“Je crois aux racines chrétiennes de la
France. Il suffit de voir le long tissu de cathédrales et d'églises... Quand on
ne sait pas d'où on vient, on ne peut pas savoir où on va!" (Nicolas SARKOZY, Ormes,
26/03/2012) *.
A non-surprising statement, something like a political bottom line
for many traditional European politician.
"Quand on ne sait pas d'où on
vient, on ne peut pas savoir où on va!". That is a
bold statement; not only in the lights of the events that happened during the
night of 23rd/24th August 1572 in Paris - a faith-based mass-killing organised by
the authorities. Other killings did happen earlier and later throughout European history. These events, certainly,
are not a nice "racine".
However, opposing such past, modern Europe was built
in the process of emancipation from these roots. That is what matters, Mr. Sarkozy and company!
Focusing European identity on "racines
chrétiennes" is a much too limited view. When pointing at it, immediately
an extended cliché comes up, namely the "...l'héritage judéo-chrétien...de
bon nombre de pays européens...."; as a friend of mine argued in defense
of Nicolas. That is a bit wider concept, although limited and neglecting the historical
processes.
Let's consider two significant aspects. First, there is a lasting Arabic
influence on Europe leading to an "l'héritage
arabo-judéo-chrétien". Second, Europe's modernity has been built in
opposition to this heritage that is about a frightening triad of “théocratie, fundamentalism, and jihad” for
the benefit of those who are in power. Regarding the notion “jihad”, at the northern shores of the
Mediterranean these raids of the faithful were called "crusade" or "Reconquista".
They were undertaken to project power and faith. The accompanying theocracy and
fundamentalism restricted the style of life and content of thought in the civil-society.
Let's draw some traits of our European "l'héritage arabo-judéo-chrétien". The three "religions of the book", Judaism,
Christianism, Islam belong to this part of the world. Hence, they are part of
European traditions. However, the emancipation from the "arabo-judéo-chrétien" tradition is the essential process
that led to contemporary Europe. Europe's modernity is the antithesis to its
theocratic and fundamentalist heritage. Only part of this is achieved, and modernity
is at risk when emancipation stops.
Looking at Europe, what is the time-line of our "l'héritage
chrétien"? It starts with a period of codification of necessary believes
happening on both shores of the Mediterranean Sea and ending about 1300 years
ago, when the balance of codification was tipped by the French kings against
Arianism and in favour of Catholicism. Since then we find a variable southern
boundary of European Christianity, as well on the Iberian or Italian peninsular
including Mediterranean islands and on the Balkan. Christian heritage east and
north of the Rhine grew only during the last 1100 years; and since less than 900
years at northern and eastern shores of the Baltic. Thus, the "l'héritage chrétien" was
experienced very differently in various parts of Europe. Within this variable
geographical space of Christianity, internal struggle and war were common:
about the true faith, theological dogmas and power; the latter often seen given
by the grace of God to his representatives on Earth. Internal cleavages opened
in this historical homeland of Christianity - opposing orthodox and Catholic
thinking about state and church, opposing Protestant and Catholic concepts of
God's grace, contesting ecclesiastic and secular authorities by various
faith-driven movements. Theocratic government, fundamentalist believes, and
holy war made up a fair share of Europe’s "l'héritage
chrétien". Not a very lovely heritage to live with, but on the other hand, not negligible either are the many passionate achievements and laborious
technological progress people made during these times.
When looking at Europe's "l'héritage
judéo" we wish to put aside the archaic believe, which possibly is
typical for tribal societies, that [a] god has assigned a specific piece of
land to “his” people. Nevertheless, it is a fantastic achievement of tradition
among Jewish people to have kept that tradition alive. Today this archaic faith
is deadly virulent in Palestine. It takes its most primitive form, namely
struggle for land. However, the same believe about "assigned by God" also
forms part of our European cultural heritage; and, elsewhere on this globe,
people think of their “gods own country”. Archaic! These views motivated holy
wars, the crusades, and thus kept virulent a tradition to make war acceptable
if motivated by faith.
The historical Jewish state and people, which was sandwiched between
Egyptian and Mesopotamian powers, was erased by the Roman emperor Titus. He
crashed in year 77 a risk of a further revolt by the ethnic cleansing. Since
then Jewish people were dispersed about vast stretches of Europe, Asia and
Africa. They were in constant risk to suffer further ethnic cleansing,
including its ever-to-remember climax in the Holocaust that was organised by
the German state. Thus our "l'héritage
judéo-chrétien" is to a very far degree a history of an oppressive
hegemonic culture and threatened minority culture; only seldom inter-spaced by
short periods of cooperation and transcultural exchanges. Therefore, Israel is
determined that no further ethnic cleansing of Jewish people may occur and them
being the hegemonic culture.
Looking for "l'héritage
arabo" of Europe or possibly better "l'héritage islamo" of Europe, we may put aside the
somewhat recent episodes of "Türken
vor Wien" (1529 and 1683). These events belong more to a post-medieval
Europe and its transition to modernity, although it triggered a well-trained
reflex to defend Europe on the grounds of culture and faith. A significant
contribution to our heritage seems to be the design of lasting
ethical-religious cleavages established in south-eastern Europe, which hinders
prospect and development still today. Compared to that, the well referenced
Islamic cultures of ruling Berber and Arab clans on the Iberian Peninsula are
part of our "l'héritage islamo".
