Back to: Ezekiel 37 Institute - Season 1
Season 1
Lesson 4: Hellenism
Dashboard
Western culture is deeply shaped by Hellenism, the Greek philosophical and cultural system that spread through the ancient world after Alexander the Great. Greek thought emphasized human beauty, material pleasure, intellectual wisdom, and the rejection of divine revelation, especially the biblical worldview. Hellenism influenced Jewish society historically and still shapes contemporary institutions such as education, secular universities, and cultural values. Secularism diminishes the authority of God, weakens traditional ethical structures and promotes relativism and empiricism. Modern trends such as evolution, materialism, and the denial of spiritual truth reflect a continuation of ancient Greek patterns of thought.
Postmodernism, the belief that truth is subjective and that everyone has their own narrative, undermines absolute truth, particularly biblical truth. Postmodernism influences contemporary political and cultural debates and competing historical and religious narratives. Postmodern relativism is out of sync with the biblical claim that truth is objective and revealed by God, especially through scripture and the message of the Messiah. Postmodern ideologies are extensions of Hellenism and abandon belief in a Creator and divine revelation, leading to moral confusion, loss of meaning, and societal decline. Spiritual truth and purpose are found through adherence to God and the Bible.
