Will Durant - The Story of Civilization 03 - Caesar and Christ
CAESAR AND CHRIST, Volume three of The Story of Civilization, depicts the rise of Rome from a crossroads town to an empire. The world's first republic, Rome spread its civilization over the Mediterranean and Western Europe. Its long, slow crumbling and final collapse plunged Europe into darkness and chaos.
The Knights of Christ
The ancient warrior code which persisted in medieval Christian Europe dictated that a man's greatest virtues were physical strength, skill at arms, bravery, daring, loyalty to the chieftain and solidarity within the tribe. The primitive Church had been diametrically opposed to such ideals, however by the early 8th century the Church had grown wealthy, and the Saracen invasions of Spain and France posed a threat to that wealth. The Roman Church began to support war in defence of the faith, and by channelling the martial spirit into the service of God, the brutal warrior of the past was transformed into a guardian of society.
The central thesis of the book is that Jesus, while free from sin, was still subject to every form of temptation that humans face, including fear, doubt, depression, reluctance, and lust. By facing and conquering all of man's weaknesses, Kazantzakis argues in the novel's preface, Christ became the perfect model for our lives; he sacrificed not only on the cross, but throughout his life. He struggled to do God's will, without ever giving in to the temptations of the flesh.
The Knights of Christ
