Table Of Content~
e o f .
the Idea
o f HistoIY
• • •
ID tIqUlty
V
Gerald A. Press
The idea of history. and especially the Klea that history is goal-directed,
has figured prominently in Western thought since the Renaissance. pro
viding the conceplUal foundation for philosophies ami theologies of
histor)' as well as of a varlety of social theories. Therefore an extensive
scholarly literature has come into existence in the past century which
discusses the origin and early history of the idea. It is widely held that
in ancient Creek and Roman thought history is understood as circular
and repctiti\'e (a consequence of their anti-temporal metaphysics) in
contrdSt with Judaco-Christian thought, which sees history as linear and
unique (a consequence of their messianic and radically tcmpond
h~nce
theology).
This account of the idea of history in anttquity exemplifies a more
general vlew: that the Craeco-Roman and Judaeo-Christian ('uhures
were fundamentally alien and opposed cultural forces and that. there
fore. Christianity's victory over paganism included the replacement or
supersession of onc intellectual world by another.
In this study Dr. Press shows thal COntrary this belief there was
10
substantial rontinuity between "pagan" and Christian ideas or history in
antiquity, rather than a striking opposition between cydic and linear
patterns. He finds that the foundation of the Christian view of history
as goal-direcled lies in the rhetorical rdlhcr thall the theologiCdl motives
of early Christian writcr!..
Cerald A. Press is a member of the Western Cuhure Program at Stanford
University.
MCGIl.L·QUU:N'S STUDIE.S If\; T HE H ISTORY OF IDEAS
Richard 11. I'upkill. Editor
-<,
THE DEVELOPMENT OF
THE IDEA OF HISTORY
IN ANTIQUITY
Gerald A. Press
McCill-Queen's University Press
Montreal & Kingston . London · lthaca
Cl McGill-Qucc ..... UnNcnlty Prc" 1982
IS8N 0.7".5-1002-8
Leg .. 1 deposit 4th quuu:r 1982
BiblioLh~ue nalion .. lc du Quebc<:
Printcd in Can .. d ..
Reprintcd 200'
McGm-Qu«n'. UniW!:nity Press .. cknowledge. thc
.upporl of the Canld. . Council for the Arts for our
publishing prognm. We also uknowledge the Iinanci .. 1
support ofllle GoW!:rnmem olCanada through the Book
Publi$hing Indu$lry Prognm (IPtDP)
~lopmcnl
lor our publilhing acLhitics.
Press, (;(,rodd A" {(;(,r.dd Abm), 1!H.5-
The d~lupme"t of the klc:a 0( hlnory In antiquity
(McCiIl.Qucen'l sLudlelln the hl$lory of ideal,
ISSN 07l1.()9g!l ; 2)
Bibliognphy: p.
Indudel index,
ISBN 0.71'.5-1002-8
I. HiO\ory · Phil<»ophy, 2, HiltOry, Ancicnt·
Hhtoringraphy, I. Tide. 11. Series.
016,8,P74 901 C82.()94246-4
To M Y Parents
for teaching me to
seek understanding
and to Vida
for helping me
to understand
what I find
Contents
ItdtnQ'WltdgmmLs IX
I JmroducUon 3
11 History as Inquiry in the Hellenic Age 23
III History as a Literary Genre: T he Hellenistic Age 35
IV The Early Roman Empire: History as Story and the 61
Rhetorical Use of History by the Early Christians.
V The Distinction between Sacred and Profane History 89
in Late Antiquity
VI Conclusion: The [)cvelopment of the Idea of l-li5lOl) " 121
and the Culluml Ferment of Late Amiquity
of
1tP/>t'1di.x: Bibliography of Wor.b tht Arctptnl Vit'w tilt Id,a of 147
Oil
fliskJry Antiquity
it!
Indnc tororum 15 J
/tukx IndiCtlm 165
of
Indn Namts aM Subj«u 175
Ackrwwledgments
J wish to express my gr.uilude to all those who. in various ways, have helped
to make this book possible. In particular I would like to thank Jason L.
Saunders and Paul Henry, SJ., whose leaching most directly led to and
guided this work, and Richard H. Papkin, Herbert Marcuse. and Stephen
CrilCS. who have been inspirations both as teachers and as creative Ihinkers.
