The Closing of the Western Mind: The Rise of Faith and the Fall of Reason

It is certainly true that from a technological point of view, invention did continue throughout the middle ages, but free intellectual & scientific progress was certainly stunted by the church's insistence on reliance on scripture as the only valid source of knowledge, supported by an atrophied smattering of classical texts. Ironically of course the church integrated the very same old masters (esp Ptolemy, Galen and Aristotle) that would have espoused a practical and experimentalist scientific tradition completely at odds with the church's view of reality.

Freeman, while clearly an admirer of the classical world (most of his other books have that focus), is far from a church-basher, though once you've read the book you mightn't feel like being so kind. Gregory of Tours and Ambrose of Milan, two pivotal figures of the early medieval church, receive treatments that are fairly balanced (though it is clear that any admiration Freeman has for Ambrose are along the same lines as Machiavelli might have had for Stalin).

A really excellent book, especially if want a thorough, thought-provoking, erudite but not overly academic treastise on the late Roman/Early medieval period.


Time very well spent   October 7, 2004
C. C. Simpson (New York, NY USA)
17 out of 20 found this review helpful

Charles Freeman has taken an thousand years of ecclesiastical history and formulated a well thought out theory on the impacts of the church on Roman society. For the truly devout, this book may tend to bring to light facts that don't necessarily warm the heart. However, he does relay a strong sense of the times and places all events into their proper context. Freeman has obviously spent painstaking hours in the research and formulation of this book, and in doing so, provides the reader with a vibrant understanding of both the glory and instability of Rome. The Empire itself is shown with all its vulnerabilities, which after "Christianization", seem to waver on the strengths and weaknesses of a developing Christian church. For the unbiased reader, this book is a refreshing insight into an area of Roman history that is commonly overlooked and blindingly waived aside. I recommend this book to any that are interested not only in ancient / medieval history, but in the aspects of ecclesiastical history that seldom are expressed without a slanted sentiment.


A comment of a scientist: excellent book   April 3, 2005
Jerry Va'vra (Los Altos, CA, USA)
15 out of 18 found this review helpful

I value this book very highly mainly because it opened my eyes, and taught me how the Greek science, which was embraced by the Roman pagan culture, really ended. I am a scientist myself and always wondered what has really happened by the 6-th century A.D., why it took Europe so long to be able again to talk freely that Earth could be moving around the Sun, and why the Aristotelian systematic empirical approach to a discovery of the truth is the only way to learn it, why the astronomy seized to exist (the last recorded Greek astronomical observation dates to 475A.D. by Athenian philosopher Proclus; it would be over 1000 years - with the publication of Copernicus in 1543 - before these studies began to move forward again), why the mathematics disappeared, why Europe was in darkness until the Renaissance, etc. I learned the answer to these questions from Freeman's excellent book. The pagan philosophers were basically chased out of the Roman Empire by the 6-th century by the orthodox Christian emperor Justinian issuing laws that they must switch to the Christianity or... The death penalty was decreed for those practiced pagan cults and pagan teachers, and their licence, parrhesia (a term used for 1000 years to denote "freedom of speech"), to instruct others was withdrawn. The Plato University in Athens was closed, the Alexandria library was burned, Christian mob killed Hypatia, a famous philosopher, mathematician and pagan teacher. She was attacked on the street of Alexandria and her body pulled to pieces. Morris Kline, a historian of mathematics, commented: "the fate of Hypatia symbolizes the end of the era of Greek mathematics." She was a woman. Imagine! The Catholic Church has problems with women in important Church positions even now. The pagan philosophers left the Roman Empire for Arabia where they contributed to a birth of Arab algebra, taught Arabs the Greek philosophy, and in this way saved for us the books of Aristotle, which were discovered and translated by Europeans in Arabic part of Spain in the 12-th century.

Nobody can prove it, but I doubt that Constantine, a Roman emperor and a pagan, who was the first emperor to accept the Christianity and gave a huge wealth to the Christian bishops in the 4-th century, would do it again if he could see what will happen a few centuries later under Justinian, emperor between 527-65, who formally outlawed the pagan religion.

