Bertrand Russell Quotes
The period of great empires acquired by conquest begins with the wars of Cyrus and continues through the conquests of Alexander and of Rome, through a period of about a thousand years. Throughout this time, it might have seemed that conquering armies were irresistible and that there was no limit to the extent of territory that a great military leader could bring under his sway. The impact of the Persians in other than military and governmental matters was not very profound, but first the Greeks and then the Romans spread their culture throughout the lands that they acquired, and were accepted with full loyalty by all except the Jews. ... The division of East and West, which soon afterwards became a disruptive force, had not yet developed to a dangerous point, chiefly because of the Roman admiration for the Greeks, which caused even a Roman Emperor to prefer the Greek language in his books. Source: Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, 1954, part II: The Conflict of Passions, chapter 5: Cohesion and Rivalry, n.3 More info.： https://russell-j.com/cool/47T-2_0503.htm

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Russell's statement, "the Greeks and then the Romans spread their culture throughout the lands that they acquired, and were accepted with full loyalty by all except the Jews." is striking, particularly in its mention of "except the Jews." This highlights the distinctiveness of the Jewish people from other nations, and it seems to resonate with modern Israel, where Judaism, as a monotheistic faith, is fervently observed. Meanwhile, some may wonder whether "The division of East and West" refers to the cultural and political differences within the Roman Empire or to its formal division into the Western and Eastern Roman Empires in 395 AD. In my discussion with ChatGPT, it concurred with my view that, considering Russell's remark that "it had not yet developed to a dangerous point", it is more reasonable to interpret this phrase as referring to the cultural and political distinctions preceding the actual division, rather than to the formal partition itself. Additionally, the phrase "even a Roman Emperor preferred to use the Greek language in his books" likely refers to Marcus Aurelius, who wrote Meditations in Greek.
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