The Impact of Christianity on Culture and Politics The Ancient World Christianity t e M T ID: 149079
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Slide1
The Ancient World - Christianity
The
Impact
of
Christianity
on
Culture
and
PoliticsSlide2
The Ancient World - Christianity
t
e M T
r e h
r d e
a
i
–
n
e
a
nSlide3
The Ancient World - ChristianitySlide4
The Ancient World - Christianity
When we look at a map of the ancient
Medi
-
terranean
, of what do we in the
West
think most?
Given our overall cultural background and our educational system, we would not be far wide of the mark, were we to think first and foremost of
Greece
– and with good reason.
But take a look at
little
Greece!Slide5
The Ancient World - ChristianitySlide6
The Ancient World - Christianity
Some years ago a British scholar, at the be-ginning of a book he wrote, listed
approxi
-
mately
twelve ancient cultures that were of considerable significance – for instance:
1) Egyptian.
2) Sumerian.
3)
Akkadian
.
4) Babylonian.Slide7
The Ancient World - Christianity
5) Assyrian.
6) Minoan.
7) Mycenaean.
8) Hittite.
9) Scythian.
10) Persian.
11)
Urartian
.
12) Phrygian.Slide8
The Ancient World - Christianity
Virtually all of these can be located on our map – or an adjacent map.Slide9
The Ancient World - ChristianitySlide10
The Ancient World - ChristianitySlide11
The Ancient World - Christianity
At the University, at the outset of one of the courses I teach, I present the students with this list, and ask them. How many of these cultures, significant cultures in their own right, have directly influenced us, and still do, most particularly in respect of our education-al system? And I inform them –
None!
By comparison, what about
Greece
?Slide12
The Ancient World - Christianity
I startle them by saying, “Do you realise that virtually every Faculty, virtually every Depart-
ment
, virtually every discipline, virtually every subject at a Canadian University derives is name from
Greek
,
alias
, ancient Greek? (or from Latin through Greek influence?)”
One has only to cite a few examples:Slide13
The Ancient World - Christianity
φιλοσοΦία
-
philosophia
γηολογία
-
géologia
ζοολογία
-
zoologia
θεολογία
-
theologia
βιολογία
-
biologia
φιλολογία
-
philologia
ἄνθρωπολογία
-
anthropologia
ἀρχαιολογία
-
archaiologiaSlide14
The Ancient World - Christianity
ἱστορία
-
historia
γηογραφία
-
géographia
φαρμακεία
-
pharmakeia
φυσιοθεραπεία
-
physiotherapeia
κοσμολογία
–
kosmologia
- cosmology
ἀστρονομία
-
astronomia
cosmonaut –
ναυτής
nautés
= sailor
astronaut -
ἄστρον
–
astron
=
starSlide15
The Ancient World - Christianity
So there is
little
Greece in the gigantic Mediterranean!
And one could simply go on adding to this list!Slide16
The Ancient World - ChristianitySlide17
The Ancient World - Christianity
Exerting such profound influence on our culture – down to this very day!
Who would have forecast that – from the midst of all the former and contemporary cultures at the time?
How do you explain this?
And when one looks at a map of Greece of what does one think?Slide18
The Ancient World - ChristianitySlide19
The Ancient World - Christianity
Perhaps one thinks of philosophy – and Athens: and Plato.
But there was a lot of philosophy before Plato – the
Presocratics
, most of whom were at home in
Ionia
(the west coast of Asia Minor).
Indeed, from
Thales
(ca. 585 BC) to
Democritus
and
Speusippus
(mid-fifth c.) the
Presocratics
covered a lot of ground.Slide20
The Ancient World - ChristianitySlide21
The Ancient World - Christianity
But let us return to Athens – and to
Plato
(ca. 429-347 BC), but before Plato to
Pericles
(ca. 495-429 BC) – Pericles identified with
Athens
in the days of her greatest glories.Slide22
AthensSlide23
AthensSlide24
AthensSlide25
AthensSlide26
Athens - AgoraSlide27
Athens - PlatoSlide28
The Ancient World - Christianity
Now Plato was an intellectual and
philosophi
-cal giant – in the city where
democracy
was born (about 80 years before Plato was born).
But in his
Republic
,
Plato
criticised
all
forms
of
government
,
including
democracy
.
