Hellenistic Period: Alexander & Empires

• Hegemony involves informal influence over a territory, as exemplified by Phillip II.
• Macedonia, under King Phillip II, expanded its territory, evolving into an empire.
• Demosthenes delivered the "PHILIPPICS" speech, cautioning Greece about the threat to the polis posed by the crown or monarchy.
• The Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC marked the end of the Hellenic period and the start of the Hellenistic Period.
• Macedonia and the polis formed an alliance.

Hellenistic Period

• Alexander the Great controlled the Greek peninsula and conquered the Persian Empire.
• The Hellenistic Empires that emerged after Alexander's rule included the Antigonids in Greece, the Seleucids (who controlled the largest territory), and the Ptolemies in Egypt.

Hellenistic Science

• New schools of thought emerged, including Stoicism (Plutarch on Zeno), which advocated for one community and law for all.
• Epicureanism (Epicurus) emphasized enjoying life and avoiding politics.
• Cynicism (Lucian Diogenes) promoted living with minimal possessions and self-sufficiency.
• Skepticism (Pyrrho of Elis) questioned the possibility of certain knowledge.

Hellenistic Culture

• Focused on new comedy of private life, and the study of nature advanced with figures like Euclid, Archimedes, and Ptolemy.
• Polybus introduced the concept of mixed constitutions, where monarchy could devolve into tyranny, aristocracy into oligarchy, and democracy into mobocracy, illustrating a dynamic of constitutional forms.
• The Roman constitution, featuring consulship (monarchy), senate (aristocracy), and tribune (democracy), incorporated institutional powers that checked one another, differing from the polis by emphasizing offices over individuals and valuing conflict as a source of strength.

Roman Virtues

• Livy linked Rome's origins to Aeneas and emphasized the role of Roman virtues in its development.
• Key Roman virtues included valor, clemency/magnanimity (illustrated by Rome being a city of refugees), justice, and piety.
• Rome synthesized elements from other places, such as Athens, becoming a city of refugees and warriors.
• Early Rome was created from the rape of Sarabian women.

Women in Rome

• Oath of haratti exemplified this idea, women were seen as distracting from male virtue and public duty was prioritised over personal emotion
• Republican motherhood emphasized the constructive civil role of virtuous women in educating and forming citizens.
• Patria Potesta dictated that women were to be covered by male guardian. Roman women, differed from Hellenic women.
• Unlike Hellenic women, they had a role in the society, still covered by a male guardian.

Morality

• Livy emphasized the importance of moral character for Rome's success, supported by its institutions.
• Polybus saw morality as desirable but emphasized institutional strength.
• Livy argued that a republic's endurance depended on its moral foundation, with institutions built upon it.
• Founders of Rome such as Aeneas, Romulus, Numa and Camillus represented key virtues, with Numa embodying piety and justice, and Romulus valor and clemency.

Roman Republic

• Early Republic (509 BC) was aristocratic, faced struggles between patricians (elite) and plebeians (commoners) due to debt servitude.
• Featured consuls and the senate, with tribunes representing a democratic element.
• Punic Wars involved conflicts with Carthage, which dominated North Africa and Spain.
• Second Punic War (218-202 BC) saw Hannibal leading Carthage, disrupting Italian agriculture for 15 years.
• Hannibal's victory at the Battle of Zana led to Rome's dominance in the Western Mediterranean.

Social Economic Crisis

• Disrupted agriculture led to a focus on mos maiorum (ways of the ancestors/elders).
• The emergence of the Equestrian order.
• Resulted in economic differentiation.
• Military was the source of Rome's strength.
• Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus proposed land reforms to restore the peasant-soldier base but were murdered; led to the rise of political generals like Gaius Marius and Sulla.

Political Crisis

• First Triumvirate consisted of Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great, and Crassus; Caesar was assassinated, Pompey died in Egypt, and Crassus.
• Second Triumvirate included Octavian and Marc Anthony, leading to conflict; Anthony died in Egypt after a relationship with Cleopatra.

Early Empire

• Octavian established "The Principate", indirectly controlling Rome and initiating spectacles and food distribution.
• Civil War and the Battle of Actium in 31 BC marked the transition from Republic to Empire.

