Greeks treated mythology as national while Christians ascribed it to universals

Evidence

Raphael (1981, 95) suggests an mterestmg reason: the Greeks ‘were always conscious of the national character of their mythology, whereas the Christians always ascribed to theirs a value independent of space and time.’ — David Harvey, The Condition of Postmodernity, 265

Categorization

• DEFINE: Contrasts national versus universal framing of mythic imagery.
• XREF: connects to: Nationalism is modern in fact but ancient in claim, universal and particular — Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on…, 35; Colonial universalism disguised European Christian values as transcendent truths — David Theo Goldberg, The Racial State, 49; Christian universalism’s rationalist turn converted non-believers into irrational others (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Nationalism is modern in fact but ancient in claim, universal and particular #expands (0.85) — Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities, 35
• Local gods rapidly disappeared with the rise of universal faiths. #expands (0.80) — Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects, 714
• Colonial universalism disguised European Christian values as transcendent truths #exemplifies (0.78) — David Theo Goldberg, The Racial State, 49
• Christian universalism’s rationalist turn converted non-believers into irrational others #expands (0.75)