Cahills How The Irish Saved Civilization Essay -- essays research pape

Cahills How the Irish Saved CivilizationThomas Cahill opens his story describing Romes fall, For as the RomanEmpire fell, as all through Europe matted, unwashed barbarians descended on theRoman cities, looting artifacts and burning books, the Irish who were justlearning to read and write, took up the just beat back of copying all of westernliterature - everything they could get their hands on. These scribes thenserved as conduits through which Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian cultures weretransmitted to the tribes of Europe, newly settled amid the junk and ruinedvineyards of the civilization they had overwhelmed. (Cahill, p.3) The themeof this book is that the scribes did something unique, they saved civilization,not the masses of people, but literature, the content of classicalcivilization. (Cahill, p. 58) One reads of the time from Romes fall tomedieval generation learning through the stories of the characters, most notableAugustine and Patrick.Augustine, his faith based on Roma n Chrisitanity, looked into his ownheart and found the anguish of each individual. (Cahill, p. 115) Patrick, theslave turned Christian, escapes only to return to convert the Irish. He was thefirst missionary to the barbarians beyond Greco-Roman law who looked into thehearts of others. (Cahill, p. 115)Cahill notes Ireland is the only land where Christianity is introducedwithout violence - there were no murdered Irish...