TheinfluenceofChristianityonWesternCivilizat.docx
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TheinfluenceofChristianityonWesternCivilizat.docx
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TheinfluenceofChristianityonWesternCivilizat
TheinfluenceofChristianityonWesternCivilization
WesternCivilizationreferstothecivilizationthathasdevelopedinthewesternworld,whiletraditionalwesterncivilizationissaidtohavebeencreatedbythreemainhistoricalfactors:
AncientGreece,theRomanEmpire,andChristianity.FortheimportantroleAncientGreeceandRomanEmpireinhumancivilization,theinfluenceofthemonthewesterncivilizationiseasilytobeunderstood.However,inwhichaspects,orhowChristianity,thereligionbasedonthelifeandteachingsofJesusChrist,influencedWesternCivilization?
Inthisarticle,IwilldiscusssomeinfluenceofChristianityontheWesternCivilization.
ChristianityisthereligionofthefollowersofJesusChrist.ThebeliefsandpracticesofthefirstChristianchurches,establishedintheMiddleEastandaroundtheMediterraneanSea2000yearsago,arerecordedintheNewTestamentoftheBible.Today,Christiansmakeupoveronethirdoftheworld’spopulation.ChristianityisthemajorreligioninEurope,theAmericasandAustralia.ItalsohasfollowersinAfricaandAsia.ChristianityisthecoreofWesternCivilization.Tillnow,peoplestilluseChristianCivilizationtosymbolizewesterncivilization.Christianityhavegreatinfluenceonmanyfields,suchaslanguage,literature,art,music,education,law,ideology,morality,familyunit,socialstructure,andetc.
1.Theinfluenceonlanguage
Christianity’sinfluenceonlanguageisoftenoverlookedandeventakenforgranted.WithouttheBiblemuchofwhatweenjoytodaywouldbenon-existent.TheEnglishlanguageincorporatesmanywordsandphrasestakenfromtheBiblewhenfirsttranslated.In1380JohnWycliffetranslatedtheScripturesinitsentiretyandfromitappearsmanyofthewordswestillusetodayincludingthewordsadoption,ambitious,cucumber,liberty,andscapegoatamongothers.WilliamTyndaletranslatedthefirstEnglishtranslationfromtheoriginaltexts.ArenownedscholarontheliteratureoftheBible,AlistairMc
grathnotes,“WithoutthekingJamesBible,TherewouldhavebeennoParadiseLost,noPilgrim’sProgress,noHandel’sMessiah,noNegrospirituals,andnoGettysburgAddress”.
2.Theinfluenceonliterature
Overtheages,writershavelovedtominetheBible’snarrativeriches,takingaBiblestoryandretellingitinanewform:
alongnovel,astageplay,amusical,anopera,orascreenplay.Sometimes,awriterusesaBiblestoryasastartingpointandthenexpandsitwithnewcharactersandeventsnotintheoriginal.ThemostabundantkindofinspirationthattheBiblehasprovidedforWesternliteratureis,ofcourse,themanythemestobefoundinitsstoriesandteachings.OftentheuseofaBiblicalphraseinthetitleofanovelorplaywillindicatethepresenceofsuchatheme.Othertimes,thereisnoexplicitreferenceintheparticularliterarywork,yetthosefamiliarwiththeBiblewillrecognizethesourceofthethemes.EvenworksthatseemtobeindirectoppositiontocertainBiblicalconceptshavenonethelessbeeninfluencedbytheBiblicalmaterial.
BiblicalsymbolsandChristianphilosophiesappearveryfrequentlyinliteratureworks.TraditionalEnglishdramahasitsfountainheadintheenactmentofbiblicalnarrative,andusuallythecentralthemealsohasastrongbiblicalconnotation
.Modern,evencontemporaryEnglishliteraturestillhasfrequentsymbolicreferencetothebible,forexample,althoughtheauthorneveradmittedit,Hemmingway’sTheOldManandtheSeahasahugenumberof“coincidental”timeframeclasheswiththeBible,whichliteraturecriticsarguethat“undeniablyreflectstheauthor’sphilosophythateveryoneinhimselfisaChrist”.Inaddition,theOldTestamentalsorankstoponeinthemostinfluentialbooksofAll-Time,accordingthemanysources.FromDantetoMiltontoFyodorDostoyevsky,thewordsandthemesfoundintheScriptureshavemadetheirwayintomuchoftheliteraturewestudyandenjoytoday.OthergreatwritersinthehistoryofWesternCivilizationincludeChaucer,WilliamShakespeare,JohnDonne,NathanielHawthorne,HermanMelville,WilliamBlake,T.S.Eliot,andWilliamFaulkner.ItisgenerallyacceptedthattheBiblehavegreatinfluenceonwesternliterature.
3.Theinfluenceonart
Whilespeakingofart,Christianitymadeitsuniqueinfluence.TheChristianArtwascreativewithitsownimpressivecharacteristics.Thehighestachievementinartisbelievedtobeinconstruction.Withthechurchbecomingthecenterofpeople’slife,buildingchurchesgainedmoreandmoreattentionandsupport.NymphaeumandGothicarchitecturearetwodistinguishedinnovationsinarchitecture.TheartofpaintinginMiddleAgeswasalsobornundertheinfluenceofChristianity.ThethemesofpaintingsatthattimeareallconcernedwithChristianity.Though,finallypaintingsmorerelatedtotherealityappeared,wecan’tdenytheimpactofChristianityonpaintings.
