Posted on 06/02/2014 7:13:05 PM PDT by NKP_Vet
Thomas Woods' book titled HOW THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BUILD WESTERN CIVILIZATION is an unanswerable antidote to anti-Catholic bashers and their mindless sychophants. Prof. Woods provides a compelling case that Western Civilization could not have thrived without the valuable achievements of the Catholic Church over the past 2,000 years.
Prof. Woods survey of the Catholic Church in late Ancient History and during the Dark Ages makes clear that the Catholic Church authorities and especially the monks were invaluable in preserving learning. He makes clear that the early Catholic monks and nuns were the only literate people in Europe, and they preserved learning by handcopying books and teaching. Prof. Woods' treatment of this historical episode gives the thoughtful reader an insight as to how crucial those who were in religious orders were to European recovery.
Prof. Woods' chapter on Medieval universities is solid. He gives the conditions under which teachers and students operated and makes clear that the "Age of Scholasticism" was an intllectually vibrant age. The books gives examples of the curriculum and the emphasis on logic and reason both in learning and solving intellectual issues. The Age of Reason actually began in the Medieval Catholic universities rather than in the 17th and 18th centuries. Prof. Woods' evaluation of Medieval Scholasticism compares favorably with John Baldwin's THE SCHOLATIC CULTURE OF THE MIDDE AGES, 1000-1300.
Chapter five of this book undermines the notion that the Catholic authorities tried to undermine scientific study. For example, Prof. Woods cites numerous examples of Catholic university officials supporting scientific study and lending considerable resources to the study of astronomy. He also gives an honest assessement of the trial of Galileo who was also highly praised by Catholic authorties including the Pope. This reviewer learned for the first time that the Jesuits started the study of seismology. This chapter is important because it undermines the false notion that the Catholic Church was against science. One should note that many scientific advances that are taken for granted and which are important originated with the Catholic Church.
Not only did the Catholic Church make invaluable contributions in science and philosopy, but Prof. Woods presents an abundence of evidence of the valuable contributions that the Catholic Church made in developing both Canon Law and the concepts of natural and legal rights. These chapters are especially important in that they clearly prove that the Catholic jurists had meticulous concern for the rights of individuals including those who were not Catholic. This thesis is proven beyond doubt in chapters nine, ten, and eleven.
Prof. Woods presents a historical case of what happens in "A World Without God" which is the title of the book's conclusion. The twentieth century is thus far history's bloodiest century. The absence of moral codes except that of what the state dictates without religious convictions, convictions taught by the Catholic Church, presents historical tragedy.
Prof. Woods could have written a five foot book shelf on the crucial role of the Catholic Church in creating Western Civilization. Those who want to know more should consult the bibliography at the end of the book HOW THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BUILT WESTERN CIVILIZATION which is a good bibliography. This reviewer would have included Regine Pernoud's book titled THOSE TERRIBLE MIDDLE AGES:DEBUNKING THE MYTHS and G.K.Chesterton's ORTHODOXY. A recent book published by Father Duffy titled QUEEN OF THE SCIENCE:THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CATHOLIC THEOLOGY AND LIBERAL LEARNING should be read in tandem with Prof. Woods' book.
Prof. Woods has simply written a great book. HOW THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BUILT WESTERN CIVILIZATION should be in every Catholic school on the planet. Thoughtful Protestants who do not define their religion by Catholic bashing would benefit from this book. This book should not be recommended to Catholic bashers as it could cause cultural shock and apoplexy. If anyone reads this review and assumes this reviewer is a Catholic, they would be wrong. This reviewer has studied enough history to know just how crucial the Catholic Church has been and is wise enough to appreciate the Catholic Church's achievements.
In Defense of the Papacy: 9 Reasons True Christians Follow the Pope
The Four Pillars of the Christian Life
Fragments of Catholic Truth: Yes to Christ, No to the Church?
The Uniqueness of Christianity: 12 Objections Answered
The Church The Bride of Christ
Catholic Identity Once Again
Essays for Lent: The Church
Woe to the Solitary Man A Brief Meditation on our Need for the Church
Jesus and His Church Are One
How Old Is Your Church?
Yeah...about that...from The Vatican Billions - Two Thousand Years of Wealth Accumulation, regarding the Americas:
Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503), Servant of the Servants of God, as incumbent of the throne of the Blessed Peter, was the heir, not only to the accumulated authority of all his papal predecessors, but also to their decrees, tenets and beliefs, dominated by the portentous Donation of Constantine - the foundation stone upon which the papacy, and thus the Catholic Church, had erected all its claims to territorial sovereignty.
To Pope Alexander VI, like all the popes before him, the spirit and the letter of the Donation had to be observed, maintained and practiced by all and sundry, starting with its chief custodian, the Roman Pontiff.
