Development of the Idea of History in Antiquity PDF
by Gerald A. Press
Part of the McGill-Queen's Studies in the History of Ideas series
- Information
Description
An extensive scholarly literature, written in the past century holds that in ancient Greek and Roman thought history is understood as circular and repetitive - a consequence of their anti-temporal metaphysics - in contrast with Judaeo-Christian thought, which sees history as linear and unique - a consequence of their messianic and hence radically temporal theology.
Gerald Press presents a more general view - that the Graeco-Roman and Judaeo-Christian cultures were fundamentally alien and opposed cultural forces and that, therefore, Christianity's victory over paganism included the replacement or supersession of one intellectual world by another - and then shows that, contrary to this view, there was substantial continuity between "pagan" and Christian ideas of history in antiquity, rather than a striking opposition between cyclic and linear patterns.
He finds that the foundation of the Christian view of history as goal-directed lies in the rhetorical rather than the theological motives of early Christian writers.
Information
-
Download Now
- Format:PDF
- Pages:176 pages
- Publisher:McGill-Queen's University Press
- Publication Date:10/09/2003
- Category:
- ISBN:9780773563971
Other Formats
- Hardback from £69.32
Information
-
Download Now
- Format:PDF
- Pages:176 pages
- Publisher:McGill-Queen's University Press
- Publication Date:10/09/2003
- Category:
- ISBN:9780773563971