(I   want  to  dedicate these series of  texts  to  those  of  my  former  Greek  students, male and  female, who  in  the end chose “mediocrity”  and  “virtual  reality”  for  the  sake  of  their  own  society, their own  families and  their own “survival”.)

We  shall  return once  again to  the  first  years  of  the  Byzantine Empire,  when  the “conspiracy” between its  political  authorities, the clerical authorities  and  the  International  Jewish Establishment was initiated, and  progressively evolved and took  roots.

The  Byzantine Empire  was  founded by  Constantine the  Great(272A.D.-337A.D.), son  of  the  Roman Caesar Flavius Valerius  Constantius  and his  wife Helen. The Roman  Emperor Diocletian, who introduced the political institution of  the  “tetrarchy”(four individual rulers) in 293A.D., appointed Constantius A’(293A.D.-306A.D), Caesar of  Gaul, Spain and  Britain, meaning  the Western Provinces of the  Roman Empire. Constantine the   Great, son of  Constantius A’, ruled  as Emperor of   the  Western Roman Empire from 312A.D. to  324A.D., and as sole Emperor of the  Empire from 324A.D. to  337A.D.

Constantine the   Great implemented  three major historic decrees which would  define concretely , the political, the historical and  the cultural identity of  Byzantium until its demise, during the  middle of  the 15th  century  A.D..

First  of  all , he signed the  decree of  Mediolanum(Milan) in 313A.D., when  he  was  Emperor of  the  Western  Roman  Empire, enacting the legislation of  “religious tolerance”, therefore, legalizing  Christianity as a  “tolerated religion” which would be under  the  protection of  the  Emperor himself!!! Byzantine Emperor Theodosius A’ was the one  who  on  February 28, 380A.D., in  Salonika, passed the  legislation, making Christianity “the official religion” of  the  Byzantine Empire. Theodosius,  had  activated  the decisions taken by the  First Ecumenical Synod in Nicaea in 325A.D., under the rule of   Byzantine Emperor, Constantine the  Great!!!

The  second  political initiative taken by  Constantine the  Great  was  the  official relocation of  Rome  as capital of  the  Roman Empire  to  Constantinople, which pragmatically meant the creation of  the  Eastern Roman Empire.

Finally, he organised the First Ecumenical   Synod of Nicaea in 325A.D., which was  a determinant historical  factor  concerning the  evolution of  Christianity  as a World Religion. This Synod defined , validated  and  formalized  the  various Christian dogmas, the church institutions and finally, the socio-political status of   the  Church in relation to the powers of the Emperor, his court and the local administrations  throughout the territory of the Byzantine Empire!!!

The  Byzantine Empire was a  “superficial simile” of  the  Roman Empire, as the Roman Empire had been “a  rough copy” of  the political and social  culture of  the  Greek City  States!!! The political, cultural  and  institutional cohesion of  the  Byzantine Empire was superficial and  not the  end  product of a historical  evolution!!!

Read More…

(I  want  to  dedicate  these  series of  texts to  those   of   my  former  Greek  students, male  or  female,  who  in  the  end  , chose “mediocrity”  and  “virtual reality”,  for  the  sake  of  their own  society, their  own  families  and  their own “survival”)

This  part of  our  Epilogues(b4), is  a  synopsis of  the first three texts of  this  series  of  articles(epilogues b1,b2,b3), where I described the “historical conspiracy” between  the  Byzantine political  authorities, the Greek Orthodox Church and  the  International Jewish Establishment to undermine, weaken and  isolate the  social, cultural and political values , as  well  as the  historical institutions  of  Ancient  Greek  Civilization within  the  wider  geographical Mediterranean region  and  the Middle  East.

We  shall  begin this  text by  comparing one  more  time, the  critical historical, cultural , ideological and  existential differences between Ancient  Greek  Civilization  and  the  Traditional Jewish Civilization of  2,500  years.

The  most important cultural and  ideological  differences between  these  two  civilizations  originate from  the  historical  fact that Ancient  Greek  Civilization was not  founded, constructed and developed by   “metaphysical” or  “divine” intervention, but  through  the “free initiatives” and  the  “free creativity” of  mortals, responding to  the  social  demands  and  the aesthetic  criteria  of  their  time and  their own  geopolitical space. These therefore were the  basic  societal  incentives  for  the  “extraordinary” and  “accelerated”  cultural  and  historical development of  the  Greek Race  and  the  Greek Nation.

In  contrast, within the Traditional  Jewish Civilization  of  2,500  years, its  philosophic constructs  and  ideological  values had  already  been defined since  its  foundation, through “divine interventions”  and  “divine guidelines”, which meant they were  revealed as  “absolute”, “perfect” and “untouchable”!!! All this entailed, historically, socially  and  culturally, the “total  submission” of  all Jews to  this  “divine scheme”, with  no possibility of  a  historical  evolution, since  Human Beings are  the  sole creative  social  entities which can  produce and  promote  historical events  and historical  developments, reacting to the  specific societal needs and  expectations of  their time!!! Concluding, one  could  say that  Traditional Jewish Civilization remained ”static” ,  since  within their own society  , the  philosophic principles of  the “dialectic mental process”  and  the  “freedom of  choice” could  not  function!!!

Philo the  Jew(20B.C. -45A.D.),  who  lived  in  Alexandria, Egypt, during the  time  of  Jesus  Christ, came  from a  rich and  aristocratic  Jewish family  of Egypt, had  studied in  Greek schools(gymnasiums) , had  his  own  personal  Greek  tutors, while  he only  spoke  Greek!!! In  the previous  part of  our  narrative(Epilogue b3), we  examined in  detail  the  biography of  Philo, because he  represents an important  historical  figure who  defined not  only  the theology of  the  Jews, but  the  theology of  Christians and  later on of  Moslems. He  is  considered the  first  theologian of  the  Christian Religion by  the  Fathers of  the  Greek  Orthodox Church, because  all of  his  theological analysis was  based on the Old  Testament  as  was Christianity,  with  the  critical  exception of  the  “Universal Spiritual  Teachings” of  Jesus  Christ, even though he had been  educated  to  become  a  Jewish  Rabbi!!!

Philo was a  historian, a  philosopher, a  theologian  and  a  politician. His  philosophic  and  ideological principles  were  based on  the  Old Testament  and  the  Jewish  Prophets, all  under  the  guidance and  the  guidelines of  the High Jewish Priesthood  of  Judea  and  the  Jewish  Religious  Establishment of  Egypt. The  purpose of  his  teachings was the “distortion” and the  “subversion” of  the  historical and  cultural  identity  of  the  Ancient Greek  Civilization and  the  human  factors  and  creations which  had  composed it. Philo in  his  teachings and  writings  supported  absolutely the  thesis  that  the philosophic and political concepts, the  scientific discoveries and  inventions, as  well  as  the literature of  Ancient  Greek Scholars, were founded  on  the  divine revelations, principles and  stipulations of  the Old  Testament!!! Nevertheless, all of  these hyperbolic cultural and  ideological positions of  Philo were easily accepted  and  adopted  by  his wider public audience  and  readers, since they  had  accepted  him as the  most important   theologian of  Christianity and  Judaism, and  later on of  Islam!!!

As  a  consequence, in  order to  better comprehend  the  Traditional Jewish  Civilization, we  will have to address  ourselves  exclusively to  the texts  of  the  Old  Testament, discovering and  clarifying the  basic ideological, philosophic and  existential  priorities  of  the  Jews and their  Civilization!!!

Read More…