=1. The Hebrew and the Greek.=--The general character of the Hebrew
moral development may be brought out by a contrast with that of the
Greeks.[48] While many phases are common, there is yet a difference in
emphasis and focus. There were political and economic forces at work in
Israel, and religious forces in Greece. Nevertheless, the moral life in
one people kept close to the religious, and in the other found
independent channels. Conscientious conduct for the Hebrew centered in
doing the will of God; for the Greek, in finding rational standards of
good. For the Hebrew, righteousness was the typical theme; for the
Greek, the ideal lay rather in measure and harmony. For the Greek,
wisdom or insight was the chief virtue; for the Hebrew, the fear of the
Lord was the beginning of wisdom. The social ideal of the Hebrews was
the kingdom of God; of the Greeks, a political State. If we distinguish
in conscience two aspects, thoughtfulness in discovering what to do and
hearty desire to do the right when found, then the Greeks emphasize the
former, the Hebrews the latter. Intellect plays a larger part with the
Greek; emotion and the voluntary aspect of will with the Hebrew. Feeling
plays its part with the Greeks largely as an æsthetic demand for measure
and harmony; with the Hebrews it is chiefly prominent in motivation,
where it is an element in what is called "the heart," or it functions
in appreciation of acts performed, as the joy or sorrow felt when God
approves or condemns. Both peoples are interesting for our study, not
only as illustrating different kinds of moral development, but also as
contributing largely to the moral consciousness of western peoples
to-day.
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