Pope after pope throughout the centuries, from the appearance of the Donation, had always unhesitatingly and firmly done so. The precedents, illustrious and well-known, which Alexander could invoke were many.
These rested upon the principles enunciated with such clarity by the most significant words of the Donation, which we have quoted elsewhere, to be found in its last clause, namely:
It was on the strength of such tenets that Pope Hadrian IV in 1155, as we have already seen, gave Ireland to the English king, as,
like all Christian islands, it undoubtedly belonged of right to St.Peter and the Roman Church.
Pope Boniface VIII declared that temporal authority is subject to the spiritual, (1) whereas Pope Gregory asserted that the pope stands to the Emperor as the sun to the moon.
This prompted sundry theological pillars of the Church to state that,
the Supreme Pontiff, by divine right, has the fullest powers over the whole world. (2)
Pope Gregory IX invoked Constantine himself to support such claim.
It is notorious that Constantine thought that he whom God had confided the care of heavenly things, should rule earthly things, he declared. (3)
To clarify this he elucidated the matter.
Constantine, to whom belonged universal monarchy, he said, wished that the Vicar of Christ and Prince of Apostles.. should also possess the government of corporeal things in the whole world, (4) that is, territorial possessions, with all their riches and wealth.
In virtue of this, Pope Hadrian compelled King John to pay a yearly tribute to him - that is, a tax - in token of the subjection of England and Ireland.
The successors of the Blessed Peter eventually claimed as their property all islands and lands as yet undiscovered.
Relying on this, they demanded nothing more nor less than sovereignty over the newly discovered lands of the Americas. In modern parlance, they claimed that the Americas, with all they contained, were their absolute property.
Were these decretals put forward and maintained only centuries before Columbus actually set foot on the Americas? Not at all.
They remained the full-blooded claims of the popes when America was actually found, so much so that when the reigning pontiff heard about the discoveries, he apportioned the New World, on the basis that he, the pope, had the legal right to do, since it was his property and no one elses.
This celebrated document was written only one year after the discovery of the new New World; that is, in 1493, by Pope Alexander VI, not so much to re-assert in the plainest possible terms the papal right to its ownership, since that was taken for granted, but to prevent Spain and Portugal from taking over the new lands without these having first been apportioned to them by their owner, or, rather, their landlord, Peters successor.
The pope in this case was acting not only as a pope but also as a Spanish pope. He wanted his Spain to have all the Americas. To that effect he decreed that the Vaticans new property - that is, the Americas - would be let to Spain. No one else, therefore, could get hold of any portion of it without the permission of the Americas legal landlord, the pope.
To leave the position in no doubt whatsoever, the Pontiff decreed that all lands and islands, discovered and to be discovered, would be leased to Spain. Not only that; but he told King Ferdinand where the new boundaries would and would be drawn, namely, towards the West and South, drawing a line from the Pole Antarctic, from the North to the South .
The original papal document, besides its extraordinary intrinsic importance, is a fascinating study which deserves to be better known.
The English version is from the original (english ed and published by R. Eden in 1577) to be found in Hakluytus Posthumus, printed by William Stansby for Henrie Fetherstone, London, in England, and 1625:
We are credibly informed that whereas of late you were determined to seek and find certain Islands and firm lands, far remote and unknown (and not heretofore found by any other), to the intent to bring the inhabitants... to profess Catholic Faith...
This last phrase, to the intent to bring the inhabitants.. to profess the Catholic Faith, throws the clearest light upon the basic motivation of the whole enterprise. All other factors, no matter how important, were subsidiary to this.
The popes assumption, which he takes for granted and which he regards as the sole primary driving force for the daring sea voyage, must not be regarded as papal self-deception or wishful thinking or a mere ancillary rhetorical formula. It must be taken in its literal sense, since that is precisely how the true inspirer and launcher of Columbuss adventure, the queen, saw it. It must be remembered that the queen was not only a very devout person; she was what by modern standards would be called bigoted.
She believed implicitly and absolutely in the dogmas and mission of the Roman Catholic Church. She was under the thumb of her confessor, a man responsible, no doubt, for many of her decisions, like the one which dismissed Columbuss first to petition, or that which unleashed the horrifying hunting down of heretics, with the resulting burning and torturing, by the Holy Inquisition.
To say that her sponsoring of Columbus was motivated only by her zeal to serve the Roman Church would be an inaccurate. The prospect of finding new territories, gold and riches to replenish her empty coffers was no less important.
Yet it was in favor of financing his expedition. Here again, therefore, that intangible religious factor to which we have already referred played a paramount, even if an imponderable, role in the preliminary exertions which were to lead to the discovery of America. In any case, supposition or fact, the reality of the matter was that this was taken for granted by the pope himself, who talked and acted on that assumption.
