COLUMBUS CONTRA MUNDUM

The coming ofl993 brought a great

sigh of relief from the organizing
committee of the quincentenary of
Columbus' voyage to the "New World."
Seldom has a five-hundredth
anniversary caused more commotion
left, right, or center. Everyone, except
maybe the "Adult Children of
Alcoholics," took the occasion of the
quincentenary to cast all sorts of
accusations, allegations, defamations,
and,asmyMamawouldsay, "plain ole
ugly things" upon the "Admiral of the
Ocean Sea." It is impossible to relate
them all but I cannot resist mentioning
a few:
The Universities of the land
(modern society's peculiar version of
the old insane asylums) were not shy
(are they ever?) to jump into this
historicaVphilosophical fracas. The
University ofIllinois officially changed
Columbus Day to a "Day of Mourning"
while Arizona State University
commemorated the day by allowing a
Chicano rap group to shout obscenities
about European culture. The
University of Minnesota enjoyed an
entire day of "festivities" highlighted
by a play about the "legacy of
Columbus' (it was all bad) to be held
at "The Hean of the Beast Puppet
Theater" (seriously, I would not make
these things up).
Russell Means (one of the official
spokespersons for the American Indian
Movement and aspiring movie stai:)
compared Columbus' "atrocities' with
those of Hitler and concluded that
Columbus "makes Hider look like a
juvenile delinquent." EvenFidel Castro
(who, in honor of the anniversary,
proclaimed himself a "native
American") let it be known that his
own sensitive soul had suffered in
unimaginable ways over the bare
remembrance of so infamous a villain
as the Genoese explorer.
Not to be left out, the eccentric
"churchlings" at the National Council
of Churches weighed in with an official
pronouncement solemnly Citing
Columbus for "grand theft, racism,
initiating the destruction of a culture,
rape, torture, maiming of indigenous
people, invasion, genocide, slavery,
and ecocide" (No, not the murder of
4 TIlE COUNSEL of Chalcedon May, 1993
an environmentalist. "Ecocide" is
newspeak for the murder of nature).
By now we have come to expect
this kind of stuff from the proprietors
of the "politically correct" but what are
we to say when those who have some
reputation for scholarship join in this
madness? 1992 spawned a shipload of
booksandanicles to "document" these
views. Barry Lopez's The Rediscovery of
America, Hans Koning's Columbus: His
Enterprise, Ronald Wright's Stolen
Continents: The Americas Through Indian
Eyes Since 1492, and, most
prominently, Kirkpatrick Sale's The
Conquest of Paradise, all sought with a
straight face to substantiate the charge
that Columbus was a horrid
combination of scoundrel, hooligan,
blackguard, hellhound, cutthroat, and
generally, all-around rapscallion.
What are we to make of all this? Is
it all just so much flapdoodle? Is it
merely another smear campaign again
against, our traditional heroes? Even
Columbus' defenders have begun a
safe (and extremely quiet) retreat.
Better not to say anything (so they
judge) than to risk being branded a
racist, fascist, or ecocidal-maniac!
As Christians, we dare not ignore
the modem debate. All the hubbub
should stir us to look more carefully at
the man and his age. This is what I
propose to do in this (and the next
few) anicles.
Let's begin by addressing the first
and clearly, one of the most important
questions: "Was Columbus a
Christian?" To answer such a question
is ultimately impossible. GOd alone
knows the hean. Yet thejudgmem of
charity demands that we accept the
profession of a man unless there is
clear evidence which forces us to
conclude otherwise.
Columbus always (and quite
unambiguously) professed Christi-
anity. He was one of those
pre-Reformation saints who, though
infected with many of the errors and
superstitions of Rome, held a
remarkably evangelical faith. Many
passages from his writings point us to
this faith:
Columbus often confessed his
sinfulness and need of God's grace: "I
am the worst of sinners. The pity and
mercy of our Lord have completely
covered me whenever I have called on
him for them. I have found the sweetest
consolation in casting away all my
anxiety, so as to contemplate his
marvelous presence."
He expressed explicit faith in the
promises of Scripture: "Your
Highnesses, remember the Gospel texts
and the many promises which our
Savior made to us, and how all this has
been put to a test ... Themountainswill
obey anyone who has faith the size of
a kernel of Indian com. All that is
requested by anyone who has faith
will be granted. Knock and it will be
opened to you. No one should be
afraid to take on any enterprise in the
name of our Savior, if it is right and if
the purpose is purely for his holy
service."