I would also like to thank Sleven L. Goldman. Thomas St!'Cbohm. and W.
Kendrick Pritcheu for reading earlier versions and providing much·needed
encouragement, Paul P.soinos for invaluable help with the noles and in
dexes, Vida Pavesich for aid, counsel. and solace from lirSllO last (bUl nOI
for typing the manuscript). and David Fate Nonon. over many years teacher,
editor, adviser. friend.
Abbreviations
:...
classical Creek and Latin authors arc cited accord·
I T ilE ~()T.:S,
the standard abbreviations of the O'!!ord Classim{
in~ 10 J)icliona~,.,
2nd cd. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1970). Occasionally I have
adopted the abbrc\"iations of the Liddcll-Sl'Olt·:Jmu:s Gmt-English
Lr:ricon (Oxford: Clarcndon Press, 1966). or Le ..... is and Short's Lalin
(Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1966). Early Christian authors
Di(tiona~v
not induded in any of the foregoing arc ciu:d according Ihe ahtm:
10
viations in Du Cange's Glossarium ,\ltdiat (/ hifimat Lnlinilalis (Paris,
1840- 50). In some cases I have had construct ahbrc\-iations or I
IQ
have chosen 10 c:omarucl onc more consistent with the others than
are Du Cange's. for a tabulation and explanation ofa!lthe ahbrevia
,U\
tions, see the Index Lncnrulll (pp. 13 1--&1). Where\'er possible.
lhurs are cited according tn standard !lulI1berinK atrhuugh I
S},SII:lI1S,
havc uniforml}" used Arabic numerals rather than thc mixtures (If
Arabic and Roman o((cn found. Citations by ("p.") rt:fer to the
pa~e
pagination of a particular edition, usually standard, listed in lhe in
dex I.ocorum. A citation of the form "1.345, 1- 8" refers to Volume I,
page 345, lines
I~.
In addition, the following abbreviations arc used for series, jour
nals, and collections:
.4c rr Andtnt Chri.Jtiafl II'ritm: Tlu Horb ofthr Fathrr.J in TrnllS
tation.
AiVF Thl .4ntl-Nianr Fathtr.J. Translations of the writings of
the fathers down to 325. Et!. Alexander Robcn s
,\ .Il.
and Jamcs Donaldson.
(J U(JJJirnl ./ollrlllll.
er
Clrmiail Phi/v").!:.!'.
CSf:I. (;url!llJ l/"ripfuflllII f(drf;mlim/'lll/l fal;II/If!IIII,
Oit'ls, DC Hcrm:1Il1l Dit·h., /)oxo,e,mphi ,/!Talri. U('din: d(" Gruylcr.
1879.
D- K' Hc'rn131111 Dids. IJil Fra,e,lIIrnl( d". ror.mkrari*rr. ith ("d.,
rt'\'is('d hy Wahlu'r Kmnz. 8('rlin: \\'rirlmann. 1954.3
\'ols.
GC'S Oi, ,e,riuhiJf"htn rhTiJIIi(hrn SrhrijiJltlln (/" m/In }ahrhun
d"II. Bf'rlin: Akadl'mi(' dc'r \\,iss('llschalic'n. 1897- 1%9.
GRBS (,',uk. Roman and 1~1'::'fIIllin' .\'Iudiu.
Il &Th !!illa" 77"(111'.
. //Tiff .
lilAC j "I"llIIrf, liil ;\lItil,,- III/d (;"';,\/1'11/11111.
J IlI Journal q( /1" 1Ii,'to~)' of IdfflS.
J IIS Journal q{ fM/flli,. .'ill/di,l .
NPNF Srl", l.ihwTl' oj Ill., ,\'iant and Posl-Siant Falkm rif Ill.,
•< 1
Christian Church. Ed. Philip Schaff. NI'\\' Ymk: The
Christian I.il('rillurr Co .. 1886-90 .
PG .1 .•1 '. ~ti.'tIH". Pn'mlo.~il/' Cl/mu Comp/fllls. S"i,s (;rtucn.
PI. .I.-P. Mi.'tllt'. Pntrnlo~in' Om',/.)' (;ompl,tu5. S"i,.f lA /inn.
Description: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 co