It had helped to arrange a transfer of knowledge and philosophy from the
classical past of Europe's Mediterranean cultures, from Arabic cultures in
Mesopotamian and northern Africa. However, it also included traditions of theocratic
or autocratic governance structures and fundamentalist civil society. A similar
process, although of lesser influence, has happened on the Italian peninsular
including Sicily; being there modulated by ruling Norman clans and German
emperors of the late dynasty of "Regis
salicin". Little of the knowledge and thinking that finally gave birth
to Europe's modernity, could have emerged without these transcultural transfers,
including transfers into ecclesiastic circles. Likewise, Europe's determination
to take up struggle and war for motives of faith possibly would be lesser
without its cultural experience of a "Reconquista".
The antithesis to any "l'héritage
arabo-judéo-chrétien" is Europe's emancipation from theocracy and
fundamentalism. Historically this process succeeded as the antithesis to its
hegemonic medieval trait, Christianity. Europe's emancipation has
succeeded to a certain degree only. Neither are the consequences of the archaic believe
in "land assigned by God"
mitigated nor are the theocratic or fundamentalist constraints on our civil
societies well confined.
Europe's process of emancipation from its "l'héritage arabo-judéo-chrétien" emerged in the civil
society with the age of enlightenment, the modernity; first in France, England
and Germany and finally all over Europe. However, before René Descartes could
publish his famous "Discourse de la Methode" in 1637, which by many
is seen as marker of the begin of the enlightenment, much had happened already
that reshaped thinking of European elites. The thinking of classical
Mediterranean times, which had been transposed by savants of Arabic origin, was
reworked; the depths of Christian thoughts how to narrow the gap between
dreadful daily life and promises of the script were pondered, and a scientific
understanding of the world was built by trial and error. Even more had happened
before Imanuel Kant published in December 1784, in response to competition, his
most famous essay on emancipation “Enlightenment
is man’s emergence from his self-incurred immaturity". Emancipation,
thus enlightenment "ist der Ausgang des Menschen aus seiner selbstverschuldeten
Unmündigkeit. Unmündigkeit ist das Unvermögen, sich seines Verstandes ohne
Leitung eines anderen zu bedienen. Selbstverschuldet ist diese Unmündigkeit,
wenn die Ursache derselben nicht am Mangel des Verstandes, sondern der
Entschließung und des Mutes liegt, sich seiner ohne Leitung eines andern zu
bedienen. Sapere aude! Habe Mut, dich deines eigenen Verstandes zu bedienen!
...[dazu] aber wird nichts erfordert als Freiheit; und zwar die unschädlichste
unter allem, was nur Freiheit heißen mag, nämlich die: von seiner Vernunft in
allen Stücken öffentlichen Gebrauch zu machen"**.
Thus, modern Europe is the freedom to exercise reason in all
public causes.
This is what Europe has put in place instead of the frightening triad of
théocratie, fundamentalism, and jihad/crusade: freedom, to exercise reason in
all public causes. Sapere Aude!
Five years after a German philosopher, who lived most of his life in a
remote town far east, summarized the emancipatory program for Europe's
modernity in 2569 words, the French revolution put the cultural emancipation on
the political stage. Fifty years later the industrial revolution put on program
the social emancipation. Hundred-fifty years later the end of World War II
sparked global emancipation. And here we go! Since some centuries Europe
struggles to put modernity into reality, with much success, under constant
attack and with failures. Europe is shaping the concepts of human rights, of
the autonomy of human thinking, or of the true value of each and any human
individual.
That's Europe, that's our Promethean heritage - if heritage must be.
In
that sense, Nicolas S. was quit right when saying:
“Quand on ne sait pas d'où on vient, on
ne peut pas savoir où on va!”
* I believe in the Christian roots of France. Just look at the long fabric of cathedrals and churches ... When we do not know where we come from, we can not know where we are going.
** Enlightenment is the outcome of man from his self-inflicted immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one's mind without the guidance of another. This immaturity is self-inflicted if the cause of it is not the lack of reason but the lack of resolution and courage to use it without the guidance of another. Sapere Aude! Have the courage to use your own understanding! ... [for which] nothing is required but freedom; and, indeed, the most harmless of all that may be called freedom, that is, to make public use of its reason in all its parts.
p.s. An initial version of this text was posted in 2012. It deemed interesting to republish it with minor editing.
** Enlightenment is the outcome of man from his self-inflicted immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one's mind without the guidance of another. This immaturity is self-inflicted if the cause of it is not the lack of reason but the lack of resolution and courage to use it without the guidance of another. Sapere Aude! Have the courage to use your own understanding! ... [for which] nothing is required but freedom; and, indeed, the most harmless of all that may be called freedom, that is, to make public use of its reason in all its parts.
p.s. An initial version of this text was posted in 2012. It deemed interesting to republish it with minor editing.
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