He acknowledged his complete
trust in the sovereignty of God over
history: "The working out of all things
was entrusted by our Lord to each
person, but it happens in conformity
with his sovereign will, even though
he gives advice to many. He lacks
nothing that it may be in the power of
men to give Him. a how good is the
Lord who wishes people to perform
that for which he holds himself
responsible! Day and night, and at
every moment, evelyone should give
him their most devoted thanks."
He credited the Spirit of God forhis
ability and understanding: "I found
Our Lord very well-disposed toward
this my desire, and he gave me the
spirit of intelligence for it. He
prospered me in seamanship and
supplied me with the necessary tools
of astrology, as well as geometry and
arithmetic and ingenuity of intellect
and of manual skill to draw spherical
maps which show cities, rivers and
mountains, islands and ports --
everything in its proper place. At this
time I have seen and put in study to
look into all the Scriptures,
cosmography, histories, chronicles and
philosophy and other arts, which our
Lord opened to my understanding (I
could sense his hand upon me), so that
it became deano me that it was feasible
to navigate from here to the Indies;
and he unlocked within me the
determination to execute the
idea ... Who doubts that this
illumination was from the Holy Spirit?
I attest that he, with marvelous rays of
light, consoled me through the holy
and sacred Scriptures ... a strong and
clear testimony, with forty-fourbooks
of the Old Testament, and four Gospels,
with twenty-three Epistles of those
blessed Apostles, encouraging me to
proceed, and, continually, without
ceasing for a moment, they inflame me
with a sense of great urgency." (all
quotes are taken from Columbus' Book
oj Prophecies, translated by Kay
Brigham, TSELF, Inc.)
Over and over again, Columbus
states the purpose of his voyages to be
that of bringing Christianity to the
pagan isles. Note the following stated
purpose of his first voyage:
"And your Highnesses, as Catholic
Christians and Plinces, devoted to the
holy Christian faith and the
propagation thereof -- and enemies of
the sect of Mohammet and of all
idolatries and heresies, resolved to send
me, Christopher Columbus, to the said
regions ofIndia, to see the said Princes
and peoples and lands and the
dispOSition of them and of all and the
mannerwhichmay be undertaken their
conversion to our holy faith." (The
Journal oj Christopher Columbus,
translated by Cecil Jane, Bonanza
Books, p. 4).
The second voyage had a similar
end in view. The instructions from
Ferdinand and Isabella declare the
prime object of the voyage to be the
conversion of the natives. The
directives from the sovereigns for the
third voyage in 1497 specify that
Columbus engage priests to go with
him to administer the sacraments and
to "convert the Indians native of the
said Indies to our Holy Catholic Faith."
This expressed desire for the
spiritual well-being of the natives never
left Columbus. His Journal entry for
Thursday, November 27, 1492,
records this request:
"And I say that Your Highnesses
must not allow any stranger, except
Catholic Christians, to trade here or
set foot here, for this was the alpha and
omega of the enterprise, that it should
be for the increase and glory of the
Christian religion and that no one
May, 1993 TIlE COUNSEL Qf ChaIcedon t 5
should come to these parts who was
nota good Christian." (Journal, p. 78)
Columbus desired that part ofhis
estate be used to erect a church in
Hispaniola along with a hospital for
the people of that region. He also
specified that his heirs "maintain and
support in Hispaniola four good
Masters of Sacred Theology," whose
main concern would be to work for
the conversion of the natives.
Theunanirnous testimony of those
who knew him confirm the sincerity
of Columbus' piety. Even Columbus
most famous modem biographer,
Samuel Morison (at best a lukewarm
admirer of everything about
Columbus except his navigational
skills), is convinced:
"He was Man alone with God
against human stupidity and
depravity, against greedy
conqUistadors, cowardly seamen,
even against nature and the sea.
Always with God, though; in that his
biographers were right; for God is
with men who for a good cause put
their trust in Him. Men may doubt
this, but there can be no doubt that
the faith of Columbus was genuine
and sincere, and that his frequent
communion with forces unseen was
a viral element in his achievement. It
gave him confidence in his destiny,
assurance thathis performance would
be equal to the promise of his name.
This conviction that God destined
him to be an instrument for spreading
thefaith was far more potent than the
he First 350 Years
desire to win glory, wealth and
worldly honors, to which he was
certainly far from indifferent."
In contrast to the humanists of his
day, who believed in salvation by a
new environment (finding an earthly
paradise, "the isles of the Blest"),
Columbus was motivated by the
Biblical gospel of salvation by God's
grace and the new, re-created man.
He was convinced that the name given
him by his parents was prophetic:
Christopher, "Christ-bearer." He
would bring Christ to the "second
part of the world" in fulfillment of the
Biblical prophecies. Those who refuse
to take his faith seriously, are bound
to misunderstand his life.a
(To be continued)
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