The division of history into Modern Age, Middle Ages and Ancient Age is one of the most used periodization methods.
Periodization is the act and result of periodizing . This verb ( periodize ), for its part, refers to the establishment of periods to circumscribe historical or other types of processes.
Through periodization, therefore, history is divided into various eras or stages. This segmentation can also be carried out in art , science and other areas.
Periodization of history
Regarding history as the discipline focused on the study of the events of the past, there are different modes of periodization. One of the most frequent and extensive was proposed by the German Christopher Cellarius (1638-1707), who divided history into three ages: the Ancient Age , the Middle Ages and the Modern Age .
The periodization of prehistory , meanwhile, includes the differentiation between the Stone Age and the Metal Age (in turn formed by the Copper Age , the Bronze Age and the Iron Age ). Marxism , for its part, resorts to a periodization of history, distinguishing between the stage of primitive communism , the slave mode of production , the feudal mode of production and the capitalist mode of production , which should be overcome by a new communism according to this ideology.
Geological eras are a form of periodization used in geology.
The term in geology
Geology is another science that appeals to periodization. In this framework we can speak of geological eras such as the Eoarchean , the Paleoarchean , the Mesoarchean , the Neoarchean , the Paleoproterozoic , the Mesoproterozoic , the Neoproterozoic , the Paleozoic , the Mesozoic and the Cenozoic .
A periodization, in short, takes chronological issues as its starting point and looks for common features to generate its groupings. Once established, periodization can facilitate the study of multiple topics and the dissemination of knowledge .
Periodization in the Bible
In the case of the Bible , the concept of periodization also has great importance. Let us not forget that throughout the many books that make up it, the history of humanity is narrated from its origins to its end, although we should not understand it literally.
The apostle Saint Paul , also called Paul of Tarsus, carried out a theological division that serves as a reference to study this particular topic, because it establishes the following three ages: one that extends from Creation to the time of Moses, which It is called under nature ; another that is governed by the law of Moses and is called, precisely, under the law ; the Christian era , which we also know as the age under grace .
Although Saint Paul's age division was widely used throughout the Middle Ages for the theological study of the periodization of the Bible, it was the work of Saint Augustine that gained more relevance. Saint Augustine's division was based on the six days it took God to create the world, and thus he found the six ages of the world , which can be distinguished by the following milestones:
* creation itself;
* the universal flood, which caused a catastrophic flood mentioned by various cultures of the past;
* the story of Abraham, whose life is an example of faith in God;
* the command of King David;
* the captivity of Judah in Babylon, a moment of great importance for the history of religion, which is included in the judgment that God issued against his people;
* the birth of Jesus.
The last age extends until the Messiah visits us a second time to judge us when the end of times takes place. Many scholars were inspired by this division of Saint Augustine, and in some cases it was considered a seventh age that contained the consummation of the world.