Randi Eldevik wrote: [snip]
>For my purposes, the Teutonic Knights and _all_ their activities are >just another example of an arrogant approach to cultural hegemony that was >all too common in Western Christianity during the Middle Ages; afterward, >too. I might just as well have mentioned the example of the Spanish >conquistadors who wanted to convert the Amerinds of Mexico and Central >America, but who forbade Amerind converts to be ordained to the priesthood >because, somehow, even after baptism and Catholic education, they were >considered to be "not good enough." Sadly, the _Aeneid_ is tied in with >all these various attempts at cultural hegemony: Frankly, this wearyingly frequent animadversion against Western Christianity as a uniquely arrogant aggressor is a canard that should be dismissed out of hand by anyone who pretends to scholarly objectivity (does such thing exist anymore?). Economic, military, demographic and cultural expansion are the nearly inevitable hallmarks of all civilizations at times when a new spiritual environment transforms and charges individuals and groups with cultural energy. What about the conquests of Islam? What about the suspiciously aggressive activities of Shaka and his Zulus? What about the bestial destruction throughout Western Cristendom and elsewhere at the hands of the pagan Northmen? In fact, what about the bloodthirsty round-ups of victims in their thousands among the Tlascalans by the Aztecs, round-ups so awful that the Tlascalans (and others) were the eager collaborators with Hernan Cortes' Four Hundred in the destruction of Tenochtitlan? One can go on and on throughout the history of mankind. Let's face it: we're not a pretty species, but we certainly are both energetic and capable of great spiritual transformations, perhaps as a balance over against our belligerence. It is possible to regret what we and our ancestors--wherever they have sojourned--have done to each other, and at the same time recognize that such behavior is probably a cultural determinant, at least above a certain level of cultural sophistication. And how, by the way, is Vergil to blame for any of this? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub
