--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Monotheism at Sinai, primitive…" description: "\"Monotheism at Sinai, primitive Christianity, messianic socialism: these are the three supreme moments in which Western culture is presented with what I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/george-steiner-4683_blackmail_monotheism-at-sinai-primitive-christiani_878492.jpg" --- # Monotheism at Sinai, primitive Christianity, messianic… ![“Monotheism at Sinai, primitive Christianity, messianic socialism: these are the three supreme moments in which Western culture is presented with what Ibsen termed "the claims of the ideal." These are the three stages, profoundly interrelated, through which Western consciousness is forced to…” quote by George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/george-steiner-4683_blackmail_monotheism-at-sinai-primitive-christiani_878492.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/george-steiner-4683_blackmail_monotheism-at-sinai-primitive-christiani_878492.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/george-steiner-4683_blackmail_monotheism-at-sinai-primitive-christiani_878492.jpg) > “Monotheism at Sinai, primitive Christianity, messianic socialism: these are the three supreme moments in which Western culture is presented with what Ibsen termed "the claims of the ideal." These are the three stages, profoundly interrelated, through which Western consciousness is forced to experience the blackmail of transcendence.” [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Steiner identifies three pivotal cultural phases—Monotheism, early Christianity, and messianic socialism—as moments when Western thought confronts the demanding ideal of transcendence. **In simple terms:** Three historic stages force Western consciousness to face lofty ideals. Key Takeaway Recognize how history shapes our ideals. Themes culture philosophy history religion ideology Mood reflective critical Type analytical historical When to use this quote - Academic study - theological debate - political analysis - personal reflection Key Concepts Transcendence idealism civilizational development Questions to Reflect On - How do these stages influence modern values? - What alternatives exist to this narrative? A Different Perspective These stages can be interpreted as Eurocentric narratives that overlook non-Western perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Ideals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideals/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Monotheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monotheism/) [Primitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primitive/) [Sinai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinai/) [Socialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialism/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Transcendence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transcendence/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) [Western culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western-culture/) ## Related quotes > [Western man represents himself, on the political or psychological stage, in a spectacular world-theater. Our personality is innately cinematic, light-charged projections flickering on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/western-man-represents-himself-on-the-political-or-psychological/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [“...only the one who knows and practices the iconoclastic fury of destruction can possess the joy born of freedom, of that unique freedom fertilized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-novatore/only-the-one-who-knows-and-practices-the-iconoclastic-fury-of/) [Renzo Novatore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-novatore/) > [“And many a time, towards the end of life, does the genius repent of his choice. "It would be better not to startle the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/and-many-a-time-towards-the-end-of-life-does-the-genius-repent-of-his/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [ I did \[Henrik\] Ibsen and \[Anton\] Chekhov for years. Obviously I didn't get the kind of recognition I have now. Somebody once told me,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-manganiello/i-did-henrik-ibsen-and-anton-chekhov-for-years-obviously-i-didn-t-get/) [Joe Manganiello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-manganiello/) > [Ibsen is like this room where we are sitting, with all the tables and chairs. Do I care whether you have twenty or twenty-five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanora-duse/ibsen-is-like-this-room-where-we-are-sitting-with-all-the-tables-and/) [Eleanora Duse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanora-duse/) > [“He shook his fist at her. He was the mildest of creatures and ventured upon no action of his life without consulting her. “No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-somerset-maugham/he-shook-his-fist-at-her-he-was-the-mildest-of-creatures-and-ventured/) [William Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-somerset-maugham/) > [“She looked like something that might have occurred to Ibsen in one of his less frivolous moments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/she-looked-like-something-that-might-have-occurred-to-ibsen-in-one-of/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [I'm a big guy: I look like a linebacker, you know? But no one cares, really, that I'm educated. I have a copy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tyree-henry/i-m-a-big-guy-i-look-like-a-linebacker-you-know-but-no-one-cares/) [Brian Tyree Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tyree-henry/) > [The great Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen, wrote, "One of these days, the younger generation will come knocking at my door." The future is knocking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/the-great-norwegian-playwright-henrik-ibsen-wrote-one-of-these-days/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Write about winter in the summer. Describe Norway as Ibsen did, from a desk in Italy; describe Dublin as James Joyce did, from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/write-about-winter-in-the-summer-describe-norway-as-ibsen-did-from-a/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“Zar nije neobično dražesna? To je bilo mišljenje i čitavog društva. Ali užasno je tvrdoglavo - to slatko malo stvorenje.