Europe and the Faith

Introduction the Catholic Conscience of History 4 I. What was the Roman Empire? 26 II. What was the Church in the Roman Empire? 46 III. What was the "Fall" of the Roman Empire? 79 IV. The Beginning of the Nations 109 V. What Happened in Britain? 140 VI. The Dark Ages 194 VII. The Middle Ages 214 VIII. What was the Reformation? 230 IX. The Defection of Britain 249 X. Conclusion 272 INTRODUCTION THE CATHOLIC CONSCIENCE OF HISTORY I say the Catholic "conscience" of history-I say "conscience"-that is, an intimate knowledge through identity: the intuition of a thing which is one with the knower-I do not say "The Catholic Aspect of History." This talk of "aspects" is modern and therefore part of a decline: it is false, and therefore ephemeral: I will not stoop to it. I will rather do homage to truth and say that there is no such thing as a Catholic "aspect" of European history. There is a Protestant aspect, a Jewish aspect, a Mohammedan aspect, a Japanese aspect, and so forth. For all of these look on Europe from without. The Catholic sees Europe from within. There is no more a Catholic "aspect" of European history than there is a man's "aspect" of himself. Sophistry does indeed pretend that there is even a man's "aspect" of himself. In nothing does false philosophy prove itself more false. For a man's way of perceiving himself (when he does so honestly and after a cleansing examination of his mind) is in line with his Creator's, and therefore with reality: he sees from within. Let me pursue this metaphor. Man has in him conscience, which is the voice of God. Not only does he know by this that the outer world is real, but also that his own personality is real. When a man, although flattered by the voice of another, yet says within himself, "I am a mean fellow," he has hold of reality. When a man, though maligned of the world, says to himself of himself, "My purpose was just," he has hold of reality. He knows himself, for he is himself. A man does not know an infinite amount about himself. But the finite amount he does know is all in the map; it is all part of what is really there. What he does not know about himself would, did he know it, fit in with what he does know about himself. There are indeed "aspects" of a man for all others except these two, himself and God Who made him. These two, when they regard him, see him as he is; all other minds have their several views of him; and these indeed are "aspects," each of which is false, while all differ. But a man's view of himself is not an "aspect: " it is a comprehension.