The Classical and Christian Culture

IntroductionThe classical culture is what existed in ancient times especially among the Greeks and Romans as early as the 1st century BC. The classical period was marked by massive change-especially in the 18th century- in educational and political systems, language, science, art and philosophy, the change according to Ayres is greatly attributed to discourse, liberty and civic virtue (Ayres 1997:1). On the other hand, the Christian culture has been in place long before the introduction of Christianity as a religion. As stated in the book Christian Culture, “culture refers to a people's way of life, beliefs, observances, norms and taboos” (Ezeh 1997:25); this may imply that one does not necessarily need to be a Christian in order to have the Christian culture, but may be a strict follower of some of the Christian virtues, entertainment and values. Ezeh further points out that the forefathers believed in some form of gods (Ezeh 1997:29-31) and, therefore, whoever believes in living according to God's intention be it in behavioral patterns, taboos, general perceptions about life, has the Christian culture. To have a deeper insight on the relationships between the classical and Christian cultures, this paper will focus on the “Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri, laying more emphasis on the “Inferno”. 

Discussion

The classical and Christian cultures often intermarry at various key points such as in law and education. For instance if one has to be a good Christian or has to qualify as one with Christian culture, then they have to follow the laws of the land to the latter and obey those in authority; this is also echoed by the bible and other Christian guidelines. Many parents with classical beliefs and culture happen to take their children to Christian schools and colleges because they believe their children will receive an all ...