Depiction of Cassiodorus, 1493, from the Nuremberg Chronicles by Michiel Wolgemuth and Wilhelm Bleidendorff (public domain)
War does more than just destroy buildings. It can also erase knowledge collected over centuries. In Italy during the sixth century, battles across the region destroyed cities, schools, and libraries that were once centers of learning.By the time the Western Roman Empire had already fallen and rival rulers were fighting for control of Italy, priceless books and ancient ideas would have disappeared forever. But one Romanian official thought there was a way to protect them.Flavius Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus spent years in government before leaving politics behind and founding a monastery where monks copied, translated, and preserved manuscripts. Their work helped save religious writings as well as important books in history, philosophy, ethics, and literature that people continue to read today.
Years of conflict
The Roman Empire did not collapse in one event. Historians generally point to AD 476 as the end of the Western Roman Empire after the last emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was removed from power by the Gothic commander Odoacer.Even after that, fighting continued and one of the largest conflicts came during the Gothic War, which lasted nearly two decades and caused widespread devastation throughout Italy.
As cities suffer, schools and libraries are also affected. Books became more difficult to protect, and learning itself was threatened. During this period Cassiodorus decided that preserving knowledge had become as important as winning battles.
This 8th-century Amiatinus manuscript illustration depicts Ezra, but many scholars believe it also represents Cassiodorus. (Image source: Georgetown University)
He valued learning
Cassiodorus was born around 485 AD near present-day Catanzaro in southern Italy. He worked under the Ostrogothic ruler Theodoric the Great and eventually became imperial governor, which was one of the highest positions in government. Cassiodorus was also highly educated. He studied law, Greek and Latin literature. His ability to write made him an important advisor, and he often prepared official letters for the royal court.Many of those letters were later collected in a work called Variae. Besides governmental matters, they reveal his interest in subjects such as philosophy, mathematics, and music.After leaving his public office, Cassiodorus traveled to Constantinople, where he spent several years studying theology.At that time, many important philosophical and religious works were still available in Greek, including the writings of Plato, Aristotle, and early Christian texts.But in Western Europe, fewer people could read Greek. As contact with the Eastern Roman Empire weakened, access to these works also declined.Cassiodorus realized that if no one copied or translated these texts, future generations might never read them.
So he began translating Greek works into Latin while encouraging others to study both traditions.
This illustration from the 8th-century Bamberg Manuscript shows one of the most famous images of Cassiodorus’ Vivarium. (Image: Georgetown University)
The monastery became the center
Later in life, Cassiodorus returned to his family estate in southern Italy and founded the Vivarium Monastery. It included living spaces for monks, separate buildings for hermits, a library, and even a library for visitors. It also provided shelter for the needy and treatment for the sick.Unlike many monasteries of the time, the Vivarium placed a strong emphasis on learning alongside religious life.
Cassiodorus wrote to the monks: “Divine love moved me to devise for the monks, with God’s help, these introductory books to replace the teacher.”He added that these books would help readers understand “the Bible” and “a compact outline of secular letters.”Although the monastery was Christian, Cassiodorus saw that knowledge should not be limited to religious writings alone.
The library contained copies of the Bible and Christian commentaries, but also included works by writers such as Cicero and Aristotle.He also wanted the manuscripts to be carefully copied and attractive. Inspired by the idea that beauty and goodness are linked, he believed that producing elegant handwritten books was in itself an important task.
Lasting effect
Cassiodorus did not stop the wars that continued throughout Europe during the Middle Ages.
But his ideas changed the role of monasteries.Before Vivarium, copying of manuscripts was often done without much organization. After Cassiodorus, many monasteries throughout Europe began to treat book preservation as one of their main responsibilities.Many texts that have shaped Western history, including the philosophical works of Plato and Aristotle, historical writings, biblical manuscripts and other classical books, have survived because they were repeatedly copied within monasteries.