
The World of Byzantium
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Narrated by:
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Kenneth W. Harl
Byzantium is too-often considered merely the "Eastern rump" of the old Roman Empire, a curious and even unsettling mix of the classical and medieval. Yet it was, according to Professor Harl, "without a doubt the greatest state in Christendom through much of the Middle Ages," and well worth our attention as a way to widen our perspective on everything from the decline of imperial Rome to the rise of the Renaissance.
In a series of 24 tellingly detailed lectures, you'll learn how the Greek-speaking empire of Byzantium, or East Rome, occupied a crucial place in both time and space that began with Constantine the Great and endured for more than a millennium - a crucible where peoples, cultures, and ideas met and melded to create a world at once Eastern and Western, Greek and Latin, classical and Christian. And you'll be dazzled by the achievements of Byzantium's emperors, patriarchs, priests, monks, artists, architects, scholars, soldiers, and officials
- Preserving and extending the literary, intellectual, and aesthetic legacy of Classical and Hellenistic Greece
- Carrying forward path-breaking Roman accomplishments in law, politics, engineering, architecture, urban design, and military affairs
- Deepening Christian thought while spreading the faith to Russia and the rest of what would become the Orthodox world
- Developing Christian monastic institutions
- Shielding a comparatively weak and politically fragmented western Europe from the full force of eastern nomadic and Islamic invasions
- Fusing classical, Christian, and eastern influences
- Helping to shape the course of the Humanist revival and the Renaissance
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
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I always knew it was there. But I also knew it was complex, remote, exotic and, well…Byzantine. Professor Harl untangles much of the political, dynastic, military, religious, and cultural complexities. Even at a mere 12 hours (why not the more usual 18?) there’s plenty here to grapple with, and I now have a reliable outline of the period and the culture, along with some solid benchmarks (the emperors Justinian and Basil II, for example) to guide future reading and listening. Along the way I also began to grasp the roots of the split between the Eastern and Western Church, Russia’s assumption of the Orthodox mantle, her historic sense of mission, and Dostoyevsky’s rabid anti-Catholicism.
There are moments when I wish I were in the lecture hall, able to ask for clarification (the course guide, however, is crystal clear). Other times I’d like to ask questions. For example, if Byzantium alone turned back the Muslim tide—a feat for which Harl asserts the West was “unprepared”—then what of the Frankish triumph at Poitiers in 732?
Covering early efforts to comprehend the true nature of Christ, Harl sees heresies as merely so many “confessional” options, any of which might have triumphed—and their suppression as the beginning of “medieval censorship”. (Never mind that only by being fully human and fully divine can Christ fully reconcile Creator and creature.) When the faithful process icons and relics, imploring divine assistance in moments of crisis, you can almost see the professor’s eyes roll.
On the other hand, Harl gives the first Constantine credit for a sincere conversion. He also refutes the now-standard idea, first stated by Machiavelli and echoed by Gibbon, that Christian mercy and love hobbled Roman strength and discipline. And he discounts the popular notion—one that I’ve passed on to my kids—that an erudite, advanced Muslim civilization preserved Plato and Aristotle for a shaggy, beer-and-broadsword-wielding West. According to Harl, an erudite, advanced Byzantine civilization preserved Greek philosophy for a shaggy, beer-and-broadsword-wielding West.
Now, with the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, the next logical step is to listen to Professor Harl’s series on that empire.
Beginning to Fill Yet Another Gap in My Education
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Outstanding
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If Prof. Harl's courses have taught me anything, it is that history is very interconnected, both geographically and in time. It would have been very interesting for me to have a final lecture going into the aftermath of the Byzantine empire, similar to how he opened with a very brief overview of the events leading up to the founding of Constantinople. However, I get that space is limited, and that I probably need to do a course on the Ottoman Empire for that.
Great Prof / ends rather abruptly
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Excellent overview
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Another great Professor Harl series
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Excellent narration.
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Good course!
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Greatly narrated
Rich background to the subject matter.
Best lecture yet.
Very well presented
Super!
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Byzantine intrigue and lots (and lots) of info!
CONTENT:
From the founding of Constantinople in late antiquity to its fall in 1453, this course effectively traces the rise and fall of an empire. Be aware that it is straight history, with multitudes of dates and names that may not stick in your memory if you dispense with the provided notes. It covers many areas including military and Church history, society, art and architecture.
NARRATOR:
Prof. Harl has a peculiar speaking voice though I adjusted to it quickly. He shows enthusiasm for his work. I would listen to more courses from him.
OVERALL:
If you're interested in the Eastern Roman empire this is a great primer. It covers many topics and would be a great resource for deciding further study.
Great Presentation, Dry Content
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An amazing holistic story
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