Columbanus: Light on the Middle Ages

This new entry in the Library of World Biography series offers the story of the Irish missionary and saint, Columbanus. This text also serves as a guide for understanding the pivotal sixth and seventh centuries, when Roman and barbarian cultures merged in Europe.Through the life of Columbanus, a highly influential participant in the development of the medieval church and the invigorating transmission of Irish culture to the emerging civilization on the continent, readers also gain an understanding of the transition from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages. Columbanus is an excellent guide on this broader historical journey because he was a citizen of multiple cultures: the Ireland of his birth and training, the early barbarian kingdoms of France and Italy of his career, and the developing structure of the Christian world. Rather than a biography of one individual from one culture, this biography can be seen as an introduction to an entire era.Reynolds, Burnam W. is the author of 'Columbanus: Light on the Middle Ages', published 2007 under ISBN 9780321338891 and ISBN 0321338898.