Untitled Flashcards Set

TOPIC 1

Western Culture - Where?

-Ancient - mediterranean World ~Medieval - Europe ~ Today- Europe, Americas, world 

Western Culture - What ?

-Classical (Greco-Roman) culture ~Judeo - Christian Culture ~Germanic Culture

Western Culture - Why?

~Globally influential ~ Source of Great human achievements ~ Carrier of Christian faith

~ We study western culture not because it is the best culture but it is ours; and because it is us

PATRIOTISM

The preferential love of one’s own , Based not on superiority, but on… 1).Possession 2).Identity

TOPIC 2

The Jewish Tradition

- Earliest: Predates Greco- Roman tradition

- Sources: Hebrew Scriptures (c.1000 - 500 BC)

~Commentaries: Mishnah (L.200 C.E), Talmud (L.500)

Abraham - The Father of Faith

- His world: C.1800 BC, UR (in modem Iraq) , Polytheiste

- His Call: Go to land "I will show you", childless till isaac "I will make you a great nation", 75 Years old

- His faith: "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. "(Romans 4.3 RSVCE)

"Abraham is truly the father of our faith" - St.Pope John paul II

Moses - Law and covenant: 1200 B.C

-Law of moses: Contained in Torah - First five books of hebrew scriptures, Instruction for rituals of worship/ Moral norms, moses-Law giver, not lawmaker

-Covenant: "If you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples" (Exodus 195)

God's people

-Lawbreakers: Prone to idol worship, Neglect worship, Violate moral law, Idolatry/ Hearts turned away

-Kingmaker: By "popular demand" First, saul, the David 

David

Bom c. 1030 BC, Shepherd, musician, king, sinner

Jewish Legacy: Divine Righteousness, Humon Sin

-Psalm 51: Against you you only, have I sinned, And done that which is evil in your sight, so that you are Justified in your sentence, And blameless in your judgment

Jewish Legacy: God knows us

-psalm 139:

- GOD: "God is one" - monotheism, God is sovereign, God is good , God is transcendent and immanent

- Law: Knowable morality, moral responsibility of Individual

-Covenant: Relational, obedience/love to person, not simply to abstract principles

Topic 3 Greek Philosophy and Plato's Soul

Greek Philosophy

- Defined: "love is wisdom"

- Reasoned inquiry into the principles of: Natural World (science) divine beings (theology, religion) Human affairs (humanities, social studies)

-origins: greek city-states

- Early versions: "Pre-Socratics" - 500s BC - Use of reason, cosmology, Sophists -400s BC: Teachers of rhetoric, 400s BC, Tended toward skepticism 

S= Socrates: Athens, Born 470 B.c, socratic method, Executed for atheism / corrupting the youth

Phaedo-reflections on advantage of dying

P=Plato: Student of Socrates, Born c. 428 BC

-Forms: Perfect Originals in a spiritual realm, things of this world only imperfect copies, highest form-the good

- The search for the truth: requires mental leaps (to forms) unreliable experience of imperfect copies, requires discipline of the body , Death helps

Aristotle, The great empiricist : Student of Plato, Mid-300s (384-322 BC)

-Empirical Method: Use the sense/ experience, truth through accumulation of empirical evidence

Plato's soul

- Nature of soul: Incorporeal, Gives life to body, Pre- exist body, immortal, Transmigrates

- Tripartite: Reason (head), Spiritedness (Chest), Appetite (stomach)

Legacy of Greek Philosophy

In general: legacy of Methods, of debates: Existence of forms (realism vs nominalism), Nature of Body+ son

- Plato + The Christians: Christians agree on immortality of Soul, Soul as source of life and reason, Discuss its parts

Topic 4 the Greeks: Virtue and happiness in the Polis

The Greek Polis

- Essentials: Highest form of association, comprehensive (all of life), Participatory, Serves individual happiness

The Greek Polis: Plato's Republic

-Justice: A society "in fever", Diversity of Occupations, Justice: each does his Job

-3 Classes": Guardians- leadership, Soldiers - defense / enforcement, Workers - productive class(makers of things)

Polis and the self: In is Together

- Polis: Servers happiness of polis, requires virtue of citizen

- Self: Seeks happiness in polis, requires virtue to be happy

 Greek Happiness

-Defined: Endamonia, Our highest attainable good, to "live well" or "Do Well"