Following his preliminary introduction, Alexander continued thus:
We are further advertised that the fore-named Christopher hath now builded and erected a Fortress, with good Munition., in one of the foresaid principal Islands...
After which the Pope, speaking as a master, lord and owner of what the explorers had already explored and would explore the future, came to the point. Here are his memorable words:
All the Islands therefore and firm Lands found and to be found, discovered and to be discovered, from the said Line towards the West and South, such as have not actually been heretofore possessed by any other Christian King or Prince, until the day of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ last past, from the which beginneth this present year, being the year of our Lord a thousand four hundred ninety three, whensoever any such shall be found by your Messengers and Captains...
Thereupon His Holiness once more reasserted his authority, indicating the source of such authority, in order to justify the grant he was making to the King of Spain in virtue of and as a derivation of the same.
We (continued the pope) by the Authority of Almighty God, granted unto us in Saint Peter , and by the Vicarship of Jesus Christ which we bear on the Earth, do for ever, by the tenor of these presents, give, grant, assign unto you, your heirs and successors (the Kings of Castile and Legion) all those Lands and Islands, with their Dominions, Territories, Cities, Castles, Towers, Places, and Villages, with all the Rights and Jurisdictions thereunto pertaining; constituting, assigning, and deputing you, your heirs and successors, the Lords thereof, with full and free Power, Authority and Jurisdiction: Decreeing nevertheless by this our Donation, Grant and Assignation, that from no Christian Prince, which actually hath possessed the foresaid Islands and firm Lands, unto the day of the Nativity of our Lord beforesaid, their Right obtained, to be understood hereby to be taken away, or that it ought to be taken away..
Having duly decreed, donated, granted and assigned all the above, Pope Alexander hurled a potential excommunication against anyone who might dare to disregard his decision:
Alexander then indicated the actual demarcation of the explorations and possessions mentioned earlier in this same document, and said:
In Him from whom Empires, Dominions, and all good things do proceed: Trusting that Almighty God, directing your Enterprising..
Finally, he concluded his deed of gift by threatening anybody who might dare to infringe his will:
The fourth day of the Nones of May, the first year of our Popedom.
After Catholic Spain there came rival Portugal. As a result, the following year - that is, in 1494 - the Treaty of Tordesillas moved and the papal lines of demarcation to the meridian 370 leagues with of Azores. This caused yet another visible effect of the papal decision upon the New World: the existence of Brazil. For, by pushing the line so far west, a great portion of the soon-to-be-discovered Brazilian bulge was included in the Portuguese dominion.
Meanwhile, sundry daring navigators, spurred by the Colombian epic and the allure of immense riches, began to explore the unknown oceans with renewed vigor. Vasco da Gama took the eastern route, the original inspirational concept of by-passing Constantinople by rounding Africa, and in 1498 he reached India, only six years after Columbus discovered America. In 1500 Alvarez Gabral discovered what later was known as Brazil. The following year, 1501, Corte Real sailed north and landed on Greenland. Joao Martins in 1541 set foot on Alaska.
The devout sons of the Church, Spaniards and Portuguese, having caught the fever for incessant exploration, continued to criss-cross the oceans. They became the original pioneers who landed in China, the Moluccas, Japan and even Australia while, as early as 1520, Magellan was the first man ever to sail around the globe.
When the Isthmus of Panama was crossed and the Pacific Ocean discovered, a priest, a member of the expedition, rushed into the waves holding a crucifix and shouting:
The New World had become indeed, by divine and legal right, the absolute property of the popes, from the north to the south, from the eastern to the western coasts.
A New World was added to the old one, already under the triple crown.
>> There were certainly many valuable contributions. How does that balance out against many of the problems?
That’s like... so deep, man.
Interesting topic — one that I believe is very likely. I’d like to see the author’s references.
“There were certainly many valuable contributions. How does that balance out against many of the problems?”
The Middle Ages started when the Roman Empire collapsed. This was followed by complete anarchy, with dwindling population, Viking raids that made commerce impossible, and invading Moslems who took Southern Italy, Spain, and drove halfway across France. Irish monks were about the only literate people in Northern and Western Europe and preserved cukture, making possible the survival of Western civilization in the early Middle ages. Europe wouldn’t be recognizable today without the Church.
‘Columbus and the rest of the great exployers were Catholic.’
That’s funny I heard he was Jewish.
Oh - and where did he colonize?
When did the Vikings get converted?
Lord Baltimore must be quite underrated!
Absolutely correct. Shakers and movers like St Augustine and St Patrick had a huge influence. Excellent book entitled, “The Secret Gospel of Ireland - The Untold Story of how Science and Democracy Descended From A Remarkable Form of Christianity that Developed in Ancient Ireland” is a great source for explaining the migration and actions of the monks relative to the Church as well as the Kings/Queens.
