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Ancient Greece had tremendous achievements in the fields of science, philosophy and art.  The concept of truth began to acquire meaning in ancient Greece, as did the concepts of freedom and knowledge.  The idea of moderation illustrated by the "Golden Mean": the whole is to the larger part as the larger part is to the smaller part, or in mathematical terms (a+b)/a = a/b. The design of ancient Greek buildings like the Parthenon<ref>A full-sized replica of the Parthenon sits in Nashville, Tennessee.</ref> (built in 438 B.C. to honor the goddess Athena) used the Golden Mean in its dimensions.  The Golden Mean also occurs in many living creatures and has fascinated mathematicians ever since; for those interested in math, the Fibonacci sequence is a manifestation of the golden mean.

Ancient Greece had tremendous achievements in the fields of science, philosophy and art.  The concept of truth began to acquire meaning in ancient Greece, as did the concepts of freedom and knowledge.  The idea of moderation illustrated by the "Golden Mean": the whole is to the larger part as the larger part is to the smaller part, or in mathematical terms (a+b)/a = a/b. The design of ancient Greek buildings like the Parthenon<ref>A full-sized replica of the Parthenon sits in Nashville, Tennessee.</ref> (built in 438 B.C. to honor the goddess Athena) used the Golden Mean in its dimensions.  The Golden Mean also occurs in many living creatures and has fascinated mathematicians ever since; for those interested in math, the Fibonacci sequence is a manifestation of the golden mean.

The Greek and Hebrew approaches to knowledge were very different.  The Greeks emphasized spatial relationships, benefiting from the discovery of geometry by the Greek Euclid.  The Hebrews rarely discuss spatial aspects of history in the Old Testament, and instead focus on their relationship with Yahweh that has no spatial elements.  Note that the Hebrews were inspired by one God, while the Hellenistic Greeks worshiped many gods and permitted many religions including Cynicism, Epicureanism and Stoicism.

The Greek and Hebrew approaches to knowledge were very different.  The Greeks emphasized spatial relationships, benefiting from the discovery of geometry by the Greek Euclid.  The Hebrews rarely discussed spatial aspects of history in the Old Testament, and instead focused on their relationship with Yahweh, which has no spatial elements.  Note that the Hebrews were inspired by one God, while the Hellenistic Greeks worshiped many gods and permitted many religions including Cynicism, Epicureanism and Stoicism.

Many credit the Greeks for "humanism", by which historians mean the Greek emphasis on reason, ethics and rational thinking rather than religion.  But the Greeks did not choose to reject religion the way that modern humanists do.  Instead, the Greeks advanced knowledge as best they could before the advent of Christianity.

Many credit the Greeks for "humanism", by which historians mean the Greek emphasis on reason, ethics and rational thinking rather than religion.  But the Greeks did not choose to reject religion the way that modern humanists do.  Instead, the Greeks advanced knowledge as best they could before the advent of Christianity.