- Aristotle's Happiness: He is happy who lives in accordance with complete virtue and is sufficiently equipped with external goods, not for some chance period but throughout a complete life. (Nicomachean Ethics, 1101a10)

Path of Virtue

-Virtue Defined: A habit of excellence in one area of action • Intellectual virtues (intellect) • Moral virtues (Character)

-Why most Important?: Most stable element in happiness, Best chance of happiness for largest number

Fulfills the “function of man”: • To live according to reason (human distinctive) • to exercise reason and obey it

- Virtue Essential Elements: Voluntary, Deliberative-result of reason, Aspirational -aims for "the fine" (kalos), Habitual Moderate

3 Types of Friendship: Useful, Pleasurable, Perfect (Complete) (virtue-based)

Topic 5 The Romans:Republic and Empire

Culture and Conquest

- Conquest: Macedonians conquer Greeks, Romans conquer

Macedonians

-Greek culture: Persist under Macedonians + Romans, Greeks centric, Romans eccentric, Remi Brague, Eccentric Culture: A Theory of Western Civilization

- Western Culture: Greco-Roman = Greek Culture + Roman Rule, Centered on Mediterranean Sea

Early Rome C. 750 BC- 500 BC

Village, Founders - Romulus and Remus, Monarchy - Romulus, Ist king 

The Roman Republic: C. 500 BC - 30 BC

From Monarchy to Republic (Soa BC) - Rape and suicide of Lucretia, Expulsion of king Tarquin the proud, Rome becomes a repubic, 2 consuls replace king

Republican Government: Senate 300 aristocrats, Assemblies-controlled by wealthiest citizens,

2 Consuls:elected by assembly, one - year terms, military leaders.

Conquest: Italy, Sicily, North Africa, Spain, Macedonia , Greece

Why: - Defense, Land, Slaves, Not an “empire”- yet

How rome became an empire

Civil War :Consuls become rivals with rival armies, Julius Caesar (d. 44 BC), New round of civil war 

Rise of Octavian: Adopted son of Julius Caesar, Wins Civil War, 31 BC, “Princeps”- first citizen, “Caesar Augustus”, 1st Roman Emperor, Rome becomes an “empire”

Republic and Empire compared (in theory)

Republic: Self Governing citizens

•Military Power for defense of homeland

• Rural focus

• Values simplicity

• Values liberty

• Values Self-Sacrifice

Empire: Subjects Under Ruler

• Military power for conquest /subjugation

• Urban focus

•Tends toward "luxury"

• Valves Power

• Values- Self-Assertion

The pax Romana, C. 30 BC-180 A. D:

- 200 years of internal peace

- Population - 70 million

- Infrastructure

Features: Defense against invasion

- Suppression of Revolt within

-Stable currency

- Spread of Roman Law - Jus Gentium

- Widespread Citizenship

- Pax Romana, pax deorum- "the Roman peace is the Peace of the gods

Roman Legacies

- Republic vs. Empire

- Becoming "Greek

- Universal Law

-Self and Polis

- Gods and Philosophy 

Topic 6: The Romans Stoicism

Introduction

• Stoicism in General:

- Greek Origin, C. 300 BC

- Roman adoption

- Alternative to polytheism

- Most influential in Pax Romana

- Often oversimplified

The World-Soul.

• The Basic:

- Also called "Reason", Divine Fire, "God", "Nature"

- Sou of the Universe

- Origin and the Destiny of each human soul

-Pagan gods symbolize world-soul acting in world

•World-Soul and Fate

-World-Soul does not wish evil

- Guides events along predetermined course

The stoic way to Happiness.

• 4 Steps

1. Accept Fate 2. Live according to Reason 3. Practice the virtues: Wisdom Justice, Fortitude Temperance 4. Control your emotions

 Emotionie

• Seneca:

- Bom C. 4 BC - 65 A.D

-Powerful under Nero, 54-62D

- Cordova, Spain (Roman Province) 

-Wealthy, compt

- Educated in Rome

- Sentenced to death, 65 AD

- Exposed to Stoicism

Epictetus on the Emotion (1.100 AD)

Stoicism and Christianity Compared

Stoicism:

- Reason valued

-Impersonal God / Fate

-Cardinal Virtues

-No Grace

- Goal: Happiness on Earth

Christianity:

