Interesting article on Between Two Worlds.

I recently finished reading How the Irish Saved Civilization. I fully concur with Jennifer’s assessment and cautions, and I’ll add a bit here.

It was a rather interesting read to see the story of the preservation of classical literacy through the Dark Ages. As the barbarians sacked Rome and the culture of learning and reason of the Greco-Roman era was demolished, significant bodies of Latin work were on track to be lost. When St. Patrick evangelized the Irish, their monastic culture soaked up learning and devoted considerable effort to copying Scripture, classic Greek and Latin texts, and numerous other works. Some time after Patrick, when they went back to continental Europe with the Gospel, they also brought their learning, books, and monastic systems, re-introducing Europe to her literary roots and bringing back some degree of literacy. Hence Ireland seems to have been God’s tool for preserving Roman literature and literacy, particularly church literature, through the fall of Rome.

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Last night, Pastor John mentioned something that I hadn’t thought of before — the duration and permanence of the incarnation of Christ. He pointed out in 1 John 4 how it says that spirits from God say that Jesus “has come” in the flesh, not “came.”

That is, he came, and is still flesh. In the Incarnation, Christ permanently connected himself with humanity and its fleshiness. He then just went ahead of us into His glorified body. It makes sense, Scripturally — He is called the “firstborn of many brethren,”, and a reasonable way to understand that is to understand him as not only connected with what we are, but the firstborn of what we will be. Joined to flesh, glorified, and waiting to welcome us into His paradise where we will be like him.

This is rather poignant.