To understand Western culture
Christianity You Must Know

Western culture evolved from Greco-Roman culture to Christian culture.
However, this process was not easy.
The early Romans were polytheistic and did not pay much attention to Christianity because they believed that Rome's prosperity was maintained with the help of these gods.
So how did Christianity come to influence Western culture for thousands of years? And just how much of an impact has it had on Western culture? "The More You Know, the More Interesting It Becomes" is a book for those with an intellectual curiosity about Christianity, the foundation of Western culture. It provides an accessible and accessible account of the Catholic Church's journey over approximately 1,500 years, from the early church to just before the Reformation in the 16th century.
As readers read this book, they will vividly experience the human sorrow, agony, and warm moments of comfort embedded in the journey of Christianity.

The passion and energy that Tertullian possessed throughout his life seem to have something to do with his birthplace.
Because he was born in Carthage, a representative port in North Africa, full of hot sunlight.
When we think of Africa, we might be mistaken for a region of Africa with a primitive lifestyle, but places like Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya in present-day northern Africa were Africa during the Roman Empire.
These areas are dazzlingly hot and sunny, as depicted in Albert Camus' novel The Stranger.
This sunlight also affects a person's personality.
People in North Africa, where the sun is strong, often exhibited choleric personalities.
Perhaps for this reason, African Christians have shown a unique aspect in terms of purity of faith, and the greatest number of martyrs have come from here.
---From "The Rise of Heresy in the Second Chapter and Resistance to Protect the Purity of Faith"

Constantine the Great was born the son of Flavius ​​Valerius Constantius, the vice-emperor of the four emperors.
His father, Constantius, was a handsome and very brave man who had been in all kinds of battles.
One day, he was traveling through a region called Bithynia and stopped at an inn.
While the other generals were sleeping in the barracks, he was sleeping in the inn, and there was a beautiful and spirited woman there.
As the daughter of an innkeeper, her name was Helena, and she was a country girl who did not shy away from hard work, such as tending the stables.
But Constantius fell in love with her.
Constantius approached her with all kinds of sweet talk, but Helena was not so swayed.
Constantius seemed to be more attracted to the appearance of such a country girl.
Constantius, who was deeply in love with Helena, the so-called 'master of seduction', pursued her, courted her earnestly, and eventually made her his wife.
---From "Freedom of Religion Obtained through the Four Powers of Constantine the Great"

However, the Alexandrian school was agitated when the Patriarch of Constantinople proposed to abandon the name 'Mother of God' and use a new name, 'Mother of Christ'.
So, what happened was that the hermits I mentioned earlier came rushing in and shouting, “Nestorius, come out!”
Even though Nestorius explained theology to them, they did not understand.
Because they lived a monastic life based solely on belief and faith.
In fact, there was a mastermind behind these things.
This is Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444), the Patriarch of Alexandria.
He incited the hermits by saying, “Has our Alexandria become so weak? Can we stand by while a new, unheard-of patriarch of Constantinople continues to challenge us and humiliate us?”
Cyril launched a full-scale attack on Nestorius, leading to the First Council of Ephesus in 431.
---From "The Perfection of the Christian Confession of Faith, Lecture 6"

Carthage was a port city of enormous size.
Carthage, a city so developed that traces of it still remain today, was the largest grain exporting port of the Roman Empire.
At that time, the Mediterranean coast of Africa was a granary no less than the Nile River basin.
So Carthage accumulated enormous wealth.
But in such a wealthy city, red-light districts are bound to develop.
Augustine, a hot-blooded adolescent boy who was sent to study abroad in Carthage to get his mind together and study hard, ended up showing even greater interest in such places.
Augustine spent all the money his parents gave him to study abroad on having fun.
---From "The Shaking Roman Empire and the Faith Grown Through Tears"

When Christians were cowering and questioning whether it was really their fault, there was someone who angrily said, “No!”
It was none other than Augustine.
When we get angry, we tend to yell or throw a punch, but Augustine took up his pen instead.
Isn't that quite unique? Augustine spent 14 years writing a book to prove that this rumor was false.
So the completed book was De Civitate Dei, sometimes translated as 'On the City of God'.
---From "Lecture 11: The Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Earth"

