UNIVERSAL HISTORY

An ancient concept wherein different peoples shared a common history, where all is integrated into a single, overarching narrative.

Remnant Network · 5 min read

*Taken from Jonathan Pageau and Richard Rohlin from The Symbolic World.

What is Universal History?

Universal History represents an ancient concept wherein different peoples shared a common history, viewing it from their unique perspectives, all integrated into a single, overarching narrative.

This idea was particularly prominent in the Middle Ages, where everyone was considered part of this massive story.

Understanding its importance and meaning can help to ground people in a common narrative and potentially offer solutions to modern disenchantment by consciously structuring our reality. The Middle Ages, in particular, act as a kind of mythological substructure for the modern world, influencing our stories, fairy tales, and even the monsters we perceive. This is why a large majority of fantasy literature is set in a medieval setting; it's the period people look back to for meaning. The medieval period saw a significant synthesis where everything seemed to come together and fit.

This approach to history suggests that it is not arbitrary, with disparate traditions popping up in isolation, but rather that there is a common human experience, whether connected historically or by nature, that leads to similar stories and perceptions of underlying principles in the world.

The Integration of Traditions

A key moment in the development of Universal History involves the joining of the Hellenistic tradition (Greek and Roman) and Jewish or Hebrew history.

An early instance of this integration is found in the Book of Daniel, which contains prophecies concerning figures like Alexander the Great. A legend recounts Alexander sparing Jerusalem after the High Priest read him the prophecy concerning the rise of the Macedonian Empire from Daniel. Historically, Alexander sought to join the pantheon of each city he visited, aiming to be adopted as a son of its ruling principle.

This historical pattern can be seen in the Jerusalem legend, representing a joining between the Hellenic world, which was deeply religious, and the Hebrew narrative. Alexander's rise was not secular; he identified himself as a divine figure. Even in the Middle Ages, Alexander was viewed as a pre-Christian embodiment of virtues, representing the peak of human development without Christianity.

Some traditions suggest Alexander even recognised the God of Israel and declared the unity of God, impressed by the priests and their worship. This tradition explains Alexander's presence in the Quran, acting as a predecessor to Christianity where pagans recognize the God of the Hebrews as the one God.

The Sibylline Oracles offer another related text tradition that combines elements perceived by scholars as pagan, Christian, and Jewish. A Sibyl is a female oracle or prophet given divine access to know the future and see patterns. While scholars often dissect the Oracles by perceived origin, reading the whole text reveals a deep cohesion. The Oracles demonstrate how prophecies deal with patterns that manifest repeatedly, even if specific details change, reflecting a fractal structure in reality. Interestingly, one tradition identifies the first Sibyl as Noah's daughter-in-law. These texts, seen as a collection of prophecies from different Sibyls across time, suggest that the compilers believed the Hellenistic and Jewish worlds could communicate and coexist.

This process of integrating different traditions, sometimes labelled syncretic, is viewed not as inherently problematic unless it contradicts truth, but rather as a means by which elements from ancient myths and stories, which contain "nuggets" of understanding that point towards truths ultimately revealed in Christianity, can be valued and integrated. For example, reading different flood narratives like the one in Gilgamesh can illuminate aspects of the story found in other texts due to a common basis in either history or human nature.

History, Apocalypse, and Pattern

Universal History is closely linked with the concept of Apocalypse. Ancient peoples understood that history is necessary to understand apocalypse, and vice versa. History recounts how patterns manifested in the past, showing where people come from and how they fit into the larger story. Apocalypse, conversely, looks forward, dealing with the same patterns as they manifest in the future. This connection is illustrated by volumes that combine historical chronicles, such as the Alexandrian World Chronicle, with apocalyptic texts like the Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius.

The impulse to find one's people or nation within the story, especially in apocalyptic narratives, is a natural human desire to locate one's place in the unfolding pattern. However, Universal History, unlike more recent narratives that replace it, offers a framework that is not parochial but aims for universality, integrating diverse peoples into one story.

Tracing Origins: Noah and Troy

A significant element of Universal History is the attempt to trace all peoples back to Noah.

This was often done by mapping contemporary nations onto the 70 nations listed in the Table of Nations in Genesis, believed to descend from Noah's three sons after the Tower of Babel.

This mapping was often remarkably accurate from a philological standpoint, associating Noah's sons with major ancient linguistic groups, such as Japheth withIndo-European languages.

Beyond geography or language, origins were sometimes traced based on perceived characteristics of a people, as with the Hungarians identifying with Nimrod, linked to hunting, nomadism, and potentially giant/ogre-like characteristics. The Scandinavian peoples, for instance, traced their culture hero back to Noah through Japheth or a monstrous fourth son born on the ark, a figure often portrayed as liminal or hybrid.

This impulse to trace lineage back to the beginning is mirrored in Christian scripture, such as Luke's gospel tracing Christ's genealogy back to Adam, signifying Jesus Christ's role as the universal saviour for all humanity.

Troy is another foundational story in the Universal History of medieval civilisation, both East and West.

Many cultures traced their origins back to the Trojan War, often claiming descent from the Trojan exiles, the "losers" of the war, who were nonetheless seen as belonging to an older, more beautiful world. Tracing ancestry back to Troy, particularly through Aeneas's family, connected peoples not only to the ancient Hellenic/Persian world but also to Rome.

Virgil's Aeneid, which tells the origin story of the Roman people through Aeneas, was seen by some in the Middle Ages as having prophetic elements, with pronouncements about figures like Augustus Caesar interpreted as foreshadowing Christ. The desire to integrate Virgil into the Christian story was strong, sometimes leading to the idea that he was a secret Christian or that Christian figures could retroactively save him.

Examples of this Trojan connection include the German and Scandinavian peoples, whose accounts, such as Snorri's Edda, euhemerise their gods (like the Aesir) by explaining them as Trojan kings who migrated north after the defeat of Troy and subsequently took over. This narrative does not necessarily contradict the idea of these figures also representing principalities or being demonic; it operates on different levels simultaneously.

What is Universal History?

The Integration of Traditions

History, Apocalypse, and Pattern

Tracing Origins: Noah and Troy

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