4.Theinfluenceonmusic
MusicisviewedbythechurchasanotherwayofcarryingGod’smessagetoman,andthusnumerouscomposershavewrittenlargenumberofhymnsthatdefinitelyhavebiblicalreferences,andsomeoperasthathavebiblicalthemes.Theseoperasarestillperformedinaregularbasisinthecontemporarywest,althoughitprobablyislargelyduetotheiraestheticvaluesratherthanreligiousimportance.ArtdepictingbiblicalsceneswasmadepopularespeciallyduringtheRenaissancewithartistssuchasRaphael,Michelangelo,andRembrandt.JohannSebastianBach,oneofthemostfamouscomposers,wasgreatlyinfluencedbytheScriptures.Thecantata,agenreofvocalmusicintheBaroqueperiodandakeypartoftheGermanLutheranservice,wasprimarilyusedinBach’smusic.ManyotherformsofmusicknowntodayhaveChristianrootssuchasthesonata,thesymphony,andtheoratorio.Mostformsofmusicbeganaspsalms,hymns,andspiritualsongsandtheoutgrowthfromthereprogressedasthemonksandchurchesspreadthroughouttheages.Biblicalstoriesweredramatizedandperformedinsongasearlyasninthcentury.Awell-knownchurchdramainthetenthcenturywasVisitatiosepulchri.ThereisgoodreasontobelievetheoperaevolvedoutofchurchdramathatappearedfivehundredyearsbeforetheRenaissance.TheworksofHandel,Beethoven,Mozart,andMendelssohnamongothershavegreatlybeeninfluencedbythewordsoftheBible.
5.Theinfluenceoneducation
Contrarytopopularopinion,Christiansarenotanti-education.Theworld'sbestuniversitieswhichlikeOxford,Cambridge,Harvard,YaleandPrincetonandotheruniversitiesarefoundedbytheChristiansforthepurposeofChristianity.Infact,thefirst126collegesanduniversitiesintheU.S.A.werebuiltforthegloryofJesusandtheadvancementofthegospel.
Educationwasalmostundercompletechurchcontrolforalongperiodoftime,datingbacktopre-middleages.Themandatestudyofthebibleshapes,ifnotcompletelyindoctrinatesthestudent’smind.Thoughthisisnolongerthecasenowadays,thereareparentswhoactivelywanttoteachtheirchildrenthebible,becauseforthem,it’sthewordsfromGod.ThesewordsaretightlyattachedtotheTruth,andthushelpstoformsomeauthorityintheirchildren’slife.Christianity’sinfluenceoneducationcanbeseenatitsveryinceptionwiththeteachingsofJesuswhousedwords,parables,andhuman-lifeillustrationsandtaughtotherswhothenwouldbecometeachersthemselves.
6.Theinfluenceonlaw
MostoftheoriginallawsthatAmericajudicialsystemupheldweretakendirectlyfromtheBible.Americapresent-dayjudicialsystemhasnowdriftedawayfromitsoriginalintentofprotectingtheinnocentandunjustlyaccused,whileconvictingthewickedsotheywillnotharmothers.Today,itisbeingexploitedbymanylawyers,aswellaspeoplewhowanttousethelegalsystemforpersonalgainbeyondwhatwouldbeafairsettlement.Theyareseekingoutlandishjudgmentsthatintheendallthepeoplewillpayfor.Throughunfairsettlementsinthesekindsofsuits,thelawyersaretheonesmostrewarded.Protectionoftheinnocent,inmanycases,hasbeenoverruledwhilecriminalsarenotjustlydealtwith.Quickpunishmentfortheguiltyhasbeenabandoned,ascourtappealsanddelaysstretchintocostlyandlengthytrialsthatlastforyearsatthepublic'sexpense.WeneedtoreturntoBiblicalprinciplesandonceagainshape
ourlawsaccordingly,ifwedesiretoseejusticeinourland.Sincethebiblesuggeststhatsuicideisguilty,historicallymanywesternlegalsystemsregarditasacriminaloffense.Infact,theEnglishLawregardssuchanactasillegaluntilthepassingoftheSuicideActon1961,whileintheunitedstates,variousstateslistedtheactasafelonyalthoughnotveryactiveinenforcingit,anduntil1976,6statesstillconsideranattemptedsuicideasacrime.Thejudicialprocedureinthewesternworldalsoinvolvesawellknownfeaturethatthewitnessmustswearanoathbythebiblebeforegivinghistestimony,whichcanbeviewedasanotherwayofreflectingtheimportanceoftheBibleinthewest.
7.Theinfluenceonideology
Amongotherthings,theinfluenceofChristianityhasspreadintotheconceptoffreedomandtheindividual.Withoutthisfreedomthereisnorealfreedomontheeconomic,political,orreligiouslevel.Fromitsinception,ChristianityhasplacedahighvalueontheindividualinstarkcontrasttotheGreco-Romancultureinwhichtheindividualwasalwayssubordinatetothestate.MalcolmMuggeridge,onceanon-ChristianbutlaterastrongdefenderofChristianity,said,“WemustnotforgetthatourhumanrightsarederivedfromtheChristianfaith.InChristiantermseverysinglehuma
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