A long period of almost absolute quiet followed the establishment of the empire, which gave Rome and Italy great satisfaction, after nearly a hundred years of civil war. It is called the “Augustan Age,” when industry and commerce, literature and the arts, reached their highest development.
The Roman Empire and the Christian6 era commenced nearly together. During the thirty years that followed the battle of Actium, which secured to Augustus the sole control of the civilized7 world, by the defeat of his last rival, Antony, he was occupied in organizing the vast machinery8 of his government, and centralizing all the parts of the administration in his own person. For near three hundred years Western Asia and Greece had been a scene of violent commotion9. Rival adventurers were constantly seeking to reconstruct the empire of Alexander. Some of these had the genius and the good fortune to succeed, in part at least, and swayed a powerful scepter over a large region during their own lives, and, in some instances, their dominions10 were held together for several generations. But there was no sufficient base for a strong and permanent government. There was no stable element on[105] which to rest it. The Greeks were brave, intelligent and enterprising, and no Asiatic people could withstand a Greek army under Greek leaders; but the Greeks were too restless, too easily carried away by enthusiasm for a new leader or a new idea to be capable of upholding an empire.
2. Thus, Asia and Greece had been a vast battle field, and the battles served no general interest and founded no permanent state. The Greeks grew tired of supporting the claims of each new aspirant11, who returned their favor by depriving them of liberty, and the whole eastern world readily submitted to the Romans, under whom there was, at least, a prospect12 of civil order. Augustus, then, had little trouble in settling the affairs of the whole empire, and, about thirty years after the battle of Actium, finding the entire world quietly content and the administration everywhere in fair working order, directed the gates of the temple of Janus to be closed, and a census13 to be made of all his subjects. At this time Jesus Christ was born and the Christian era commenced.
The Roman Empire under Augustus was the culmination14 of the ancient and pagan civilization. It had great vitality15, and strength enough to rule the world four hundred years longer; but it had also fatal weaknesses. We have seen that the existence of the empire originated in the inability of the old society to free itself from the vices16 which long and great prosperity had developed. It had no purifying element strong enough to drive out the disease which its moral weakness had allowed to fasten on it. It was, in fact, based on wrong and could not but perish. Its fall was only a question of time. Its ferocious17 valor18 and contempt of the rights of nations broke down the very virtue19 that was essential to the stability of society. The Romans were robbers on a grand scale, and it was very natural that, when there were no more foreign nations to slay20 and plunder21, the citizens should fall to cutting each others throats and robbing their neighbors. As this would lead to the immediate22 ruin of society and the state, the empire, which gave them an absolute master, was a necessity.
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3. But a full comprehension of the moral laws on which society, institutions and states are founded, was the last to be gained. Most modern nations have not yet attained23 it, notwithstanding that Christianity has so long stated the principles with clearness and force.
The common mind of humanity could master them only by growth through thousands of years and innumerable experiences. The object of all earthly experience is to develop the value of the individual man; and the object of society, of institutions and of government, is to protect the rights and to favor the development of each man of the race. When this end is fully secured, history will have solved its problem. As the commencement of the Christian era was the turning point of history in some most important respects, it is proper to glance back and forward over the state of this problem, and the relation of Christianity to it, before proceeding24 with the general course of events.
At first men were like children, with everything to learn; and, like children, they learned one thing at a time; and they also made an addition to their common stock of knowledge at every remove of the centre of growth. In Asia and Egypt the general lesson was industry and obedience25, while the Jews, on the western shore, more or less assisted by the Assyrians, the Egyptians and the Greeks, labored27 at the development of a pure religion which culminated28 in Christianity. The removal of the centre to Greece added mental and artistic29 culture, and the further westward30 journey to Rome gave them a new class of most important ideas concerning public organization, law and order.
4. If each of these lessons had been perfect in themselves the addition made by Christianity, which defined the relations between men, the law of human rights and the doctrines31 essential to the stability and purity of society, would have enabled mankind to build up satisfactory institutions and a complete civilization from the Roman period. But the elementary lessons were very incomplete. The Asiatics became very superstitious;[107] the Greeks could teach men the art of thinking, or exercising their minds, but they could not find the true starting point; they did not discover what subjects it was useful, and what it was useless, to reason upon; and wasted a good part of the thought of their times on profitless questions. Their failure to obtain a clear and valuable result from philosophy made men skeptical33 and contributed much to the decline of civilization in the time of the Roman empire. The Romans built their whole structure of law and order on force and a wholesale34 violation35 of the rights of mankind, and the minds of men became greatly confused. The doctrine32 of the Epicurean philosophers—“Let us eat and drink for to-morrow we die”—a despair of working out the problem of life to a satisfactory answer, became the most popular in the empire. The splendor36 and glory of Oriental, Grecian and Roman civilization seemed to end in degrading servility and superstition37, in the endless and absurd speculations38 of so-called philosophers, and in the vast brutal39 tyranny of the emperors. The east failed of a pure religion that was generally accepted. Greek philosophy did not have science to guide her thought, and Rome could not be just as well as strong.