That sure explains the condition of all the predominantly Catholic countries, like the Philippines, Colombia, The Dominican Republic, Haiti, etc......
I don’t know if it were satire, but for some of the humor challenged anti-Prod bashers, it wouldn’t matter.
They’d treat it as fact anyway.
Somehow Puritans = Catholic just doesn't work.....
“...ern civilization in the early Middle ages. Europe wouldnt be recognizable today without the Church.”
You may be right, but history is linear and we will never know if Europe would have been better or worse without the roman church. It is unknowable. Since God is in charge of history, I leave it to Him and give Him alone glory.
Thank-you Dr. Woods and God Bless!
Always the constant putdowns. We all know the Catholic Church has done nothing for world history and the betterment of mankind. If there had never been a Catholic Church, the world would be so much better off. I would pass out if you ever mentioned one thing good that the Catholic Church was responsible for.
Ah, hell, I know, if that mean old Catholic Columbus had not discovered the New World, some protestant would have a couple hundred years later. The point of the matter is and something you can’t get around is, all the great early exployers were Catholic, and they founded the majority of the great cities of North America.
People also have a predilection for beating dead horses.
http://www.amazon.com ^ | May 2, 2005 | Thomas E. Woods
LOL! A nine year old review attached to an ordering page!
A crummy commercial?!
Yeah, right.
....we should not be surprised to find that the Calvinists took a very important part in American Revolution. Calvin emphasized that the sovereignty of God, when applied to the affairs of government proved to be crucial, because God as the Supreme Ruler had all ultimate authority vested in Him, and all other authority flowed from God, as it pleased Him to bestow it.The Scriptures, God's special revelation of Himself to mankind, were taken as the final authority for all of life, as containing eternal principles, which were for all ages, and all peoples. Calvin based his views on these very Scriptures. As we read earlier, in Paul's letter to the Romans, God's Word declares the state to be a divinely established institution.
History is eloquent in declaring that the American republican democracy was born of Christianity and that form of Christianity was Calvinism. The great revolutionary conflict which resulted in the founding of this nation was carried out mainly by Calvinists--many of whom had been trained in the rigidly Presbyterian college of Princeton....
....In fact, most of the early American culture was Reformed or tied strongly to it (just read the New England Primer). Von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, a Roman Catholic intellectual and National Review contributor, asserts: If we call the American statesmen of the late eighteenth century the Founding Fathers of the United States, then the Pilgrims and Puritans were the grandfathers and Calvin the great-grandfather
-- from the thread John Calvin: Religious liberty and Political liberty
Related threads:
John Calvin, Calvinism, and the founding of America
Calvin's 500th Birthday Celebrated: Critics and Supporters Agree He was America's Founding Father
AMERICA AND JOHN CALVIN
America's debt to John Calvin
Lessons to be learned from Reformation
Theocracy: the Origin of American Democracy
Calvinistic America
American Government and Christianity - America's Christian Roots
The Faith of the Founders, How Christian Were They
John Calvin: Religious liberty and Political liberty
Abraham Kuyper on American Liberty
The Man Who Founded America
The Puritans and the founding of America
Perhaps Puritans weren't all that bad
Who were the Puritans?
Bible Battles: King James vs. the Puritans
The Heirs of Puritanism: That's Us!
The real Puritan legacy
In Praise of a Puritan America
Are new 'Puritans' gaining?
Foundations of Faith [Harvard's "Memorial Church" and the university's Puritan roots]
Bounty of Freedom [Puritans, Yankees, the Constitution, and Libertarianism]
The Pilgrims and the founding of America
Thanking the Puritans on Thanksgiving: Pilgrims' politics and American virtue
New World, New Ideas: What the Pilgrims and Puritans believed, about God and man and giving thanks
Pilgrims in Providence
A time for thanks
Judge reminds: Faith permeated our culture since the Pilgrims
In its 400th year, Jamestown aspires to Plymouth's prominence [huzzah for the Pilgrims!]
Rock of Ages and the rebel pilgrims [understanding the times re Augustus Toplady's famous hymn]
The Protestant Reformation, the "Presbyterian Rebellion", and the Founding of America
Religious Affiliation of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence
July 4th -- Happy "Presbyterian Rebellion" Day!
Sources of American Federalism: Founders, Reformers & Ancient Hebrews
Americas Constitutional Foundation of Biblical Covenant
Reformation Faith & Representative Democracy
A Moral Vision [Oliver Cromwell, the American Revolution, and Pluralism]
A similar point of view from a Prod source — Victory of Reason, by Rodney Stark (Baylor)
If not for Calvin the US would be a colony of Spain.
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