Chapter One Greek Culture 2
Ⅰ．THE GREEKS：FROM MYTH TO REASON 2
1．Homer：Shaper of the Greek Spirit 2
2．The Break with Theocratic Politics 4
3．The Athenian Democracy 4
Ⅱ．PHILOSOPHY IN THE HELLENIC AGE 6
1．Socrates—Shaping the Rational Individual 6
2．Plato—the Rational Society 6
3．Aristotle—Synthesis of Greek Thought 7
Ⅲ．THE HELLENISTIC AGE 9
Ⅳ．OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS OF ANCIENT GREECE 11
1．Art 11
2．Drama 12
3．History 12
4．Mathematics 13
Ⅴ．GREEK MYTHOLOGY 13
1．Introduction 13
2．Ancient Greek and Roman Gods 13
3．Principal Figures in Greek Mythology 15
Ⅵ．THE NATURE OF GREEK GODS AND HEROES 20
1．Gods and Goddesses 20
2．Heroes 21
Chapter Two Roman Culture 24
Ⅰ．FROM THE REPUBLIC TO THE EMPIRE 24
1．Julius Caesar 26
2．The Pax Romana 27
Ⅱ．ROMAN MYTHOLOGY 30
1．Introduction 30
2．Myths of the Founding of Rome 30
3．The Roman Gods 31
4．How the Romans Worship Their Gods 33
Chapter Three Christianity and the Bible 36
Ⅰ．CREED OF CHRISTIANITY 36
1．The Central Doctrines 36
2．Worship 37
3．Main Activities 37
4．The Seven Sacraments 37
5．The Seven Virtues 38
6．The Seven Deadly Sins 38
7．The Seven Gifts from God 38
8．The Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy 39
Ⅱ．INTRODUCTION TO THE BIBLE 40
1．The Old Testament 41
2．The New Testament 47
3．Selected Readings of Spiritual Standards in the New Testament 50
Chapter Four The Middle Ages 54
Ⅰ．THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES 54
1．Byzantium 54
2．Latin Christendom in the Early Middle Ages 56
Ⅱ．THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES 65
1．Changes in Agriculture 66
2．The Rise of Towns and Cities 66
3．Schools and Universities 67
4．The Growth of Papal Power 69
5．The Rise of States 72
6．Christians and Jews 77
7．Architecture and other Arts 78
Ⅲ．THE LATE MIDDLE AGES 80
1．Starvation and the Black Death 80
2．The Hundred Years'War 82
3．The Decline of the Papacy 83
4．Origin of the Renaissance 85
Ⅳ．THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MIDDLE AGES 85
Chapter Five Renaissance 91
Ⅰ．TRANSITION TO THE MODERN AGE：THE RENAISSANCE 91
1．Italy：Birthplace of the Renaissance 91
2．The Renaissance Outlook 92
3．Humanism 93
4．A Revolution in Political Thought 96
5．Art in the Renaissance 97
Ⅱ．THE SPREAD OF THE RENAISSANCE 99
1．Erasmian Humanism 100
2．French and English Humanism 101
Ⅲ．ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BASIS OF THE RENAISSANCE 102
1．A Changing Economy 102
2．Urban Society 104
3．Rural Society 105
Ⅳ．POLITICS IN THE RENAISSANCE 106
1．Growth of the Italian City-States 107
2．Consolidation of Monarchies in Northern Europe 108
3．New Approaches to Politics 109
Ⅴ．THE CHURCH AND RELIGION IN THE RENAISSANCE 110
1．Decline of the Roman Catholic Church 111
2．Dissent,Reform,and Popular Religion 111
Ⅵ．THE RENAISSANCE AND THE MODERN AGE 112
Chapter Six Protestant Reformation 116
Ⅰ．BACKGROUND TO THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION 116
1．The Medieval Church in Crisis 116
2．The Lutheran Revolt 118
Ⅱ．THE SPREAD OF THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION 122
1．Calvinism 122
2．France 123
3．England 124
Ⅲ．THE CATHOLIC RESPONSE 125
Ⅳ．THE REFORMATION AND MODERN AGE 127
Chapter Seven The Modern West：Progress and Breakthrough 133
Ⅰ．THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT 133
Ⅱ．FRENCH REVOLUTION：AFFIRMATION OF LIBERTY AND EQUALITY 136
1．French Revolution（1） 136
2．French Revolution（2） 142
3．French Revolution（3） 151
Ⅲ．THOUGHT AND CULTURE 157
1．Romanticism in Literature 157
2．Romanticism in Art 163
3．Realism 167
4．Naturalism 169
Bibliography 172
Appendix西方与中国大事对照表（Vis-à-vis China） 173