5. It was only in modern times that these lessons were made complete. The discoveries in Geography, in Astronomy, in Natural Philosophy, in Chemistry, in Geology, made men acquainted with the structure of the universe, the properties and the laws of matter, and corrected the extravagances of the ancient speculative40 philosophy. For want of science, Greek thought wandered about in an unreal world and lost a good part of its labor26. A long experience under the control of this, corrected thought was required to construct a science of Government that should supply what was wanting to Roman jurisprudence, and Christianity itself could not be rightly understood while so many false theories and wrong practices prevailed.
But the ancient times were as essential to the building up of the modern as the modern to the completion of the ancient.[108] It was the renewed study of the Greek classics, of Roman law, and of the original teachings of Christianity, under more favorable circumstances, and after many new experiences for a thousand years, that gave birth to all our later improvements in religion, in government and in science. The Asiatic Jews gave us in Christianity, a pure and simple worship, and a system of public morality so perfect that no society has yet been able to embody41 it completely in practice, although it is now recognized, very generally, as the highest conceivable standard, to be constantly aimed at and conformed to as far as possible; the Greek Philosopher, Aristotle, gave us the first notions of science, and Roman law formed the base of modern legal practice.
6. The difficulties of progress are very great. It is not easier for nations to unlearn what they have learned amiss in their youth, than for individuals. No nation that has matured institutions has ever yet thoroughly42 reformed them. The best and most clear sighted minds discover their defects and show what is to be remedied; but the force of habit and the veneration43 men feel for what is old, offer so much resistance to complete reforms that it has been necessary to establish and build up institutions on new principles on fresh ground. So all the light and power of science, of the reformed religion, of a more complete system of law, the greater intelligence of the masses of men and the activity of commerce and trade did not suffice to do for modern Europe what has been done with ease in America. But Europe furnished the ideas which America worked out; and the sight of those principles embodied44 in institutions that greatly improved the condition of mankind has reacted on Europe, and bids fair, in time, to produce a novelty in human experience—a complete regeneration of old nations and governments. When Greece rose to power it subjected but lightly, and only superficially transformed, the nations of Asia; Rome absorbed them both, and Christianity gave its simple and noble lessons to them all. But the slight influence of Greece, Rome and Christianity on the old nations[109] of western Asia is shown in the rise and permanence of Mohammedanism, so inferior, in all respects, to Christianity. After a career of more than twelve hundred years, it still rules many more millions than were contained in all the Roman Empire in its most prosperous days.
7. But the power of a progressive civilization constantly increases, and will, by and by, be equal to the thorough reform of even crystalized China. Without America, Europe would be still struggling with the incipient45 stages of reform. With it, she has gone far toward correcting the imperfections which existed one hundred years ago, and will presently complete the process. With these general observations, we proceed to examine the influence of Christianity on the old civilization.
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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consolidated
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| a.联合的 | |
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factions
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| 组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 ) | |
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injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 | |
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dominions
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| 统治权( dominion的名词复数 )； 领土； 疆土； 版图 | |
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aspirant
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| n.热望者；adj.渴望的 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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census
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| n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查 | |
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culmination
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| n.顶点；最高潮 | |
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vitality
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| n.活力，生命力，效力 | |
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vices
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| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
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ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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valor
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| n.勇气，英勇 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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labored
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| adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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culminated
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| v.达到极点( culminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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doctrines
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| n.教条( doctrine的名词复数 )；教义；学说；（政府政策的）正式声明 | |
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doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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skeptical
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| adj.怀疑的，多疑的 | |
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wholesale
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| n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售 | |
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violation
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| n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯 | |
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splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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speculative
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| adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的 | |
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embody
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| vt.具体表达，使具体化；包含，收录 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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veneration
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| n.尊敬，崇拜 | |
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embodied
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| v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含 | |
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incipient
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| adj.起初的，发端的，初期的 | |
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