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. ( )