A Rough CIue of Western CuⅠture（1／3 the Ancient Greek Culture to the Renaissance）
—Learning Western Culture Bit by Bit
Though Western civilization has a history as long as Eastern civilization, and has lasted almost 5, 000 years since the origin of Cretan society, her rapid growth, high prosperity and world influence did not come until the Renaissance. It is first due to the Renaissance and then to the Enlightenment that the Europeans were liberated from the feudalistic autocracy and the theological yoke before the bourgeoisie took over state power and the culmination in her historical development began. Western civilization was thus able to take on a new look and opened a new page in her historical process towards modernity by stepping up her efforts at an unprecedented pace.
虽然西方文明的历史与东方文明一样悠久，并且自克里特社会起源以来已经持续了近5000年，但她的快速发展、高度繁荣和世界影响力直到文艺复兴时期才到来。首先是由于文艺复兴，然后是启蒙运动，在资产阶级接管国家政权之前，欧洲人从封建专制和神学枷锁中解放出来，并开始了其历史发展的高潮。因此，西方文明以前所未有的速度迈开了自己的步伐，以崭新的面貌开启了现代性历史进程的新篇章。
It is generally acknowledged that Western culture originated in Greek,Roman and perhaps Celtic culture, which is know as classicism, in addition to the influences from some other ancient civilizations like those of Egypt and Mesopotamia. Many aspects of Western culture, such as educational systems, public institutions, ways of counselling and making decisions ,spiritual pursuits and concerns for science and culture, are attributed to the influence of the classical period. In addition, Westerners' rational way of thinking, practical spirit, respect for human values and inclination to research nature are obviously the results of classicist heritage.
人们普遍认为，西方文化起源于被称为古典主义的希腊、罗马，也许还有凯尔特文化，此外还受到埃及和美索不达米亚等其他古代文明的影响。西方文化的许多方面，如教育制度、公共机构、咨询和决策方式、精神追求以及对科学和文化的关注，都归因于古典时期的影响。此外，西方人理性的思维方式、务实的精神、对人的价值的尊重和研究自然的倾向，显然是古典主义传承的结果。
Apart from the influences from classicist origins, Western culture has also benefited a lot from Jewish culture. Jewish culture took root in the Middle East where the Jewish people were born and where they created in antiquity their brilliant, religious civilization. Jewish culture is famous for its originality and persistency in religious faith as well as the Jewish People's ability to endure bitter and tortuous experiences in national migration and overseas Diaspora. Historical sufferings and disasters not only enriched its cultural heritage, but also contributed to the birth of Christianity, which was founded out of the Jewish anti-Roman struggle.
除了受到古典主义渊源的影响外，西方文化也从犹太文化中受益匪浅。犹太文化植根于中东，犹太民族在那里出生，他们在那里创造了辉煌的宗教文明。犹太文化以其宗教信仰的独创性和坚韧性以及犹太人民在民族迁徙和海外侨居中忍受痛苦和曲折经历的能力而闻名。历史上的苦难和灾难不仅丰富了它的文化遗产，而且促成了基督教的诞生，基督教是在犹太人反罗马斗争中创立的。
With its increasing dissemination and wide popularity among the general populace and officials, Christianity gradually expanded into a major religion in the West. It became a dominant ideological power exerting widespread influences both in religious and secular domains. Western culture, with the admission of Christianity to its ranks alongside classicism and Jewish culture, became integrated and established，and has ever since played a tremendous role in the ways of thinking and modes of behaviour among the Westerners. Nevertheless, with the passage of time and the entrenchment of its hierarchical system, Christianity's leading body was inclined to be more conservative and corrupted, giving rise to increasing levels of complaint and opposition. Hence, the Religious Reformation was inevitable and led to the schism within Christianity. Catholicism, Protestantism and the Eastern Orthodoxy, which had been separated even earlier, worked independently of each other in the name of Jesus Christ. However, the religious mission and undertaking never seemed weakened during the long years of the Middle Ages when after the fall of the powerful and civilized Roman Empire, Christianity joined in the feudal autocracy of different kingdoms, dynasties and aristocrats.
随着基督教在普通民众和官员中的日益传播和广泛普及，基督教逐渐发展成为西方的一种主要宗教。它成为一种占主导地位的意识形态力量，在宗教和世俗领域都产生了广泛的影响。随着基督教与古典主义和犹太文化并驾齐驱，西方文化得以整合和确立，并在西方人的思维方式和行为方式中发挥了巨大作用。然而，随着时间的推移和等级制度的巩固，基督教的领导机构倾向于更加保守和腐败，引起了越来越多的不满和反对。因此，宗教改革是不可避免的，并导致了基督教内部的分裂。天主教、新教和东正教在更早的时候就已经分道扬镳，它们以耶稣基督的名义彼此独立运作。然而，在强大而文明的罗马帝国灭亡后的漫长的中世纪，基督教渗透到不同王国、王朝和贵族的封建专制制度中，其宗教使命和事业似乎从未减弱。
The Medieval period is one of the darkest ages in Western civilization in the sense that the majority of the Western population could not and did not enjoy significant intellectual, political and economic freedom.With the Germanic intrusion and Roman decline , Western culture suffered from a period of arrested growth while barbarous Germanic tribes were intent upon destruction and spoil at the beginning of their conquest. After the nightmarish life of a thousand years or so, Westerners eventually woked up and opened the door to a new era —the Renaissance.
中世纪是西方文明中最黑暗的时代之一，因为大多数西方人口不能也没有享有重大的知识、政治和经济自由。随着日耳曼人的入侵和罗马的衰落，西方文化经历了一段发展停滞的时期，而野蛮的日耳曼部落在征服之初就有意破坏和掠夺。在经历了大约一千年的噩梦般的生活之后，西方人终于醒悟过来，打开了通往一个新时代（文艺复兴）的大门。
The Renaissance, strictly speaking, is not a movement but a continuation of a certain transitional period from the Middle Ages to the modern era. To be more accurate, the term Renaissance refers vaguely to the later period of the feudal society, which was a mid-way phase for the transit of human ideas from the old to the new. In spite of the emergence of some new ideas different from those of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance was still limited in its own ideological mode and cannot be said to have fulfilled its historical mission in opposition to theology and autocracy. Such a historical mission had to be passed over to and taken up by the Enlightenment in the eighteenth century.
严格地说，文艺复兴不是一场运动，而是从中世纪到现代某一过渡时期的延续。更准确地说，文艺复兴一词模糊地指的是封建社会的后期，这是人类思想从旧向新过渡的中间阶段。尽管出现了一些不同于中世纪的新思想，但文艺复兴仍然局限于其自身的意识形态模式，不能说完成了反对神学和专制的历史使命。这一历史使命必须交给18世纪的启蒙运动，并由启蒙运动承担。
声明：文中的英文取材于戴炜栋主编、叶胜年著、上海外语教育出版社出版的《西方文化导论》，部分内容有删减。著作权属于原作者，本资料室借用相关英文材料，旨在促进西方文化的宣传和普及。如有侵权，联系删除。
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