<論説>ギリシア的世界史像 : その形成とラテン語世界への伝達

Abstract

ヨーロッパ人の伝統的な世界史像においては、歴史の中心が東から西へと移行するが、この歴史像はギリシアに成立した特殊な性格の歴史学に由来する。ギリシアの歴史学は、自国のことよりも、むしろ外部の民族のことの記述から始まつたという独特の性格をもつ。そこには、地理的意味での世界全体への関心と、自民族を脅かす強大な外部勢力への敏感なる関心とがあつたが、この二つの性格をギリシアの歴史学は常にもち続けた。かくて、ペルシア戦争前後にペルシア史、次いでギリシア史が書かれ、またマケドニア、次いでローマが興隆すると、直ちにそれら新興国の歴史が書かれた。前一世紀に、これまでの成果が綜合されて、オリエントからローマに至るまでの歴史像が成立した。その特に明確な形のものがローマ人、とくにキリスト教徒に受容されて、後のヨーロッパに伝えられたので、かの伝統的な世界史像が成立したのである。

In European image of world-history, history develops from Oriental Empires to Greece and Rome, and then to medieval and modern Europe. Outside of Europe we cannot find such image of history. For example, in the Far East the Japanese historians before the acception of European historical science did not connect the history of Japan with that of China, inspite of the fact that Japanese history had begun under the cultural influence of China. In this paper the writer tries to explain, why in Europe such image of history has been formed. The image derives is origin from the ancient Greek historians. In Greece, history as a science begins not with the narration of Greek history, but with the description of foreign countries. From this origin onward, Greek historical science has as a rule a keen interest in world-geography and foreign powers. When Persian, Macedonian and Roman powers in turn threatened Greek independence, some contemporary historians chose these powers as their main themes. In the first century B. C., when Greek independence was utterly lost, some Greek historians compiled world-histories, relying on the main historians up to their times, and a Roman historian named Pompeius Trogus also wrote a world-history in Latin, copying one or a few Greek models. In these works, especially in the last, European image of world-history reaching Roman Empire is clearly seen. The Latin Fathers and the medieval Christians regarded the Epitome of Trogus' work by Justinus as the most authoritative book of secular history. Thus Greek image of world-history has been naturally accepted by medieval and modern European historians.