th

1.
Religion
 e.g. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Confucianism
2.
History, shared past
 Western history, Arab history, Russian etc.
3.
Language, the language families
 e.g. Indo-European, Turkic, Semitic, etc.
4.
Ethnicity
 e.g. Bantu, Chinese, Caucasian, etc.
Self-identification
 `us'  `them', ingroup  outgroup

Dominant religions in Europe

Civilizations are closely connected to the great religions: `culture is religion’, basically http://www.mapsofwar.com/images/Religion.swf

Three Era’s: Ancient, Medieval, Modern
Ancient
•
• 0-500 AD
Greco-Roman world
Birth of Christianity
Medieval
•
• 500-1500
Holy Roman Empire & Islamic empires
Spread of Christianity & Islam
Modern
•
• 1500-2000
Age of Empires
Reformation & Enlightenment
•
•
Nation states
Global Christianity & Islam, Western secularism

1. Antiquity 0 - 500 AD
• Greco-Roman world
• Birth of Christianity

The basics: European civilization = legacy of the Roman Empire (Greco-Roman world)

Roman bridge in Maastricht

The Greco-Roman legacy = modern Europe:
1.
Religion: Christianity (= the Greco-Roman religion)
2.
Language: Latin alphabet, Latin concepts
3.
Public order: rule of law, citizenship, republic/monarchy
4.
Science and philosophy (Greek)
5.
The Arts: literature, drama, painting, sculpture, architecture, music

The Latin Alphabet
Latin + Romania (19 th C.) + Turkey (1928)

Greek, Arabic, a.o. alphabets


Greek alphabet
`Oriental’ traditions with their own alphabets:

Cyrillic alphabet

Georgian alphabet

Armenian alphabet

Hebrew alphabet

Arabic alphabet

Alphabets worldwide: green = Latin, red = Cyrillic, blue =
Arabic, black = own types, yellowgreen = Brahman, grey = NO alphabet

The Western Roman Empire collapsed during the `Age of Invasions’ (5 th Century), followed by a series of Barbarian successor states (Goths, Franks, Alemans, a.o.)

2. Middle Ages 500-1500
•
•

Expansion of Christianity + Islam
Untill the Great Schism of 1054
Rome + Byzantium + Monophysites + Nestorians

The different European civilizations
= are all a consequence of big “schisms” within Christianity
Eastern Christians convert en masse to Islam 700-1100
Christian minorities: Copts, Maronites, Church of the East (now in trouble within Syria and Egypt)
The Great Schism: Rome versus Orthodoxy
Greco-Catholics unite with Rome
1054
(16 th +17 th C.)
The Reformation: Protestants secede from Rome
Evangelicals and Pentecostals
Secularism: especially within Western Protestantism
1517-1648
(19 th +20 th C.)
(20 th C.)

Civilizations since Middle Ages: Latin West, Byzantine East, Islam India, China, Japan
Latin = the West
Arabic = Islam
Sanskrit =
Hinduism
Japanese
= Shinto
Chinese =
Confucianism

Afther the fall of Rome (476), the [Eastern half of the] Roman Empire continues, becoming ever more `Greek’ in the process = `Byzantium’ (untill 1453)

The `Church of Holy Wisdom’ (hagia sofia),
Aya Sofya , built 532-537 and model for all mosques - and many churches - worldwide

The Moscow Kremlin (Uspensky Cathedral) was literally considered the “Third Rome” – and czars yearly conducted the divine emperors’ rituals, representing Christ on Earth

The Orthodox half of Europe: from Athens to Vladivostok

3. Modern 1500-2000
•
•

Protestant Reformation, 1517-1648

PROTESTANTISM
Priesthood of believers
Right of individual conscience
Revolt against Papal authority
Scripture as the highest authority
Christian Liberty (internal)
Voluntary Covenant
The split into Protestant sects
No celibacy, married priesthood
"Protestant ethic"
Election
Predestination
Congregation as ultimate authority
Translation of Scripture into the vernacular
?
MODERNITY
Egalitarianism
Right to revolution
Individualism
Liberalism
Religious Toleration
Women's Liberation
Capitalism
Democracy
Nationalism

Europe’s Latin civilization created
`The West’ and Western Civilization

•
•

`Unification of Europe’, 1939-1945, by the `Third Reich’

Cold War: `the West’ versus `the East’

In summary: European culture is the outcome of:
(1.) Greek-Roman legacy:
•
Christianity:
•
`time and eternity’ perspective
• the conscience: individual’s freedom/equality
• concept of `society’ (congregation)
•
Public order: rule of law, citizenship, republic/monarchy
•
Classical arts & literature
•
Classical philosophy
•
Latin (Alphabet, Concepts of all Western languages)
(2.) European Middle Ages (c.500-1500):
•
Latin (Catholic) Christianity = ‘Western Church’
•
Monasteries, churches
•
Universities (Theology, Philosophy, Law)
•
Public order: concept of the `Sacrum Imperium’
•
Arts: Romanesque, Gothic
•
Music: Polyphony

(3.) Renaissance, Humanism, Reformation (c.1500-1650):
•
Revival of Classical culture (arts, knowledge)
•
Protestantism (Reformation, Radical Reformation)
•
Politics: absolutism, state religion
•
Mass media: books, pamphlets, newspapers
•
Arts: Renaissance, Baroque
•
Literature: drama, poetry
•
Music: opera, ballet, instrumental music
(3.) Enlightenment & Modernity (c.1700-present):
•
Enlightenment and Radical Enlightenment
•
Arts: Classicism, Romanticism, Modernism
•
Politics: seperation of church and state, nation states
•
Citizenship and ‘human rights’
•
People’s souvereignity,republicanism, democracy
(e.g. liberalism / socialism / conservatism)
•
BUT ALSO : totalitarian states, totalitarian ideologies
( mainly: fascism, Nazism, communism)
(m.n. communisme, nazisme, fascisme)

Scheme of the rise and fall of the great civilizations from Arnold J. Toynbee’s A
Study of History
(12 volumes, 1934-1961)
– “Western” civilization follows the decline of the
“Islamic” and Byzantine
(“Orthodox Christian”)
Medieval civilizations
Western

Map of Global civilizations (c.1950) by the British historian Arnold J. Toynbee (1889-1975).
His analysis of the rise and fall of the great civilizations was very influential in its time.

Civilizations according to Samuel
P. Huntington
“The West”
“Islam”
“Orthodox”
“Hindu”
China
Japan
“Africa”
Latin-America

The famous “ fault line “ between the
 Western (`Latin’) and
 Eastern (`Byzantine’, Orthodox)
European civilizations
Suggested by
Samuel P. Huntington,
Arnold Toynbee, and others

Catholic
Protestant
Orthodox
Muslim
Greco-
Catholic
`The (Latin) West’

Eastern Europe

` South-East

What is ‘European culture’ ?

Monotheïsm: European culture is essentially ``Christian’’

Rationality: European culture is basically ``Greek’’

Public Order: European culture is very much ``Roman’’

Typically European values stemming from these great traditions:

Egalitarianism, equality (e.g. between man and woman)

Freedom of conscience, freedom of expression (‘sacred!’)

The individual (even religion is considered something ‘’individual’’ !)

Separation of powers (church/state, state/law, government/parliament)

Self-organisation, civil society