The Catholic Book Club discussion

1. Who was Leibowitz and why was he made a saint?

I'll start with this question, where I don't think my answer will need a spoiler alert.

Leibowitz is a scientist who, at the time of the collapse of our civilization because of the third world war, created a religious order whose aim was saving the books of the old civilization so that they would be preserved for a future cultural rebirth. As most founders of monastic orders, his followers tried to get him canonized, and in a few centuries this was done.

I think you mean "monastic" (less commonly, "monachal") orders: "monacal" is a little too close to "maniacal"!

Jill wrote: "I think you mean "monastic" (less commonly, "monachal") orders: "monacal" is a little too close to "maniacal"!"

Thanks for the correction. I have changed my comment.

Did anyone else notice that St. Leibowitz became the name of the town built over the fallout shelter ruins: Sanly Bowitts?

I was surprised the order seemed to have so many vocations, at least in Part 2.

Jill wrote: "Did anyone else notice that St. Leibowitz became the name of the town built over the fallout shelter ruins: Sanly Bowitts?"

Yes, I did.

Manuel wrote: "Jill wrote: "Did anyone else notice that St. Leibowitz became the name of the town built over the fallout shelter ruins: Sanly Bowitts?"

Yes, I did."

Yes. I found that funny and didn't understand what Miller was saying, or if he was just having a bit of fun.

Manuel wrote: "I'll start with this question, where I don't think my answer will need a spoiler alert.

Leibowitz is a scientist who, at the time of the collapse of our civilization because of the third world wa..."

I got the sense that he was not just a scientist, but a nuclear scientist, and thus that there was the irony of a man who helped develop the technology that led to the destruction of civilization, becomes the founder of a monastic order dedicated to saving whatever scraps of knowledge from that civilization they can. Which in turn jump starts the next civilization which destroys itself with the same knowledge.

John wrote: "I got the sense that he was not just a scientist, but a nuclear scientist, and thus that there was the irony of a man who helped develop the technology that led to the destruction of civilization, becomes the founder of a monastic order dedicated to saving whatever scraps of knowledge from that civilization they can..."

In chapter 6, it says this: It was said that God, in order to test mankind which had become swelled with pride as in the time of Noah, had commanded the wise men of that age, among them the Blessed Leibowitz, to devise great engines of war such as had never before been upon the Earth, weapons of such might that they contained the very fires of Hell...

Although I think that Leibowitz being a nuclear scientist is not mentioned explicitly anywhere, the preceding quotation seems to indicate that he was. The same is implied by this quotation in the same chapter:

A turncoat technician, whom the priest swiftly forgave, identified him as not only a man of learning, but also a specialist in the weapons field.

On the other hand, the fact that Leibowitz's relique is an electronic diagram seems to indicate that he was actually an expert in electronics, rather than a nuclear scientist, although his work may have been linked with the development of nuclear weapons.