History and Study and Books can be FUN!

As a great many of you would know, I am a history [take your pick: buff, lover, nerd, freak ... whatever would describe a semi-obsession]. History reminds me of a vast, magnificent book; different ages for different "chapters," with new characters and settings and plots every chapter. But this does not mean that each scene from history is disconnected - no, the entire span of history is intricately interconnected and flows subtly and wonderfully from one picture to the next. One individual influences a nation which influences a culture which influences history itself. This book is imaginatively and perfectly written by the supreme Author - God! And the end of the book of history is not yet written, though we catch glimpses of it in Revelation (in that Book through which God Himself made Himself known to the characters of His "drama").

It is said that theology (the study of God and His Word) is the "Queen of the Sciences" (thus meaning all the disciplines and studies we as humans can dedicate ourselves to), and that philosophy is its "handmaiden." Because God and His Word have complete authority above all else in this world, I completely agree with this first assessment; and because correct philosophy both flows from an accurate, Spirit-illuminated understanding of God and His Word and also is foundational in our understanding of all other areas of study, the second statement also seems true.
If theology is the foundation of study, and philosophy the pillars which uphold the other studies, then I might take this analogy even further (hopefully without slaughtering it) by saying that history acts as the walls or structure upon which all other studies are built. In short, theology informs philosophy which informs history which informs all other disciplines.
Why do I say this? Other studies (chemistry, astronomy, literature, music, mathematics) are inextricably set within the context of history. All of these "sciences" and "arts" have been developed from "infancy" to their current states over millennia. And even though it is certainly possible to, say, understand matrix mechanics or the Pythagorean theorem or the Scream or the doctrine of sovereign election or the Mass in B Minor without understanding their history ... it definitely helps, and tends to make the study that much more interesting!

I always find it helps me wonderfully to take a certain period of history (say, ancient Egypt) or a certain individual (say, Hannibal the Carthaginian [my, ahem, hero] or Bach) or even a literary piece (say the Histories of Herodotus or Far from the Madding Crowd) ... and begin with a short summary. Look at this time-clip of history, or person's life, or book-plot, from an "overall and overarching" perspective. Familiarize yourself with the basic facts. Don't, for example, begin a study of Alexander the Great by reading The Military Genius of Alexander: Macedonian Phalanx Techniques and Hellenistic Warfare (however wonderfully appealing this title seems)! Rather begin by reading a 30-page life of Alexander.
Once this intro has been finished, and you know the basic facts, take at least 2 or more "medium" (non-scholarly) books on that particular time/person/work, and try reading through them in say, three to four weeks (thus, in a month, you will have a very good, "conversive" understanding of what you're studying.
Only after this can you begin to "specialize" - that is, take a certain "mini-topic" of the "main" topic, and study this in-depth (*gasp*). I made this mistake when I began to study J.S. Bach ... I tried to read a very scholarly study on the Brandenburg Concertos before I even knew much about Bach himself! I realized the hard way that I must learn more about Bach the man and at the very least basic baroque music history and theory before I can begin to touch the "Brandenburg" book (I'm thinking in about 2-3 years ... *sigh*).
All of you, each of whom are very well-versed in certain areas above the average person, can testify to this! You can't read Kant without knowing basic philosophy. You can't decipher the intricacies of quantum mechanics before you understand classical physics. You don't study the first century Roman legions without knowing Roman history. And on and on and on.

Well, that was a long and slightly rambling post. Thanks for reading, if you endured so far!