WHAT IS NOVAE MILITIAE ?
No, this is not a website about the Knights Templar, societies for creative anachronism or paramilitary groups in Montana. As entertaining as it might be to discuss any of these groups, this site will have a much different focus. Its name is taken from Bernard of Clairvaux's De Laude Novae Militiae (In Praise of the New Knighthood) , which the Cistercian saint wrote to praise and encourage the Knights Templar, a fledgling crusading order of warrior-monks whose Christian virtue distinguished them from so many other knights whose behavior was marked by impiety, lowness and an ostentation that bordered on the effeminate.
The New Knight is the Christian soldier par excellence , one who loves Christ and his fellow Christian so much that he fears neither hardship nor death in their service. I see in Bernard's New Knight a chivalric model for men today, suggesting a way of life that they should espouse if they are to save both their souls and their civilization. On the page, "Resources: Articles, Web Sites and Blogs," which should be considered the "meat" of this web site, I give you access to a number of online articles and essays that are illustrative of the relationship between Christian chivalry, personal transformation and societal transformation. Albert Carosa writes about the chivalric message of Mel Gibson's controversial blockbuster, The Passion of The Christ. Two articles from the journal Touchstone reveal to the reader the chivalric mind of J.R.R. Tolkien, whose books on Middle Earth and the Peter Jackson films based on them inspire us with the high and heroic chivalrous ideals our culture has jettisoned for a mess of pottage. Terrence Moore, Marine, former history professor and now the principal of a classical school in northeastern Colorado, advocates a return to a chivalric code of manly and womanly behavior, without which our society will only continue its nosedive into sexual and hence cultural degradation.
Dr. Charles Malik testifies to his personal faith, the Orthodox Christian faith, in an superb commentary on the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, the central dogmatic symbol of Catholic Christianity. David Fagerberg writes on C.S. Lewis and Christian asceticism, the means by which the faith of the Creed comes to fruition in the life of the Christian. The link "Sons in the Son" is an article excerpted from Leon Podles' book The Church Impotent and echoes what is to be gleaned from the Fagerberg article, i.e., that by virtue of Christ's incarnation "Christians become deiform, apotheosized, and achieve an intimacy and union with the godhead that is beyond the categories of natural reason." The article Holy Eucharist from the OCA's web page highlights the centrality of the Eucharist in the common Christian life. As Christopher Dawson writes, it was in "the sacred order of the liturgy (that Western society) remained intact, and, in it, the whole Christian world, Roman, Byzantine and barbarian, found an inner principle of unity." The "Personal Transformation" section contains links to three essays on "Becoming a Christian", obviously directed to those who are not Christians, explaining why they should join us who are and how that is done.
As persons are transformed (or not), so goes their society. I've provided a number of online pieces, two written by the Asia Times' "Spengler" on what likely awaits Europe and America if things don't change, snippets from Russell Kirk on traditionalist conservatism (the rightful heir of Christian chivalric culture, no pun intended), James Jatras on Islam and American collaboration, Dawson on the relationship between religion and culture, and Peter Toon on postmodernity and asceticism. Additionally, I've linked writings by Robert Louis Wilken and Fr. Georges Florovsky on the Church's faith as culture, B. K. Eakman on the loss of the culture wars, David Marshall on the promising effects of Christ on other cultures, but especially Islamic culture, and lastly, an editorial entitled "Hanging On" by Touchstone editor David Mills that holds out the same promise for our culture.
A remarkable thing, Christianity. As those familiar with the Christian story know, its inner principle has to do with the utterly unexpected emergence of Life from death. Chesterton observes Christianity's resurrectional dynamic at work in history: "At least five times . . ., with the Arian and the Albigensian, with the Humanist sceptic, after Voltaire and after Darwin, the Faith has to all appearance gone to the dogs. In each of these five cases it was the dog that died."
Yes, it sounds alarmist and apocalyptic, but it seems to me that Western secular culture is headed for a massive crack-up. If indeed that happens, the question is who will be around to pick up the pieces. Those of us who are about to die will likely be long gone before any of this occurs, but the war is on even now, so we fight it now, both for ourselves and our posterity. We endeavor to strengthen what remains and to lay the ground for what we believe will be, once again, Christianity's eventual triumph. As T.S. Eliot put it, "The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time: so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the World from suicide."
And so, I have created this website, a feeble but earnest attempt to fight the war in my own way with the help of cyberspace. I suffer from no delusions of grandeur. I am a nobody, I strive hard and often fail to manifest articulacy, and this website is likely to remain a virtually invisible little place. Nor am I under any illusions: it may be that we Christians are fated to lose the "culture wars," though we nevertheless will ultimately conquer and rule in the One who conquers and rules all. If we are so fated, my meager efforts will have meant little if anything if the retaking of the culture is the standard by which success is measured. After all, as Mills writes, how this thing turns out is ultimately up to the Holy Spirit, whose advent it is. But if I reach just one or only a few people with the truth that transforms persons and potentially their societies, then I think that my efforts will have not been wasted.
Read the linked articles on the "Resources" page and check back for new ones, have a look at the books I've recommended, look in on the blog if it suits your fancy, and see the "Sites 'n Blogs" section under "Resources" for other chatterers of note. You'll find this website eclectic and ecumenical (in the good sense of that word). Feel free to contact me with questions, comments, and even disgrunts. Just send me no viruses, please.
Caedmon
(For more about this site, here. More on chivalry . )