Indeed, he criticised
many
other
things
, not least Homer and the gods in Homer.
He even created a new, theoretical state – to Slide29
The Ancient World - Christianity
be ruled by a ‘philosopher king’.
But when he attempted to inaugurate his grand philosophical creation, it failed, miserably (Dionysius of Syracuse –
tyrannos
).
While creating his own state, he criticised all the other forms of government – and the Greeks had already tried them all.
And by the time of Plato, the glory days of Athens already lay well in the past.Slide30
The Ancient World - Christianity
The unique form of Greek state – the
πόλις
(
polis
), within the context of which virtually all the great Greek accomplishments had taken place, had run its course.
Nine years after Plato’s death occurred the battle of
Chaironeiea
– which drove the last nail into the coffin of the
πόλις
(
polis
).
A new power had emerged on the map – a power that had come as if from
nowhere
.Slide31
The Ancient World - ChristianitySlide32
The Ancient World - ChristianitySlide33
The Ancient World - Christianity
After several centuries of back-woods non- descript history,
Macedonia
landed like a bombshell in southern Greece.
This was due to
Philip II
(359-336 BC).
Three years into his reign
Alexander
the
Great
was born (356).
His mother – (non-Macedonian)
Olympias
.Slide34
The Ancient World - ChristianitySlide35
The Ancient World - ChristianitySlide36
The Ancient World - ChristianitySlide37
The Ancient World - Christianity
Alexander tutored by Aristotle (342-340)
Philip:
ζῆν
–
z
én
: to live
Aristotle:
εὖ
ζῆν
–
eu
z
én
: to live well
Battle of
Chaironeia
(338) – end of the
polisSlide38
The Ancient World - ChristianitySlide39
The Ancient World - Christianity
1. Assassination of Philip II – wedding: his
last marriage: Cleopatra.
2. Accession of Alexander: Balkan bloodbath
3. Alexander’s Conquest of Persian empire:
a) Battle of the
Granicus
(summer 334)
b) Battle of Issus (November 333)
c) Battle of Gaugamela (1 October 331)
4. Capture of Tyre (August 332)Slide40
The Ancient World - Christianity
6. Possession of Egypt (late 332)
7. Founding of Alexandria (beginning 331)
8. Burning of Persepolis (spring 330)
9. Battles in East Iran (330-327)
10. Alexander’s Indian Campaign (327-325)
11. Return March to Babylon (325-324)
12. Death of Alexander (10 June, 323)Slide41
The Ancient World - Christianity
We have no information on precisely what it was that Aristotle taught Alexander.
If, however, we go by what Aristotle wrote (and he wrote on just about every subject), and especially by what he wrote in his
Nicomachean
Ethics, we would have to say that in the end Alexander did
not
εὖ
ζῆν
–
eu
z
én
: live well – probably one of the reasons why he died at the young age of 33.Slide42
The Ancient World - Christianity
And yet, a great German scholar, W. Kolbe, claimed,
“As a creative statesman Alexander was far in advance of his time and demonstrated an originality of thought that has made him for all generations one of the greatest phenomena in world history”.
Hermann
Bengtson
found himself compelled
Slide43
The Ancient World - Christianity
to write in his monumental
History of Greece
the following:
“Neither the Roman Empire nor the triumphal march of Christianity, whose congregations at the end of antiquity encompassed the vast area from Ireland to India ... are conceivable without the life-work of Alexander” (224).Slide44
The Ancient World - Christianity
It is time to turn to
Rome
!
It is an amazing story!
It is essentially from a village to the world.
There are important antecedents to the real story -- but the real story begins with a small settlement on the banks of the Tiber river.Slide45
The Ancient World - ChristianitySlide46
The Ancient World - ChristianitySlide47
The Ancient World - Christianity
Initially, “Rome was a loose aggregation of five or more drab pioneer villages with different languages and customs” – on the banks of the Tiber river.
“One of these primitive settlements may have been the original Rome – founded, according to legend, in 753 BC” (50).
By 275 BC Rome had conquered the whole of the Italian peninsula.Slide48
The Ancient World - Christianity
“Immediately after the conquest of the greater part of the Italian peninsula, Rome made her appearance upon the larger stage of the Mediterranean and world affairs.
In size, strength and military capability she was already a great power.