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/zar-nije-neobi-no-dra-esna-to-je-bilo-mi-ljenje-i-itavog-dru-tva-ali/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [“Henrik Ibsen hung a picture of August Strindberg over his desk. “He is my mortal enemy and shall hang there and watch while I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/henrik-ibsen-hung-a-picture-of-august-strindberg-over-his-desk-he-is/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [If Ibsen's 'Enemy of the People' were alive today, he would recognize the ethic that has informed capitalist and communist countries alike - economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-york/if-ibsen-s-enemy-of-the-people-were-alive-today-he-would-recognize/) [Susannah York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-york/) > [I don't think my looks are modern. I always imagined I'd end up doing Chekhov, Ibsen and Shakespeare all my life and never play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kingston/i-don-t-think-my-looks-are-modern-i-always-imagined-i-d-end-up-doing/) [Alex Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kingston/) > [Gemma Arterton in 'The Master Builder' at the Almeida - she was absolutely brilliant. Ibsen is difficult and quite hard to follow, but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/gemma-arterton-in-the-master-builder-at-the-almeida-she-was/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) ## More by George Steiner > [“But there is a third mode of trancendence: in it language simply ceases, and the motion of spirit gives no further outward manifestation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/but-there-is-a-third-mode-of-trancendence-in-it-language-simply/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [Words that are saturated with lies or atrocity, do not easily resume life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/words-that-are-saturated-with-lies-or-atrocity-do-not-easily-resume/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [Every one of my opponents, every one of my critics, will tell you that I am a generalist spread far too thin in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/every-one-of-my-opponents-every-one-of-my-critics-will-tell-you-that/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [The very opposite of freedom is cliche, and nothing is less free, more inert with convention and hollow brutality, than a row of four-letter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/the-very-opposite-of-freedom-is-cliche-and-nothing-is-less-free-more/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [Books are in no hurry. An act of creation is in no hurry; it reads us, it privileges us infinitely. The notion that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/books-are-in-no-hurry-an-act-of-creation-is-in-no-hurry-it-reads-us/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [To starve a child of the spell of the story, of the canter of the poem, oral or written, is a kind of living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/to-starve-a-child-of-the-spell-of-the-story-of-the-canter-of-the-poem/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [I have every reason to believe that an individual man or woman fluent in several tongues seduces, possesses, remembers differently according to his or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/i-have-every-reason-to-believe-that-an-individual-man-or-woman-fluent/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [I believe that a work of art, like metaphors in language, can ask the most serious, difficult questions in a way which really makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/i-believe-that-a-work-of-art-like-metaphors-in-language-can-ask-the/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [To a degree which is difficult to determine, the esoteric impulse in twentieth-century music, literature and the arts reflects calculation. It looks to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/to-a-degree-which-is-difficult-to-determine-the-esoteric-impulse-in/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [Books are in no hurry. An act of creation is in no hurry; it reads us, it privileges us infinitely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/books-are-in-no-hurry-an-act-of-creation-is-in-no-hurry-it-reads-us-2/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [“The inception of human consciousness, the genesis of awareness, must have entailed prolonged 'condensations' around intractable nodes of wonder and terror, at the discriminations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/the-inception-of-human-consciousness-the-genesis-of-awareness-must/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [The immense majority of human biographies are a gray transit between domestic spasm and oblivion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/the-immense-majority-of-human-biographies-are-a-gray-transit-between/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [The new sound-sphere is global. It ripples at great speed across languages, ideologies, frontiers and races. The economics of this musical Esperanto is staggering.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/the-new-sound-sphere-is-global-it-ripples-at-great-speed-across/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [My father loved poetry and music. But deep in himself he thought teaching the finest thing a person could do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/my-father-loved-poetry-and-music-but-deep-in-himself-he-thought/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [Every language is a world. Without translation, we would inhabit parishes bordering on silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/every-language-is-a-world-without-translation-we-would-inhabit/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) [Explore all 104 George Steiner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) ## More Blackmail quotes > [“Either you want to try and blackmail me or you're hitting on me. Which is it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-tushmore/either-you-want-to-try-and-blackmail-me-or-you-re-hitting-on-me-which/) Melanie Tushmore > [Lobbying' is the activity of attempting to influence legislation by privately influencing the legislators. It is the result and creation of a mixed economy-of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/lobbying-is-the-activity-of-attempting-to-influence-legislation-by/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“I’m afraid I don’t suffer petty bureaucrats gladly. A very bad habit, but one I find hard to break. Nevertheless, you will find, Dr.