Overview

""Every chancellery in Europe, every court in Europe, was ruled by these learned, trained and accomplished men the priesthood of that great and dominant body."" President Woodrow Wilson, The New Freedom With the evidence of stubborn facts, historians have given their verdict: from the genius of Christianity and the cultures of the Jews, Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Germanic peoples, the Catholic Church built a new and original civilization, embodying within its structures the Christian vision of God and man, time and eternity. Its construction and maintenance, amid attrition and cultural earthquakes, is a saga spread over sixteen hundred years. Catholic priests do not hold a monopoly on the struggles or achievements involved. However, in the embryonic stage of Western Civilization from A.D. 300 to 1000, because they numbered so many men of heroism and genius, and due to their triple mission to teach, sanctify and govern, they became the pioneers and irreplaceable builders of a new culture and socio-political order.Heroism and Genius presents some of these formidable men of the Dark Ages and the medieval period, sketching their decisive role in the building of the landmark social, artistic and economic institutions that mark Western Civilization: Fathers of the Western socio-political ethos, and Free-Market Economics; leaders of nations, statesmen, and defiers of tyrants; music composers, pioneers of universal education, and architects of some of the world's loveliest buildings; and the clandestine revolutionaries behind the flowering of the culture of romantic love that is the classic model for relations between men and women. This is a popular history of the key role of the Catholic priesthood in laying the foundations for the socio-political-cultural ethos of Western Civilization, with a sketch of various institutions characteristic of that civilization.""

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9781621640141

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I am happy to recommend Fr. William Slattery's book . . . [about] the ethos of heroism and genius that inspirited the builders of Christian civilization-and that can inspire the builders of another Christian culture in the future, whether in Africa, Asia, Europe or the Americas. -- Cardinal Robert Sarah, Author, God or Nothing and The Power of Silence This book is the excellent fruit of Fr. Slattery's years of serious scholarly study of the great men who have made history because they loved the Catholic faith and gave witness to it in every aspect of their lives. His work not only permits us to know them in depth but also inspires us to follow in their footsteps for the transformation of our times. -- Cardinal Raymond Burke, Author, Hope for the World: To Unite All Things in Christ Fr. Slattery's book is the final blow to the Enlightenment's version of Western history, in which the Church was nothing but an obstacle to progress. I heartily recommend it. -- Thomas Woods, Ph.D., New York Times Best-Selling Author, The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History and How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization This extraordinary book is an essential read for anyone desiring to understand where we have come from and where we presently are, what we were saved from and what we are in grave danger of losing. -- Michael D. O'Brien, Author, Father Elijah: An Apocalypse Fr. Slattery's insightful depictions of the chaos within the collapsing Roman society and the brutality of the invading barbarians highlight the awe-inspiring gifts, generosity, and courage of those priests of Jesus Christ who invented Western civilization. The light of Christ they brought into the darkness of the early Middle Ages became the blazing fire of Christendom, and priests stoked and guided that fire into the modern age. --Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J., Author and Host, EWTN Live Fr. Slattery's book on true heroism shows us that holy courage and love is what made countless clerics so pivotal in the Western world. -- Fr. David Meconi, S.J., Professor of Patristics, St. Louis University; Editor, Homiletic & Pastoral Review Heroism and Genius will open windows to unknown vistas of history--and in a delightful way. As one travels through the chapters there is a sensation of climbing a mountain and being exposed to ever vaster panoramas of thrilling landscapes. -- Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, President Emeritus of the Vatican Committee for Historical Sciences

I am happy to recommend Fr. William Slattery's book . . . [about] the ethos of heroism and genius that inspirited the builders of Christian civilization-and that can inspire the builders of another Christian culture in the future, whether in Africa, Asia, Europe or the Americas. -- Cardinal Robert Sarah, Author, God or Nothing and The Power of Silence This book is the excellent fruit of Fr. Slattery's years of serious scholarly study of the great men who have made history because they loved the Catholic faith and gave witness to it in every aspect of their lives. His work not only permits us to know them in depth but also inspires us to follow in their footsteps for the transformation of our times. -- Cardinal Raymond Burke, Author, Hope for the World: To Unite All Things in Christ Fr. Slattery's book is the final blow to the Enlightenment's version of Western history, in which the Church was nothing but an obstacle to progress. I heartily recommend it. -- Thomas Woods, Ph.D., New York Times Best-Selling Author, The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History and How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization This extraordinary book is an essential read for anyone desiring to understand where we have come from and where we presently are, what we were saved from and what we are in grave danger of losing. -- Michael D. O'Brien, Author, Father Elijah: An Apocalypse Fr. Slattery's insightful depictions of the chaos within the collapsing Roman society and the brutality of the invading barbarians highlight the awe-inspiring gifts, generosity, and courage of those priests of Jesus Christ who invented Western civilization. The light of Christ they brought into the darkness of the early Middle Ages became the blazing fire of Christendom, and priests stoked and guided that fire into the modern age. --Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J., Author and Host, EWTN Live Fr. Slattery's book on true heroism shows us that holy courage and love is what made countless clerics so pivotal in the Western world. -- Fr. David Meconi, S.J., Professor of Patristics, St. Louis University; Editor, Homiletic & Pastoral Review Heroism and Genius will open windows to unknown vistas of history--and in a delightful way. As one travels through the chapters there is a sensation of climbing a mountain and being exposed to ever vaster panoramas of thrilling landscapes. -- Cardinal Walter Brandmuller, President Emeritus of the Vatican Committee for Historical Sciences

I am happy to recommend Fr. William Slattery's book . . . [about] the ethos of heroism and genius that inspirited the builders of Christian civilization-and that can inspire the builders of another Christian culture in the future, whether in Africa, A

Author Information

William J. Slattery, Ph.D., S.T.L., was ordained to the priesthood by Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Basilica in 1991. He has given Ignatian retreats in English and French in North America and has written a work on the formation of priests, soon to be published, while residing at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

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