But she had not yet actually moved into theSlide49
The Ancient World
mainstream of Hellenistic civilisation – which then dominated the political, economic and spiritual life of the world from the Himalayas in the East to the Adriatic seaboard in the West.
It was not Egypt, Syria, Macedonia or any of the other heirs of the vast conquests of Alexander the Great that compelled Rome to emerge from isolation but
Carthage
-- theSlide50
The Ancient World
mighty north African empire of the West: though never conquered by Alexander the Great nor an inheritor of any part of his conquests, was economically and militarily a great Hellenistic power” (110-111).Slide51
The Ancient World - Rome
The Punic Wars:
1) First Punic War (264-241).
2) Peace Terms (241).
3) Illyrian Wars (229-228).
4) Second Punic War (218-202). Hannibal!Slide52
The Ancient World - Rome
Into the Hellenistic Greek World!
“No sooner had Rome conquered Carthage and won dominion over the Western Mediterranean than she was drawn into conflict with the Hellenistic powers of the Balkans and the Middle East.
Since she had no vital interests or obligations in that area, and since not one of the Hellenistic powers had ever attacked, injuredSlide53
The Ancient World - Rome
or threatened her in any way, modern historians have been at a loss to explain why she carried on unprovoked and aggressive war against them” (138).
The Romans landed in Illyria in the fall of 200.
Battle of Cynoscephalae (197).
War with Antiochus III the Great (192-189).
Battle of
Pydna
(168 BC):
Lucius
Aemilius
Paullus
.Slide54
The Ancient World - Rome
Although there was still work of consolidation and there were many vicissitudes, for all in- tents and purposes the Romans had become the masters of the Mediterranean world.
Eventually, the empire stretched from Scot-land in the NW to the Euphrates (never really beyond the Euphrates) in the East, and from Central and Northern Europe to the whole of North Africa.Slide55
The Ancient World - Rome
It became a colossal political entity.
It incorporated many subjects with enormous ethnic, political, social, economic, religious and cultural differences.
And yet, out of this vast conglomerate a number of diagnostic features arose – features that were to be of great significance for the spread of the Christian gospel.Slide56
The Ancient World - Rome
But at the same time, there were massive factors that weighed mightily against any prospect of the Christian message making any inroads whatsoever.
Slide57
The Ancient World
Factors Weighing against Christianity:
1)
Religion
: This was doubtless the most
formidable of all.
Two instances will suffice to illustrate the
point:
a)
Athens
: When we think of Athens, we probably think first and foremost of the quintessence of intellectual activity.Slide58
The Ancient World - Religion
“And Paul stood up in the midst of the
Areopagus
and said,
‘
Men
of
Athens
, I observe that you are
very
religious
[
δεισιδαιμονεστέρους
–
deisi
-
daimonesterous
–
only
here
in NT] in
all respects’ (Ac 17:22).
‘... they say that Athens is most pious towards the gods’ (Sophocles,
Oedipus at
Colonus
260); ‘... the Athenians ... are Slide59
The Ancient
World - Religion
affirmed by
all
men ... to be the
most
religious of the Greeks (Josephus,
Against
Apion
ii.11); ‘The Greeks ... venerate the gods
more
than other men’ (Pausanias,
Description of Greece
i.17.1).
‘For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship [
τὰ
σεβάσματα
–
ta
sebasmata
] [cf. II
Thes
2:4), I
also
found
an
altar
with
this
inscription
, «
TO
AN
UNKNOWN
GOD
» ‘ (17:23a).Slide60
The Ancient World - Religion
“In addition to the twelve Olympian gods and
innumerable
lesser deities, the ancient Greeks worshiped a deity they called ‘
Unkown
’ – and dedicated to this god, and
very
often
the
Athenians
would swear ‘in the name of the
Unknown
god’.
Apollodorus
,
Philotratus
and
Pausanias
also wrote about the
Unknown
god
.
At Athens there are “altars of gods called Slide61
The Ancient World - Religion
‘unknown’” (Pausanias,
Description of Greece
i.1.4); “At Athens, where even unknown divinities have altars erected to them” (
Philostratus
,
Life of Apollonius
vi.3.5).