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston-lincoln-child-2/i-m-afraid-i-don-t-suffer-petty-bureaucrats-gladly-a-very-bad-habit/) Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child > [“He is a brilliant man, said Miss Doggett. She helped him a good deal in his work, I think. Mrs. Bonner says that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/he-is-a-brilliant-man-said-miss-doggett-she-helped-him-a-good-deal-in/) [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) > [Being nice to people gets you nowhere. Being arrogant gets you nowhere. Blackmail, now that's a thing that will get you everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-to-people-gets-you-nowhere-being-arrogant-gets-you-nowhere/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The bonds of friendship dwindle with age, Oliver. But a little blackmail lasts forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunt/the-bonds-of-friendship-dwindle-with-age-oliver-but-a-little/) [Stephen Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunt/) > [“You don’t get to say it’s not a big thing. This is a big fucking thing, okay? This was supposed to be—this is mine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-albertalli/you-don-t-get-to-say-it-s-not-a-big-thing-this-is-a-big-fucking-thing/) [Becky Albertalli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-albertalli/) > [I'm constantly lying to my dog. He only responds to manipulation and blackmail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-keough/i-m-constantly-lying-to-my-dog-he-only-responds-to-manipulation-and/) [Riley Keough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-keough/) > [If the minority is able to successfully undo the Affordable Care Act by blackmail, it will be the undoing of the democratic nature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerrold-nadler/if-the-minority-is-able-to-successfully-undo-the-affordable-care-act/) [Jerrold Nadler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerrold-nadler/) > [“Ah, shit. She’s been crying. This is not good. I swear to God, a girl crying is fucking blackmail. It just makes you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-mcclean/ah-shit-she-s-been-crying-this-is-not-good-i-swear-to-god-a-girl/) [J.C. McClean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-mcclean/) > [Neither the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina nor the international community will accept such blackmail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-petritsch/neither-the-citizens-of-bosnia-and-herzegovina-nor-the-international/) Wolfgang Petritsch > [Russia has shown it's not above the temptation of using some bargaining power or blackmail. It shows that if there is a way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-gros/russia-has-shown-it-s-not-above-the-temptation-of-using-some/) Daniel Gros > [You know, it's hard to say this, but I suspect that Obama is afraid either of blackmail potential or even worse. And he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mcgovern/you-know-it-s-hard-to-say-this-but-i-suspect-that-obama-is-afraid/) [Ray McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mcgovern/) > [“When that bastard calls back, you tell him he’s won this round. I’ll marry him. But I don’t take well to being blackmailed, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/when-that-bastard-calls-back-you-tell-him-he-s-won-this-round-i-ll/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [The police had a practice of entrapping people. This was done all over the country, but we had a particularly vicious group here in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-hay/the-police-had-a-practice-of-entrapping-people-this-was-done-all-over/) [Harry Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-hay/) Browse all 157 Blackmail quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Monotheism at Sinai, primitive Christianity, messianic socialism: these are the three supreme moments in which Western culture is presented with what Ibsen termed \"the claims of the ideal.\" These are the three stages, profoundly interrelated, through which Western consciousness is forced to experience the blackmail of transcendence.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Steiner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/monotheism-at-sinai-primitive-christianity-messianic-socialism-these/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blackmail" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/monotheism-at-sinai-primitive-christianity-messianic-socialism-these/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/george-steiner-4683_blackmail_monotheism-at-sinai-primitive-christiani_878492.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/george-steiner-4683_blackmail_monotheism-at-sinai-primitive-christiani_878492.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fee/george-steiner-4683_blackmail_monotheism-at-sinai-primitive-christiani_878492.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Monotheism at Sinai, primitive Christianity, messianic socialism: these are the three supreme moments in…” — George Steiner", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "George Steiner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Monotheism at Sinai, primitive Christianity, messianic...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/monotheism-at-sinai-primitive-christianity-messianic-socialism-these/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/monotheism-at-sinai-primitive-christianity-messianic-socialism-these/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```