Religion and the Rise of Western Culture

Religion and the Rise of Western Culture by Christopher Dawson, 274 pages

In the second half of his contribution to the Gifford lectures, Dawson applies the principles sketched in the first half (published separately as Religion and Culture) to Western Europe, unveiling the story of how the Church drew together disparate strands - the classical heritage of Greece and Rome, the religion of Jerusalem, the politics of the Germanic peoples - to weave the culture of Europe.  From the liturgy as the vital center of the development of Western art, to the influence of religion in the understanding of kingship, the development of the guild system, and the founding of the first universities, in clear, readable prose, Dawson illustrates the role of Christianity as the centripetal force holding together the West throughout the Middle Ages.  In the process, he reveals how the Middle Ages created the cultural capital that the West has been spending ever since.