The Unknown god was not so much a specificSlide62
The Ancient World - Religion
deity
, but a ‘placeholder’ for whatever god or gods actually existed, but whose name and nature were not revealed to the Athenians or the Hellenised world at large.
According to a story told by Diogenes
Laer-tius
, Athens was once hit by a plague, and desperate to appease the gods by means of appropriate sacrifices. Accordingly,
Epimeni
- des gathered a flock of sheep to the AcropolisSlide63
The Ancient World - Religion
and released them. The sheep roamed about Athens and the surrounding hills. On
Epime
-
nides
’ suggestion, wherever a sheep stopped and lay down, a sacrifice was made to the local god of that place.
Many of the gardens and buildings of Athens were indeed associated with a specific god or goddess – and so an appropriate altar was built and sacrifice carried out.Slide64
The Ancient World - Religion
But
at least one, if not several, sheep led the Athenians to a spot which did not have any god associated with it. Accordingly, an altar was built there – without the god’s name inscribed” (FFB).
Slide65
The Ancient World - ReligionSlide66
The Ancient World - Religion
“Whatever may have been the original circumstances or intention of the inscription which Paul took as his text, he takes it as a confession of
ignorance
regarding the divine nature, and says that the purpose of his coming is to
dispel
that
ignorance
” (FFB).Slide67
The Ancient World - Religion
“
What therefore you worship [
εὐσεβεῖτε
–
eusebeite
-
εὐσεβέω
–
eusebeo
:
to
reverence
, show
piety
towards
] [
only
here
in NT] in
ig-norance
,
this
I
proclaim
[
katangello
] to
you
.
The
God
who
made the world and all
things
in
it
,
since
He
is
Lord of
heaven
and
earth
,
does
not
dwell
in temples made
with
hands,
neither
is
He
served
by
human
hands, as
though
He
needed
anything
,
since
He
Himself
gives
to all life and
breath
and all
things
; Slide68
The Ancient World - Religion
and He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined [their] appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, if perhaps they could grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said ...Slide69
The Ancient World – Religion -
Ephesuss
b)
Ephesus
:
Another centre that illustrates the force of religion and at the same time magic in the first century is Ephesus – on the continent of Asia, and the most important cultural centre in Asia Minor.
The most illustrious of the Greek cities was
Ephesus
–
at the mouth of the
Cayster
.Slide70
The Ancient World – Religion - EphesusSlide71
The Ancient World – Religion - Ephesus
There had been a
Carian
settlement here before the Ionian Greeks came (c. 1050 BC) .
The
Carians
were one of the
non
-Greek populations of SW Asia Minor.
The
Carians
(or
Carites
of II
Ki
11:4,19)(related to the Philistines) were probably so calledSlide72
The Ancient World – Religion - Ephesus
because they came from there.
The
Carians
venerated
the
great
Anatolian
mother-goddess
in her local manifestation. She was given
a
variety
of
names
throughout Anatolia --
Ma
, in Cappadocia;
Cybele
or
the
Great
Mother
, in
Pessinus
;
Cybebe
, in Lydia.
The
Greeks
called her
Artemi
s
.
More on
Artemis
in a moment.Slide73
The Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
Ephesus was a
great
seaport
in NT times.
But today it is about 12 km from the sea – thanks to the silt carried down by the
Cayster
Pergamum remained the titular capital of the province – but Ephesus was
the
greatest
and
most
populous
city
(there were 42 in Asia).
According to Strabo, it was
the
greatest
trading
centre
west
of
the
Taurus
.Slide74
Ancient World – Religion - Ephesus
According
to
Rackman
,
‘at Ephesus, Hellenistic culture and philosophy had made a disastrous union with oriental superstition’
.
The result was
a
city
preoccupied
with
magic
. Paul must have deplored their superstition –
and
yet
the
very
interest
of
the
Ephesians
in
magic
gave
the
gospel
an
entry
” (DJW).Slide75
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
One of the chief aspects of ancient Ephesus was the practice of the
magical
arts
.
Exorcism was a specific part of the magical arts, but they were much broader and much more pervasive.
This has been well captured by Shakespeare.
