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

Cahills How the Irish Saved cultureThomas Cahill opens his story describing Romes f whole, For as the RomanEmpire fell, as all through Europe matted, unwashed barbarians descended on theRoman cities, looting artifacts and vehement books, the Irish who were justlearning to read and write, took up the just prod of copying all of westernliterature - everything they could get their hands on. These scribes accordinglyserved as conduits through which Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian cultures weretransmitted to the tribes of Europe, newly settled amid the rubble 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 magnetic dip tomedieval times learning through the stories of the characters, most notableAugustine and Patrick.Augustine, his credit ba sed on Roman Chrisitanity, looked into his ownheart and found the torture of each individual. (Cahill, p. 115) Patrick, theslave turned Christian, escapes altogether 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...