Subject: What is the Dark Ages |
Bible Note: Historical periods are often named after the fact, and can reflect the bias of the historians, rather than something true about the actual time period. The medieval period is often referred to as a Dark Age. Scholars of the Renaissance (which means rebirth - another value-laden term) looked down on the earlier period. Renaissance culture rediscovered the classical learning of the Greeks and Romans, as well as mathematics from Arab peoples -- and considered the intervening thousand years a write-off. The name of another period, the "Enlightenment," shows you another value-laden historical name. As Christians, we might evaluate these periods differently. The faith and community of the medieval period may look less dark to us, and the individualism and materialism of the enlightenment may look less dazzling. Hope this helps. Yours JRM P.S. "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light..." (Isaiah 9:2) |