In this special Thanksgiving bonus episode, I read an excerpt from Norman Cantor’s Inventing the Middle Ages, which is a history of 20th century medieval scholarship. In this book he describes the ways in which the social and cultural contexts of 20th century medievalists were projected back into the Middle Ages, shaping our historical understanding of that period. The two most influential American medievalists were Charles Haskins and Joseph Strayer, both of whom were dedicated Wilsonians and whose scholarship on medieval government suspiciously conformed to Woodrow Wilson’s theory of government. Haskins was one of three academics who accompanied Wilson during his post-WWI tour of Europe and was in part responsible for creating the dysfunction that led to WWII and the Cold War. Strayer found himself working for the CIA during the 1950s. This is a really challenging and interesting read that makes us think about both how we interpret history and how contemporary intellectual trends influence the way we understand reality.
Media Referenced:
Inventing the Middle Ages, Norman Cantor
The Quest for the Historical Jesus, Albert Schweitzer
Powers and Thrones, Dan Jones
Henry Cadbury and Modernizing Jesus Episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/henry-cadbury-anti-war-biblical-scholar-warned-against-modernizing-jesus/
The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.
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