The Fault is in Our Stars, That We are Underlings
http://www.livius.org/te-tg/teutoburg/teutoburg01.htm
This battle, arguably, marked the extent of Roman imperium and the beginning of her decline into a decadent Empire defended by limes (garrison forts), instead of creative expansion. Many contemporary theologians/historians in Reconstruction have tried to argue that America (2006)=Rome (70AD). Empire, empire, empire...their arguments sound very similar to those made by the liberals who hate Bush, with the caveat that they believe that Christian persecution, bread and circuses, are right around the corner.
Ortega y Gasset has pointed out that Rome, following the assassination of Caesar, failed in its object, which was to turn her exoskeleton on the frontier into the heart of the Empire, with Gaul and Britain and Egypt as her new "heartland". What followed was this disaster, and the inevitable decline of military fortunes. America is in an entirely different situation, with, as a friend of mine said, two friendly neighbors to the north and south and two big ole honkin' oceans to the east and west. Rome was a victim of geography and Varus' stupidity. Her Empire was built around the rim of the inland Mediterranean Sea, which was why Caesar had to rid the sea of pirates. The Roman emperor used to wake up with nightmares during thunderstorms crying out - "Varus! Give me back my legions!". In an ironic twist, provinces that could have seceded and made it on their own during the fall of Rome were stripped of legions and leaders as people like Aurelius took the British legions and went to Rome, leaving Britain to fall before the Saxons.
It was a terrible tragedy that, because Germania was never "Romanized", cities like Cologne on the Rhine could not become the rule of Germany, and Northern Europe was cut off from the civilizing influence that would have restrained later German war adventures, which lead to the World Wars. Instead, Berlin and Prussia were the measure, and Bavaria was still pagan in the time of Charlemagne.
God had his hand in both events, which destroyed Rome and prevented Germany from rising to its rightful place as leader of Northern Europe and Christendom, rather than the Atlantic Empire.
A butterfly flaps its wings in Asia, and God works His will among the nations. Thus says chaos theory. How much more so such battles as Teutoburger Wold.
http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/comment/PanGer/PanGerTC.htm
http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/1914m/buloweng.html
http://h-net.org/~german/gtext/kaiserreich/bernhardi.html
The preceding sites give some idea of how prepared Germany was to fight the wars, how much she desired to assert her imperium, and how close she really came to having the mindset necessary to pull it off. Talk about not playing well with others...
It was one of history's great ironies that British Protestants should foolishly back Prussia during Germany's re-unification as "progressive, socialistic, and Protestant", over backwards Austria. God's judgement spares no one when their foolishness abounds beyond all reason. Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first of all deprive of all reason...
This battle, arguably, marked the extent of Roman imperium and the beginning of her decline into a decadent Empire defended by limes (garrison forts), instead of creative expansion. Many contemporary theologians/historians in Reconstruction have tried to argue that America (2006)=Rome (70AD). Empire, empire, empire...their arguments sound very similar to those made by the liberals who hate Bush, with the caveat that they believe that Christian persecution, bread and circuses, are right around the corner.
Ortega y Gasset has pointed out that Rome, following the assassination of Caesar, failed in its object, which was to turn her exoskeleton on the frontier into the heart of the Empire, with Gaul and Britain and Egypt as her new "heartland". What followed was this disaster, and the inevitable decline of military fortunes. America is in an entirely different situation, with, as a friend of mine said, two friendly neighbors to the north and south and two big ole honkin' oceans to the east and west. Rome was a victim of geography and Varus' stupidity. Her Empire was built around the rim of the inland Mediterranean Sea, which was why Caesar had to rid the sea of pirates. The Roman emperor used to wake up with nightmares during thunderstorms crying out - "Varus! Give me back my legions!". In an ironic twist, provinces that could have seceded and made it on their own during the fall of Rome were stripped of legions and leaders as people like Aurelius took the British legions and went to Rome, leaving Britain to fall before the Saxons.
It was a terrible tragedy that, because Germania was never "Romanized", cities like Cologne on the Rhine could not become the rule of Germany, and Northern Europe was cut off from the civilizing influence that would have restrained later German war adventures, which lead to the World Wars. Instead, Berlin and Prussia were the measure, and Bavaria was still pagan in the time of Charlemagne.
God had his hand in both events, which destroyed Rome and prevented Germany from rising to its rightful place as leader of Northern Europe and Christendom, rather than the Atlantic Empire.
A butterfly flaps its wings in Asia, and God works His will among the nations. Thus says chaos theory. How much more so such battles as Teutoburger Wold.
http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/comment/PanGer/PanGerTC.htm
http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/1914m/buloweng.html
http://h-net.org/~german/gtext/kaiserreich/bernhardi.html
The preceding sites give some idea of how prepared Germany was to fight the wars, how much she desired to assert her imperium, and how close she really came to having the mindset necessary to pull it off. Talk about not playing well with others...
It was one of history's great ironies that British Protestants should foolishly back Prussia during Germany's re-unification as "progressive, socialistic, and Protestant", over backwards Austria. God's judgement spares no one when their foolishness abounds beyond all reason. Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first of all deprive of all reason...
posted by Matthew C Smallwood | 4:23 PM
1 Comments:
Well said,
I would add that the American empire (such as it is) is driven as much by a "white man's burden" impulse as much as by a desire to protect our interests and stabilize the world. Of course, this is to our benefit, but America simply does not get enough credit for being benevolent. We don't expand our territories, we don't oppress or enslave people, we don't strip lands of resources. We basically topple regimes that are opposed to us (and also happen to be evil), set up free elections, and put a stable govt in place that will support our interests - all the while shipping massive amounts of food and medicine to needy people. Peace. Mahaffey
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