Roman Revolution

• Tacitus noted that people valued security over freedom, preferring food and games.
• Sallust lamented Rome's moral decline, deviating from its moral constitution.
• Cicero emphasized the importance of balanced Roman institutions and criticized corruption.
• Octavian presented himself as a warrior and restorer of virtues.

2nd Century

• The principate was not sustainable, as Octavian manipulated institutions.
• Octavian distracted the people from the truth with spectacles and food.
• The 5 Good Emperors: Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antonious Pias, Marcus Arelious.

Crisis of the Third Century

• Marcus passed empire to commodus.
• Labored and faced a liquidity crisis.

The Late Empire 284

• The Dominate transitioned from informal control to dictatorial rule by military emperors.
• Diocletian established the new administration of the empire.
• Constantine the Great issued the Edict of Milan in 313, granting toleration to Christianity.

Early Christianity

• World was Jewish, after settling the second temple with the Maccabees revolt taking place in 160 bc
• Jewish independence was gained
• Sadducees were large landowners associated with the Sanhedrin.
• Pharisees were educated and morally serious
• Zealots were against Roman Rule
• The essenes wanted to create seperate jewish communities

Gospel of Luke

• The Jewish revolt against Rome took place.
• Jesus genealogy was both Jewish and for Humanity.
• Jesus movement was complicit in the roman revolt.
• Jesus was viewed as a political ruler.
• Detaching Jesus' movement from complicity

Intention of Luke

• How does Jesus' movement relate to the Jewish revolt is he complicit?
• Jesus placed in roman history to contain the possibility of treason
• Contains Jesus by saying Jesus is like ever other human
• Argues that the central event is the principle of hope.
• The Kingdom of Man and the Kingdom of God.

Paul’s Letter to Romans

• Argues Theology of History From work of flesh to faith of the spirit
• Principle of Hope: Essential to christianity
• A recovery of meaningful participation
• Letter to Romans showed “a diminished conception of the political” mutual uplifting of church society
• A sense of Law and Order
• Christianity took excellence from the polis and transferred it to the church.

Christianity

• Four issues after Jesus Crucified with Apostles continued: How to organize christian communities after moving from this age.
• Bishops began to have authority.
• There was a rise of Christians against judaism
• Christians though you had to first be a jew to become christian.
• Chrisoston stated that this aint it. This is not a christian thought and drove this tendency of of christianity.

Rome and Christianity

• Celsus criticised christianity for not participating in rome.
• Romans were more concerned about christianity weakening rome.
• Christianity threatened fate and classical philosophy

Christianity Relationship w Rome

• Formal Aspect, Rome were concern about christianity weakening rome.
• Celsus is a roman in his response “The true World”
• Christianity's fate in classical philosophy (philosophies began to critique)
• Philosophy vs Faith (Tertullian, philosophy cannot teach you faith)
• Clement of Alexandria, philosophy is preparatory for faith.
• Alexandria supports Jews, and embraces Imperial Theology.

Imperial Theology

• Claims that Flavian emperors were elected by the Gods.
• Christianity more embraced
• Constantine the Great was responsible for toleration of christianity (Edict of Milan)
• Theadocious made christianity official religion of rome.
• Clement of alexandria showed openness to classical philosophy as a preparatory for faith

Roman Sack

• Pelagius argued salvation is earned and is not born within us. Therefore everyone can achieve salvation.
• Eusebius of Caesarea connected christianity to the establishment of rome.
• Sack of Rome by Alaric created embarrassment and question imperial theology.

Christian Theology

• Augustine of Hippo says philosphy prepare the way for faith. Agustine: Philosophy can give you a lot of possibilities that reason can present. No faith is the preparation for philosophy, rupture with with tradition of imperial theology.
• Natural Virtue says god initiative is what gains the ability to pursue salvation.
• Augustine writes the city of God. It is the city of man.
• The two cities rise and fall.

Fall of Rome

• St. Benedict of Nursia helped shape monasticism in the west while responding to the collapse.
• Boethius wrote “The consolation of philosophy”
• He stated that The Wheel of Fortune, showing the collapse of Roman Authority in the west.(shows divine stability)
• Agustine prioritised City of God on top of City of Man
• Benedict created a monastic order after Roman Collapse
• Augustine - thucydides
• Boethius - stoics(Plato)
• Benedict - Socrates