Mysteries of the Middle Ages

Lords and ladies, knights and castles, kings and queens in splendor — the Middle Ages still have a hold on the 21st century imagination. An image partly romantic, partly brutal, and always good for a Monty Python laugh.

Time traveler Thomas Cahill has made himself one of the best-selling historians in history with his books "How the Irish Saved Civilization," "The Gift of the Jews" and "Sailing the Wine Dark Seas: Why the Greeks Matter."

Now he's taking on the high end of the Dark Ages — the age of Eleanor of Aquitane and Thomas Aquinas and Dante and crusades, and finding modern roots in the medieval.

This hour on Point: we go back to the Middle Ages with Thomas Cahill.

Quotes from the Show:

"There are that many disavowals of the crusades nowadays." Thomas Cahill

"Bush called the war in Iraq a crusade." Thomas Cahill

"What you have in the Middle Ages are the beginnings of romantic love." Thomas Cahill

Guests:

Thomas Cahill, bestelling historian and author of "How the Irish Saved Civilization." His new book is "Mysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminisim, Science, and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe."