Thucydides had grasped that vital historical insight that groups of people behvae differently and have different motivations from individual human beings, and that they often behave far more discreditably than individuals.
McCulloch states that Alexander the Great maintained the Greek tradition and the culture he exposed was what propagated across the continent until the time of Christ. The Romans look at his ways with reverence.
After the Alexandrian conquests the Greek polis never really regained its glory days of Classical Greece (just after the Persian Wars?).
These Hellenistic elite cities rose up beside the more ancient cultures conquered by Macedonian generals. Greek culture felt like more of a ‘sham’ or superficial, this led to inward looking and a rise in how to governs oneself, the Cynics, the Skeptics, the Stoics.
If philosophers could no longer hope to alter the policies of cities by influencing the thought of the people in the marketplace…philosophy might as well concetrate on the inward life of the individual which no mighty ruler might tamper with.
McCulloch says that the more practical curiosity became less important. The everyday world was of little account to the idealist. He notes that the steam engine was invented in Alexandria in about 100AD but remained a toy (?) this too along with the slave culture did not promote the major technology advances.
What role does the formation of Alexandria in the Nile Delta play in Greek though?
Ptolemy set up an ancient equivalent of a university there. The notion of Greek culture in an alien setting, amongst the long living culture of Ancient Egypt forced learnings to what was felt important from Greek culture. The literature and art formed the canon of acceptable classic which Christianity inherited and which shape our own view of Greek Civilization.
Rise of Rome
Romes sheer lack of resources made its people acutely aware that their only assets were their energies in war.. Noted by Strabo a Greek historian dying around the time of Christ.
As Rome rises you have the notion of an assembly of the common people, the republic. It’s different from the Greek Polis though in that they are desperate to expand. This unequal balance appealed to aristocrats, which appears again in later Commonwealths formed and in the Church (?).
What role did the prophets play in shaping Christianity? What is the significance of the
Deuteronomic code for the Jewish people?
Around the time when the Greeks looked to their identity in the Homeric epics, the Jews focused their religious identity on the contents of the Deuteronomic Code for consultation and public recitation. It became a reference point for the religion of Yahweh. It ordered its readers to be savage to those who might suggest religious deviations. It also emphasized the idea of a covenant or treaty. Yahweh made a covenant with the people, it is up to them to keep it. This takes the form, mainly of the laws given to to Moses (the Ten commandments).
Who was Hassantan?
After the sacking of Jeruseleum, those Jews that migrated to Babylon took an interest in the stars. Speculation on the stars and planets caused them to ponder God and how he could overturn his promises. An adversary called Hassatan was proposed.
Influence from other cultures and their demonic figures brought this figure into focus in later Christian scriptures.
The Book of Job seems to be the first appearance of this adversary.
What is the idea of a proselyte?
Under Persian rule, the Jewish faith seemed to return to the habiru roots, that all it took to enter the Jewish faith was to obey its customs. One could be accepted as a proselyte (means strange or foreigner in Greek).
What does McCulloch say that a mass of nomads did in Canann?
Refashioned their ancient stories into a plausible single story of common ancestors like Abraham and Jacob/israel.
Initially starting with multiple Patriarchs or personal gods that get merged into the one Yahweh (“I will be who I will be”) from Moses revelation at the burning bush.
This god revealed himself to ‘regular’ people, wanderers like Moses.
Jesus as a political threat to the empire rather than a theological threat
He was not a theolofical but a political threat to the fragile stability of the region. The idea of non-jews killing a jewish leader harkened back to the Maccabean heroes.
The puzzle of Easter
McCulloch calls this the blank at the center of the new testament, but also its main focus, the idea of the resurrection.
How a man could be a God?
McCulloch says that disagreements on spirtual matters that caused such violence were primarly concerning this? p96.
Paul as an Apostle of the Gentiles.
A respect for existing social distinctions.
Well, not so much a respect, but he figured the worlds end was coming soon so it didn’t matter all that much.
Paul trying to balance the tension of the exclusivity of Christianity with keeping it ‘open’, McCulloch says this instability never really erased itself from Christianity.
An example of this was slavery, justifications were given that Christians should be ‘subject to every human institution’. That they must now be slaves for God.
Although, early Christians took firm stances on abortion and matters of sex. Abortion was considered a ‘regretable necessity’ for the Romans.
Gnosticism a creed for cultural frontiers
Due to the fact that it questioned the Jewish account of creation which makes it more likely to be those not of Jewish origin.