Do you know how chaotic it was after Rome’s fall? With the return of trial of ordeal, the decline in learning (few people except the clergy learned to read and write), the lack of central authority (government), the disappearance of urban life, constant warring and economic turmoil, western civilization suffered a breakdown in every area of life and culture. People lived in fear and uncertainty. No one cared about learning, business or entertainment, they cared for survival. For the people during these times, it wasn’t about next week and next month but today and tomorrow. With the collapse of civilization during the Middle Ages, it was the strength and organization of the Christian Church that gave form and unity to Europe.
The church was the leading institution in medieval society. Not only was it responsible for spiritual matters, it also assumed the powers and responsibilities that were given to the government. Though society and government were fragmented, the Christian church stood strong admist the chaos and was the bond that united the Christian people. The educated clergy were often the only able men capable of managing the administration of the rapidly deteriorating cities. Nearly everyone in medieval Europe sought comfort in the Church and viewed it as the guardian and interpreter of religious truth. Priests administered the sacraments, gave advice, taught people the rules of right and wrong and helped the sick and the needy. Local churches were centers of village life where families gathered for worship and to celebrate Church festivals.
Christian monks and nuns made important contributions to medieval society. They taught new methods of farming, carpentry and weaving skills to the people which led to advancements in knowledge. Convents and monasteries also established hospitals, libraries, orphanages, schools, provided shelter for travelers and were centers of learning. Monks preserved classical learning by reading and writing Latin (Latin was in danger of disappearing) and Greek (knowledge of Greek had practically disappeared in Europe!). Determined to preserve a heritage they viewed as “too precious to be lost”,
they studied all surviving ancient manuscripts and copied them by hand (these copies are what we have today).
Schools were headed by the church from early monastic schools, to cathedral schools (which started emerging with the rise of the first cities), to the universities (you would be surprised on how exceptional Catholic education was and the many notable progenies it gave birth to).* “Catholic thinkers were willing to explore every aspect of reality because of their commitment to rational analysis and their confidence in human reason. For them, the intellect was the highest faculty of the soul and the truth it discerns could not possibly contradict the truths of Faith because God was the author of both.”* The church promoted learning and progress in all fields. They funded and encouraged the sciences, gave papal charters to universities in protection and support of academic freedom.
It was Catholic thought that dominated the middle ages that led to the emphasis on education, progress, virtue and social justice in society (see the idea of chivalry or the mondus operandi of medieval guilds for examples on virtue and social justice). It was also Christian monks who tutored Barbaric rulers, rulers who gave birth to a royal lineage of kings of different realms.
The Catholic Church not only saved Western civilization, it built it and to deny this would show how ignorant you are of Medieval history. Without the church, we would be living in a very primitive and superstitious world.
