully capable of yet another herculean struggle to bring into existence another Christian civilization.” And for all we know that new Christian civilization may take root in Africa or Asia or even in the West again.

Slattery is not wrong to say that Catholic priests saved civilization when the Roman Empire fell and helped build a new Christian civilization out of its ashes, creating the most charitable and loving society in history, with rights and dignity for every individual and the desire to provide for the poor and educate all. And we do owe a debt to all those tens of thousands (probably more) priests throughout the ages, the nameless priests serving small communities, hearing confessions, baptizing babies, consoling the sick and grieving, educating the uneducated, and bringing their flocks to Jesus Christ.