I also wonder where we would be today if the Greek science of Pythagoras, Archimedes, Hypatia, Aristotle, Galen and others, would not have been interrupted for ~1000 years.

Freeman's book does not explicitly points this out, but, perhaps, a secret for all the trouble in the past 1500 years lies in attempts to centralize the Faith and power. The pagan religion, because it had multiple gods, which could also be wrong (imagine!), was much more inclusive than a single god orthodox Christianity, which replaced it. But that would probably require another book...

It seems that the next pope should apologize not only for Galileo and the crusaders, but also for a destruction of the Hellenistic philosophical ideas, and ~1000 years of darkness.

Can all this happen again? Meaning that the science would be suppressed ? Hard to imagine, but, I think a threat is there. I do not think that the pagan philosophers of the 1-st century A.D. could ever imagine that they will be chased out of Rome and Athens.



Wonderful Book   September 6, 2005
James D. Williams (Irvine, CA United States)
15 out of 18 found this review helpful

Many readers will find it easy to misunderstand this wonderful book because Freeman's argument(s) are not congruent with the Hollywood-esque version of history that Americans have embraced as "fact." The three most important arguments are: (1) early Christianity was significanly influenced by political factors; (2) monotheism is hierarchical and thus inherently exclusionary and intolerant, not only of other religions but also of any behaviors or ways of thinking that might challenge the decreed orthodoxy of the hierarchy; (3) as Christianity spread and became an established religion, its foundation on the Gospels became so attenuated as to be almost nonexistent.

These arguments are compelling because Freeman possesses truly amazing knowledge of history and the Bible, which enabled him to offer mountains of evidence to support every claim. Those of us who work or are simply interested in history cannot help but experience both admiration and envy in the face of Freeman's mastery of ancient sources. It also is worth mentioning that the book is beautifully written, the style elegant, graceful, and often moving. What a shame that other scholarly books are not as readable!

One need only reflect for a moment on the world's situation today and see the relevance of Freeman's arguments: terrorist attacks in the name of Islam, restrictions on stem-cell research in the name of God, efforts in many countries to strengthen the connection between government and religion, and everywhere increasing erosion of freedom of expression and growing intolerance for diverse views.

While reading Freeman, I was reminded of Kirsch's God Against the Gods, another book that critically examines the influence of monotheism. Both works ineluctably bring us to an important question that merits consideration: Has monotheism really made the world a better place?




Truly a book that will change your thinking   March 1, 2007
MJS (New York, United States)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

This is one those books I bought with high expectations and then promptly left on my bookshelf, unread, for almost a year. My only regret after reading it is that I waited so long to do so.

Freeman's thesis is straightforward, in the quest to explain the central concept of the Trinity, early Christianity moved away from seeking truth through empirical thought to receiving truth from authority or, if you prefer, through faith. The story behind this thesis is truly fascinating and it is a great tribute to Freeman that the controversies surrounding Arianism, Monophysitism, etc become vital and comprehensible.

It would be easy to read this book as a criticism of Christianity or the Early Church, etc. For me that misses the point. Freeman is tackling something far more subtle that nature of religious faith and its coexistence with empirical thought AND governmental authority. Can they coexist? Can they coexist with equal vigor and independence? Do they cancel each other out automatically? Whether one believes Constantine was in fact truly inspired by God or was "merely" a very canny politician, the one-minded reader is confront with the controversies created by a state sanction religion. A religion that the state ultimately comes to rely upon for legitimacy and authority.

I greatly enjoyed this book and have returned repeatedly to many of the ideas and arguments in it since reading it last year. I do not agree with all of Freeman's contentions but I am grateful for this book and his incredible achievement. You may want to follow this book with MacCulloch's The Reformation to further trace the impact of these seemingly obscure controversies and their lasting impact.

Not an easy read but very very worth the effort. Highly recommended.