The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind

Eric Cohen, Tikvah’s CEO, joins Rabbi Dr. Mitchell Rocklin to introduce the Pillars podcast.

In today’s episode, Rabbi Rocklin asks, “What makes Western culture worth studying and preserving?” You’ll discover answers to the following questions:

In today’s episode, Rabbi Rocklin examines the concept of "culture" and its relationship to religion.

In today’s episode, Rabbi Rocklin explores how pagans and Jews differ on the relationship between man and God. 

What does it mean to live well as a human being? The covenantal Jew introduced a new answer that fundamentally shaped the West.

In this next episode, we go back to the roots of civilization with an overview of the great kingdoms of the Ancient Near East.

As we consider the civilizations that the Bible was up against, we now turn our attention to Egypt.

The great empires of the Ancient Near East begin to mingle as we move forward from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age.

With the backdrop of the wider geopolitical affairs of the Ancient Near East, we turn our attention to the Jewish people.

The conquests of the Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian, and Persian empires will completely upend the Ancient Near East.

The oldest surviving myth from the Ancient Near East sheds remarkable insight into the pagan mindset.

In contrast to the pagan world, the Biblical creation story is ordered, purposeful, and covenantal.

The Biblical approach to politics is yet another arena that is drastically affected by the covenant.

Now that we understand what a covenant is, we turn to the Hebrew Bible to see what it means to live a life according to that covenant.

Although Ancient Greece is long gone, its legacy stands until today, influencing and enriching culture throughout time.

Today, we step back in time to explore the earliest Greek civilizations.

The earliest Greek mythologies come to us from Hesiod, to whom we turn for a glimpse into the Ancient Greek psyche.

The difference between the Jewish and Greek worldviews come into even sharper focus with a careful study of the ancient Greek myths.

The concept of sacrifice is one that differs sharply from the pagan to the covenantal setting.

The way in which we choose to live will be affected by whether we live with Greek outlook or a Jewish one.

We turn our attention now to The Iliad, which is one of the most fundamental texts in western civilization.

Rage, honor, and fate continue to drive The Iliad to its ultimate, tragic end.

The gods and fate continue to control mankind, but The Odyssey will now add a third element: human folly.

The Persian Empire dominated the Ancient Near East, affecting Jews and gentiles alike.

The rivalry between Athens and Sparta is one that has ignited minds and passions for generations.

Herodotus is sometimes called the “father of history,” because he fundamentally changed the way humanity viewed its own story.

Not even the Peloponnesian Wars could stop the continued development of culture in Athens.

Thucydides takes one step beyond Herodotus in his approach to history.

The grandeur of Greek thought is captured in the heart of Greek tragedy.

Athens’ contributions to the development of the west would be vastly incomplete without its invention of philosophy.