When I was young, I was a model student who was full of energy and strictly followed the rules. So when I was a Sunday school teacher, I scolded my students and strictly controlled them.
But it seems that Benedict was just as strict.
Benedict strictly commanded that the monks follow the rules, and the monks regretted bringing him in, saying, "How did we bring in such a person? We made the wrong choice."
The monks could no longer bear it as they emphasized obedience.
So they did the unthinkable.
It would have been nice if Benedict had died naturally, but he was too young for that.
So they planned to assassinate Benedict.
---From "Lecture 13: Pray and Work"

One autumn day, when leaves were falling, Eloise was bowing her head, seemingly listening to Abelard's words.
When Abelard pressed her, "Eloise! ​​What on earth are you thinking?" she looked up, and tears welled up in her eyes. Abelard asked, puzzled, "Eloise, what's wrong?" She replied, "I don't know, sir!" and turned her head away, as if in despair.
For a moment, Abelard felt that in her gaze, she saw him not as a teacher, but as a man she loved.
---From "From Worldly Love to Heavenly Love"

Sometimes, before going to war, they take actions to intimidate others first.
Saladin and King Richard faced each other, and King Richard drew his sword first, cut the chains next to him, and threatened, “Surrender or you will suffer the same fate as these chains!”
Perhaps he expected Saladin to be terrified at the sight of this.
But Saladin's expression was calm.
Instead, he asked, “Is it possible for Your Majesty to do something like this?” and untied the silk he was wearing and threw it into the sky.
Then he pulled out his crescent sword and cut the silk that was floating in the air and then coming down.
The mouths of those who saw this dropped open.
The Third Crusade ended with a compromise, with both sides suffering heavy casualties as the armies led by these two brave and powerful leaders clashed against each other, but Saladin finally promised to allow the pilgrimage to the Holy Land in peace.
---From "Lecture 17: War Between Religions and the Peace of Christ"

Even when the ban on Aristotle's lectures was issued, Albertus sought out Aristotle's books and read them diligently, including Averroes' commentary.
He would read Aristotle's books and compare them directly with Averroes' commentary, and would correct any parts he deemed inaccurate.
And he wrote a new commentary.
When the content matched his thoughts, he would exclaim in wonder, “Oh, what a wonder! The grace of God!”
However, if I judged it to be incorrect, I criticized and revised it by writing, “I should say this.”
---From "Lecture 19: The Rediscovery of Aristotle: A Crisis or Opportunity for the Church?"

Although the students studied hard, the quality of the professor's lectures was different from today's lectures that utilize various modern civilization's advantages.
But there was one teaching method that was very outstanding.
It is 'Disputatio', that is, discussion.
Sometimes, you can see politicians on TV debating and just going on and on about what they want to say without even trying to listen to the other side. That's not a debate.
Medieval debate was not like that.
There were strict rules.
The person who created that rule was Abelard.
Abelard had a method he devised to use his talents: 'Yes and No.'
It was a method of systematically organizing one by one the opposing positions of asking a question and saying 'yes' or 'no'.
The discussion took place with this structure.
---From "The Medieval University That Grew Together with the 20 Churches"

Thomas Aquinas drove out the woman with a torch.
A hagiography on Thomas Aquinas describes him as “never before or since had a Thomas Aquinas moved so quickly.”
There is always some exaggeration in the biographies of saints, and there is even a story that Thomas Aquinas fainted from exertion.
There is also a legend that at that time two angels appeared and tied a rope around Thomas Aquinas' waist, and from then on Thomas Aquinas never fell into lust.
Although this legend may be questionable, it does give us a sense of Thomas Aquinas's firm resolve and will to not give in to temptation despite all the obstacles.
---From "Lecture 21: The Angelic Doctor Thomas Aquinas"

The Romanesque style is characterized by a solemn and majestic appearance due to its circular arches and natural light, and its horizontal features are emphasized.
It also showed the image of a church that is on pilgrimage and struggling.
On the other hand, the Gothic style emphasized religious belief through rose windows and very tall spires, showed high-altitude lighting, and emphasized verticality.
“Let us raise human faith! Let us make it soar high into the sky!” That was the motto.
The reason these two styles differ so much is because of the cultural background and the times at the time.
While the Romanesque style expresses the monasteries and their closed economy, and the cold interests of the aristocracy, the Gothic style depicts the hopeful human figure of the city's development, and the future of humanity newly unfolding through economic activity.
If we apply what we have learned so far, we can say that universal realism is expressed in the Romanesque style, and moderate realism is expressed in the Gothic style.

---From "Celestial Jerusalem Made of Stone, Lesson 23"