The Development of the Idea of History in Antiquity (McGill-Queen's Studies in the History of Ideas)

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. Cover......Page 1 Blurb......Page 2 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE IDEA OF HISTORY IN ANTIQUITY......Page 4 Contents......Page 7 Acknowledgments......Page 8 Abbreviations......Page 9 I. Introduction......Page 12 II. History as Inquiry in the Hellenic Age......Page 32 III. History as a Literary Genre: The Hellenistic Age......Page 44 IV. The Early Roman Empire: History as Story and the Rhetorical Use of History by the Early Christians......Page 70 V. The Distinction between Sacred and Profane History in Late Antiquity......Page 97 VI. Conclusion: The Development of the Idea of History and the Cultural Ferment of Late Antiquity......Page 128 A. GENERAL......Page 153 C. ON THE IDEA OF TIME ESPECIALLY......Page 154 D. ON THE PHIILOSOPHY OF HISTORY ESPECIALLY......Page 155 F. FOR THE ACCEPTED VIEW FROM THE JEWISH STANDPOINT......Page 156 GREEK AUTHORS......Page 157 LATIN AUTHORS......Page 164 GREEK AUTHORS......Page 171 LATIN AUTHORS ......Page 176 lndex of Names and Subjects......Page 181