The Harvest of Hellenism: A History of the Near East from Alexander the Great to the Triumph of Christianity

About this book

Much has been written about the Golden Age of Greece and its influence on Europe. Less has been said about the impact of Hellenism on the lands east and south of Greece--great civilizations in their own right who nonetheless fell under the spell of the Greeks and were influenced for better or worse by their traditions. This book examines Eastern Hellenism Greek at its root but modified by cultures as diverse as the Macedonians Syrians Jews and Egyptians. Lasting for eighteen centuries (until the fall of Constantinople) and radically shaping the fate of Judaism Christianity and Islam this Hellenic legacy can be seen in Buddhist art Zoroastrian scriptures the preaching of Mani Christian spirituality and Jewish theology. As European Hellenism went into decline its Eastern version became stronger surviving nationalist disaffection and military pressure and producing wave after wave of artistic political and religious mutations.