- Reason valued

- Personal God/ Providence

-Cardinal Virtues + Theological Virtues (Faith, Hope, Love)

- Grace

- Goal: Happiness in Heaven

Topic 7: Empire Declining Christianity Rising

•The decline of the Roman Empire

Where:Western Part of the Roman 

When:

- C.200 - 500 A. D

- Gradual Decline

- Emperor in West de throned

Causes of the decline of the Empire 

•Political Instability

- More civil wars

- Imperial succession uncertain

•Barbarian Invasions

- Increase in 200s, again in 400s

- Barbarians assimilate but loyalty to Rome doubtful

•Declining Population

From 70m to 50 m

- Epidemic, famine esp in West)

•Manpower Shortage

-Lack of agricultural workers-leads to reduced crop

output

-;lack of soldiers

• Heavy Taxation

- Rising Taxes

- Increasing reluctance to parity

The empire and christianity C 300-400 AD

• Diocletian's Tetrarchy (C 300 A.D)

- a co-emperors - 1 in east, 1 in west

- 2 "caesars" (one under each co-emperor)

-For better defense

- To secure succession (caesars next in line)

• The Great Persecution

- C. 300-310

- Diocletian's goal: return empire to true (pagan) worship

- Worst persecution of christians - and last

• Rise of constantine

- Born in Serbia

- Father a co-emperor

- Wins new civil wars in west, then east

- Ultimately becomes sole emperor

-Founds Constantinople east)

•constantine's' conversion to christianity

- 312 A.D

-Vision and victory at Milvian bridge (near rome)

• From Toleration to Official Religion

- Edict of Milan (313) - Grants toleration to all religions, including christanity

Why did christianity Spread ?

• Theory of Rodney stark

-slow,steady growth

-Independent of toleration, govt support

- 3.4%. per year does the trick

• Witness of the martyrs

-"The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church"

• Christian Community

- Open to slaves, the poor

- Almsgiving

- Aid in times of epidemic

"See how they love each other"

•The christian family

- Higher birth rate than pagan families

- Opposed to contraception, abortion, infanticide (pagans v. girls)

-Intellectual attractiveness of the teachings

- More even sex ratio

- Faith transmitted

- Angustine: Manicheans

- Relatively high status for women - Dualism

-Personal Evangelization

Topic 8A Successor to Rome

Introduction

• Rome's 3 Successors

- Byzantine Empire l Civilization

- Islamic civilization

- Medieval Europe

Byzantine Empire

• Main Features

- Continues "Roman" rule in the east

- Capital: Constantinople

- Lost territory in east to muslims

- Greek language | Culture

- Eastern Orthodoxy

-Greek New Testament

- Greek Theology

- Pentarchy

• Legacy

- Preserved Roman Law

- Evangelized Eastern Europe

- Preserved Ancient Greek learning

- Slowed the advance of Islam

- Till the end: 1453

Topic 8B successor to ROME ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION

• Islamic Civilization

- A successor to Roman Empire

- Originates outside the Roman Empire

- Conquers much of Byzantine Empire = Constantinople, 1453

- Persist in some form till world war I end of ottoman Empire

Muhammad's World

• Arabia

- Outside the Roman Empire

- Mecca -birthplace of Muhammad, 570  CE

- Polytheistic

• Quran

-Angelic messages to Muhammad

-Definitive text by c. 650CE

-Verbatim word of God - in Arabic

- Defines core beliefs of Islam

• The new faith

- Allah

- Salima (surrender, not sacrifice)

- Restoration of faith of Abraham

- Christians and Jews

• "People of the Book "

• To be tolerated

• Early Spread of Islam

- Medina

- Mecca

- Arabian Countryside

- Figh till all men say "there is no god but god"

Empire

• Muslim Rule

-Shari a Law-supreme but not comprehensive

- New faceless coins

- Paganism Suppressed

Empire: Muslim Rules

• Dhimmis: christians and Jews

- Not forced to convert, but

- Fewer legal rights

• No military

• No evangelizing of Muslim

• No high government worse 

No testifying vs. Mustim

Civilization

• Culture

- Translation/preservation of Greek leaming

- byzantine-Muslim interaction

- More culturally developed than early Medieval Europe

•Religion

- Great Mosques

- Empire 10% Muslim in 750 CE

- Stark Thesis for Islam?

- Long term trend - conversion to Islam