Sharule said:
Carterfield,
I too study Western Civilization. However, the term Western changes throughout what age it is, Almost always the Middle East will be included as "western" until the rise of Islam, because western society in part grew out of them.
As for Greece and Israel, Ive never had a teacher who has not discussed Israels importance to the west. So I suppose our Professors might differ in that.
So I can see your point, but its just a matter of opinion. I study Religion and History, so perhaps I am more likely to tie in Religion directly into the development of peoples. I mean, what would Europe be like without the Great Schism? Or with out the Reformation?
What would the world be like had Paul not converted to early Christianity?
I think Religion has just as great of an effect as Economics and Leaders, and in that sense, the Israelites 'invented' Judaism and Monotheism(There are arguements with Zoroastrianism, but these dont really get very far, and technically its a dualism anyhow.) So since I am pre-disposed to consider that a major development, I would say its just as important as Greek-Rationalism.
Either way, Christianity was 'invented' by an Israelite(Jesus or Paul), and since most post Constantine thoughts are inspired by the New Testament(and the Tanakh) that would make Israelite thought followed by 1/3 of Humanity(The Majority of the New Testament was written by Israelites, the Gospels and the Writtings of Paul)
Indeed Roman and Greek thought would be shunned throughout most of Christian Europe, and they would not surface again until the renaissance. So intellectually most Philosophy past Constantine in Europe was centered around Israelite writtings. Id say thats at least equal to Greece's influence, and Id even be apt to say its more influential.
Great post. I agree with your first paragraph but take exception to the idea that religion is on par with Greek-Rationalism. Both were attempts to understand the world, however, the latter sowed the seeds for the practical application of the Western Sciences while the success of the former is impossible to measure. While religion remained focused upon our intrinsic natures, Greek-Rationalism was able to combine both practical and metaphysical realities to acheive progress. Whereas religion was useful as a political tool in the West, providing us with the only surviving institution that survived the fall of the Roman Empire, the suppression of native European cultures and scientific progress prohibited it from exceeding the advantages that science afforded us. Both have their merits, of course, but this discussion is limited to reality; not the metaphysical realm. Rarely, in the history of Europe, did religion push events. Cultural geography, social migrations, and the politics among competing states took precedence over the influence that religion had in Europe.
As for the "invention" of monotheism, many factors influenced its evolution. There is evidence to suggest, for example, that the supposed monotheistic tendencies of the original twelve tribes is saturated in myth. Archaeological evidence suggests that the Hebrews worshipped a variety of gods that were dieties of their neighbours; Babylon is a perfect example of this. Because of this cultural assimilation, it is fairly inaccurate to suggest that only "Israel" invented monotheism. Rather, it has become more acceptable to suggest that the modern understanding of monotheism evolved in the middle east and was most clearly expedited from, and perpetuated within, the Israeli kingdom for the purposes of cultural defence (take the restrictions on the "wasteful practices of spilling one's seed," - such as masturbation and recreational procreation, as examples that support the theory that ancient Israel was one of the proponents of monotheism because it discouraged emigration and encouraged population growth). Combined with a central religion, cultural defences become easier to implement. It is fairly illogical to suggest that the Israelites were the only people to recognize this; therefore, it is equally inaccurate to suggest that they should take sole credit for its evolution.
Finally, Christianity was not "invented" by an Israelite. By the time of Christ's birth ancient Israel had ceased to exist. The Hebrew religion, on the other hand, was still very strong and from this, Christianity originally developed as a persecuted sect. The concept that 1/3 of humanity follows Israeli thought is racist, incorrect, and misinterpretative. Nationalism has no place in the academic study of history; the Nazis are a perfect example of that.
Furthermore, your argument that Greco-Roman thought was shunned across much of Europe is also plain wrong. Byzantium remained a stalwart of the Christian faith and the Orthodox Church, supported by the gnostics and Irish monks, retained and assimilated much of these ancient understandings with the assistance of the Muslim world during the "Dark Ages". This era, in turn, was a time of immense undertakings and you would do well to enhance your studies of Western Europe that focus on the centuries that preceded the Italian Renaissance. There is an argument today that suggests that the Renaissance didn't even exist; rather, it is the view of modern historians that our biases against the "Dark Ages" have prohibited popular history from accepting the strides and advances that Europe made during and before that time.
When you accept popular history and twist it to support your biases, of course you would argue that one influence is more important than another. The concept that post-Constantinian European writings were focused on Hebrew writings has been debunked; Aristotle himself was a proponent of Greco-Hellenism and his writings support the reality that Greco-fashioned rationalism was extremely prominent before, during, and after his time.
The Hebrew/Christian articles in the biblical canon were not the only monotheistic texts to circulate the Mediterranean after Christ's death. However, they were selected, scrutinized, and manipulated in order to debunct subversive cultures and increase the influence and coffers of the Bishop of Rome. The Great Purge of Native Europe is all too often overlooked and many fail to recognize that the merge between Greco-Hellenist thought and Pagan cultures produced an undercurrent that eventually swelled into the Protestant Reformation. Surely you do not believe that, aside from these Hebrew/Christian writings, nothing else was read. The intellectual impetus behind the Christian faith was that exact Hellenistic impulse that you claim Europe temporarily forgot! The idea that these philosophies disappeared, only to resurface after a given time, would earn you a failing mark in my school and a quick redirection back to the library.
The point is that Western Pagan ideologies weren't non-factors in the evolution of monotheism; nor was Greco-Roman Rationalism. In fact, the only process that we can accurately hold responsible for the amalgamation of Hebrew, Christian, Pagan, and Greco-Roman thoughts is Cultural Syncretism; the same is true regarding the development of monotheism in the Middle East. And since we cannot accurately determine that ancient Israel was the sole precipitator of this event, we cannot sustain an argument that its supposed creation of this idea is justification for its inclusion in Civilization IV.
I also pursued a combined degree in History and Religious Studies. I wish you great success in your courses and definitely respect your mind.
