The Trial and Execution of Socrates II

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Lead: In 399 BC, Socrates, Greek teacher and philosopher, suspected of complicity in Athens’ defeat in the Peloponnesian War, was condemned to death by a jury of his peers.

Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: In the modern era, Socrates is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the development of thought and philosophy in the west. In the aftermath of the Peloponnesian War, in 399 BC, Socrates was viewed by some as an enemy of Athenian democracy. Socrates often criticized city officials for their lack of moral and intellectual leadership. In the aftermath of Athens’ defeat, charges were brought against the seventy year old teacher, charges of impiety (religious heresies) and corruption of the morals of the young men of Athens (unpatriotic agitation).

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The Trial and Execution of Socrates I

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Lead: In 399 BC the Greek philosopher and social critic, Socrates, was tried for religious heresies and corrupting the morals of the young. His conviction led to his suicide.

Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: Socrates, left no writings of his own. His life and philosophy are known to us through the writings of Plato, his most famous pupil and follower, and through the Greek historian Xenophon. His ideas became the foundation for an secular ethical philosophy based on knowledge and self-examination. Through knowledge, Socrates maintained, one could learn justice, truth and love, and in their application lead a moral life. Socrates’ method of teaching his philosophy is now known as the “Socratic method”- a dialogue between teacher and student that promotes self-examination. The teacher begins with a question such as “What is courage?” The student responds and thus begins a series of interrogatives, question answer, further question, answer, and so on.

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Battle of Marathon II

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Lead: The victory of the Greek forces at the Battle of Marathon helped set the course of western development.

Intro.: "A Moment In Time" with Dan Roberts.

Content: The ever-expanding Persian empire under Cyrus the Great, Darius and Xerxes came to a halt as it collided with the Greek city-states and their colonies on the Aegean Sea. A powerful invasion force landed at the Bay of Marathon, twenty miles northeast of Athens, in the fall of 490 BC. As was often the case, the democratic Athenians were busy arguing who would command their army even as the Persians were at the gates. Finally, one of the generals, Miltiades, persuaded Callimachus, a civil official, to break the impasse and vote to attack the Persians first. Apparently there was evidence that some Athenians were sympathetic with the invaders and if the City waited too long the seeds of betrayal would undermine its resistance.

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Battle of Marathon I

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Lead: On the plain at Marathon, Greek armies met a much larger Persian invasion force. For a time, the outcome was in doubt.

Intro.: "A Moment In Time" with Dan Roberts.

Content: In 500 BCE the Persian Empire stretched from India to the shores of the Black Sea. From their capital at Persepolis, Cyrus the Great and his successors, Darius and Xerxes, extended the borders and generally benevolent rule of Persia to most of the civilized world. As they moved west the Persians began to encounter those regions colonized by the major city-states of Greece.

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Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights II

PermalinkToday's AMIT,

Lead: Each year in December, Jewish families around the world celebrate their heritage and deliverance from persecution during Hanukkah - the Festival of Lights.

Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: Taking advantage of a split in Jewish society between Hasidean traditionalists and pro-Greek reformers, in 168 BC Seleucid emperor Antiochus Epiphanes invaded Jerusalem. He garrisoned the City with Syrian troops, and set up a statue of the Greek god Zeus in the Temple, thus desecrating the holiest place in the world of Judaism.

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Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights I

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Lead: Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, is a celebration of deliverance from oppression. It grew out of a dispute with the community on how Jews relate to the non-Jewish world.

Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: Alexander the Great died in 323 BC at the age of 32. In just a few years he had led the armies of Macedonia and Greece in creating one of history’s largest empires. From Europe to the valleys of India, Greek culture, law, and religion were firmly established. Alexander had no successor and his generals almost immediately fell out. Eventually the empire was divided with the largest section going to Seleucus (se leu kes). At various times, he and 25 successors ruled over lands stretching from present day Turkey south to Palestine east to India.

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Coptic Christianity II

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Lead: It was not easy, but in the years following the birth of Islam, Coptic Christianity was able to coexist in Egypt alongside its rival religion near the heart of Islamic culture.

Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: In the seventh century CE, not too many years after the hijira of Mohammed, Arabs invaded Egypt. For several centuries, Coptic Christians lived under various Muslim regimes, sometimes protected, sometimes persecuted, sometimes under onerous conditions, but able to survive and conduct worship. There were taxes and restrictions and the inevitable pressure to convert to Islam, but Muslim scholars respected Coptic erudition and permitted a certain flowering and preservation of this brand of Christianity.

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Coptic Christianity I

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Lead: The establishment of Christianity in Egypt was early and reflected the richness of the Alexandrian Jewish community from which it probably emerged. It has continued ever since.

Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: Coptic Christianity, the name from a European corruption of the Arabic “kibt,” itself derived from the Greek, “aiguptioi” or Egyptians, was probably in place by the end of the first century. It is said that the evangelist Mark brought the Gospel to Alexandria and preached to the large, educated Jewish community there, found a significant response, and was martyred for his efforts. There was a Catechetical School in Alexandria by 200 C.E. and in the following century, the Coptic Church was established.

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