History, End of

Historical Process

There is a basic difference between the way ancient and modern historians view the idea of progress. In early antiquity, history was generally seen as a decline, as the never-ending distancing from the golden ages of mythic times. So, in that sense, the historical process is firmly in divine hands, if it is of any significance at all: History is initiated by the gods and is therefore principally beyond human influence.

According to ancient thought, time flows constantly, without being directed, in the stream of eternal sameness. Certainly, during the course of antiquity, a cyclical picture of history is developed that has been documented in the cyclical theories dealing with transitional political policies. But change occurs essentially along the known paths of human existence. Compared with the anthropological constants that characterize humankind, social and cultural factors are of no particular significance. This even applies to a thinker like Heraclitus (c. 535–475 BCE), whose philosophy centers around the cosmic idea of becoming and passing away. But this thought has nothing to do with progress; change will not necessarily produce any improvements, so it is nothing to place your hopes on. That is also a reason why there are no relevant drafts of the future from that period of time. History is fundamentally the rendition of stories that illustrate human existenceas exemplified by Thucydides (460-c. 396 BCE) in his study on the Peloponnesian War.

Not until Judaism appears on the scene does a new awareness of time evolve: The belief in a future Messiah becomes a historic expectation that defines life itself. The anticipation of a redeemer gives an extraordinary meaning to the future and a structure to the historical process that has a redeemer as its goal. Consequently it is possible to imagine an end of history, even though this development is not historically manmade. Christianity's development is similar: Although world history is divided into a time before and a time after the birth of Christ, historical appreciation remains focused on the Second Coming.

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