Jerusalem & the Axis Mundi | Foundations of the West Episode I with Ben Shapiro
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Last year, Daily Wire Plus and I released a fantastic series on the origins of Western culture entitled Foundations of the West. The series had a tremendously positive impact. Because of this, the Daily Wire and I have decided to share the first episode with you free of charge. You're about to watch episode one. In it, Ben Shapiro and I discuss the lasting impact Jerusalem has made on Western culture, bridging the gap between man and God. The rest of the five-part docuseries is available exclusively on Daily Wire+. There you'll find all episodes, as well as additional bonus content. I traveled alongside my esteemed colleagues... through the ancient cities of Jerusalem, Athens, and Rome, cities that have shaped Western culture. I invite you to watch them. My hope is that when you do so, you learn something deep and profound as I did about our Western ideals. It was a very worthwhile journey. On to a celebratory note.
I'm pleased to announce that episode three of this series, Christ, Center of the World, with my good friend Jonathan Paggio, has been nominated for Best Documentary at the 32nd Annual Movie Guide Faith and Values Awards Gala. I'm told that the nominating committee pays special attention to content that inspires and gives hope to our society at large. That's exactly what we aim to do with this series, and to be recognized for that is a great honor, for which I and the entire Daily Wire team are truly thankful. You can watch the entire series on dailywire.com slash Foundations of the West. Give it a go. It might propel you to greater adventure. Thank you for your time, attention, and your continued support of my work and of Daily Wire Plus.
Western civilization rests on three mighty pillars, Jerusalem, Athens, and Rome. Jerusalem offered a morality based in the spiritual world. Athens concentrated more particularly on the logos revealed in the material domain. Rome offered the advantages and perils of power, empire, and reach. I'm joined on the first part of my journey by the redoubtable Ben Shapiro. We discuss the origins of the conflict between, and eventual integration of, the spiritual with the scientific and material. The history of Western civilization begins in Jerusalem. Hmm. That's the cemetery there, eh?
This is Mount of Olives.
That's the Mount of Olives. Oh, wow, this is amazing.
Yeah.
We're in Jerusalem because the Jews converged on the idea that the central reality of the world was something like an animating spirit. Where's the Garden of Gethsemane?
That's here. Where the church is. Yeah, this whole area is the Gardens of Gethsemane. Jerusalem is the birthplace of Western civilization. It's the first place where people seriously start to think in a communal way about the idea that there is a set of godly values that rest above human authority.
There's probably no difference between the emergence of monotheism and the spread of civilization. You know, because people might say, well, why is it so necessary that there is a God? The answer to that is because there has to be a central animating spirit. And then you might ask is, well, why does there have to be one God? And the answer is because you don't have unity without worshiping the same God. You have to be doing the same thing. You have to be possessed by the same spirit. The eternal Jewish question is, what is the proper nature of that central animating spirit? And the Bible is actually an answer to that question.
In order to truly understand the modern-day conflict in the Middle East, this is a great view, because what you see is that everything is right on top of each other. And so when you look across the landscape, you can see the Temple Mount up and to the left, and then you move toward the Mount of Olives, and you're looking at Jewish graves going back centuries, and then you move a little bit to your right and you're going to see an Arab village that used to be a Jewish village. They have very small pockets of places where Jews are living protected by barbed wire. Everything is right on top of each other. And so whenever people suggest, well, you know, just a quick population separation and you're done. It's not quite that simple.
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