In his
Comedy of Errors
, e.g.,
Antipholus
of
Syracuse
[on the SE coast of Sicily] comesSlide76
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
to Ephesus, a centre
for
the
learning
and
practice
of
magical
arts
:
‘They say this town is full of cozenage,
As, nimble jugglers that deceive the eye,
Dark-working sorcerers that change the mind
Soul-killing witches that deform the body,
Disguised cheaters, prating mountebanks,
And many such-like liberties of sin (Act 1, Scene 2, lines 97 ff.).Slide77
Ancient World –
Religionb
: Ephesus
“Its reputation in this respect is indicated by the fact that the phrase ‘
Ephesian
writings’ [’
Εφησία
γράμματα
–
Ephésia
grammata
] was commonly used in antiquity for
docu-ments
containing spells and formulae like the lengthy magical papyri in the London, Paris and Leiden collections, or small amulets (like the mottoes in Christmas crackers) to be rolled up and placed in cylinders or locketsSlide78
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
worn
around the neck or elsewhere about the person.
One of the latter, in the Princeton University collection of papyri, begins with an odd series of letters arranged in a special pattern:Slide79
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
Z A G O U R E P A G O U R E
A G O U R E P A G O U R
G O U R E P A G O U
O U R E P A G O
U R E P A G
R E P A
E P
ESlide80
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
This
is followed immediately by the petition:
‘Sovereign and good angels, deliver ... the son of Sophia from the fever which has him in its grip, this present day, this very hour, now, now, quickly, quickly’.
The carefully arranged pattern with which the amulet begins may represent an effort to express the name of some divinity or demon.
The great magical papyri are full of such realSlide81
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
or
imagined names.
These documents have come down to us from all over the Near East, but
Ephesus
was
specially
renowned
for them.Slide82
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
“And about that time there arose
no
small
disturbance
concerning
the
Way
.
For a certain man named
Demetriu
s, a
silversmith
, who made
silver
shrines
of
Artemis
, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen” (Ac 19:23-24).
Note not silver
statues
of Artemis, but
silver
temples
– a much more complex enterprise.Slide83
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
“
Demetrius ... competing in the
very
lucrative
trade
that Ephesus had in such things (cf.
Dio
Cassius,
Roman Histor
y 39.20;
Ammianus
Marcellinus
,
History
22.13).
Examples of
model
temples
in
terra-cotta
and
marble
abound
– but not surprisingly,
none
have been found in
silver
” (DJW).Slide84
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
The
temple
of Artemis at Ephesus had a long history.
An earlier version was destroyed by fire in 356 BC – according to tradition, on the day that Alexander the Great was born.
It was
allegedly
due to
an
act
of
arson
– by a young man, writes
Plutarch
, who claimed to have carried out the mischief
simply
to
perpetuate
his
name
in
history
. Slide85
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
As
a matter of fact, his name,
Herostratus
, is known to us only from this vile act of arson.
A new temple, considerably more
magnifi
-cent than the former was built soon there- after – thanks in no small measure to funds provided by
Alexander
the
Great
.
It was of enormous size –
four
times as large as the
Parthenon
in Athens.
It had a surrounding colonnade of
127Slide86
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
columns – each one 60 feet high.
It was adorned by relief sculpture by none other than
Praxiteles
, as well as other sculptors.
So magnificent was it that it was acclaimed as
one
of
the
Seven
Wonders
of
the
Ancient
World
!
Models of this temple in
silver
must have been something to behold – and
expensive!Slide87
Ancient World – Religion: EphesusSlide88
Ancient World – Religion: EpehsusSlide89
Ancient World – Religion: EphesusSlide90
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
Demetrius must have been in the business of making
silver
models of the
Artemision
in a
big
way
.
But there is a possible additional factor for his taking the lead at this moment:
he may have been the
Master
of
the
Guild
of
Silversmiths
for the year.
“His object was to involve
all
the
related
trades
in
a
protest
against
the
Christians
”.Slide91
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
“...
bringing no little business to the crafts-men; these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said,
‘Men – you know that
our
prosperity
depends upon this business. And you see and hear that
not
in
Ephesus
,
but
in
almost
all
Asia
, this
Paul
has persuaded and turned a considerable number of people, saying that
gods
made
with
hands
are
no
gods
at
all
.Slide92
Ancient World –
Reliogion
: Ephesus
And not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of
the
great
goddess
Artemis
regarded as
worthless
and that
she
whom
all
Asia
and
the
world
worship
should even be
dethroned
from
her
magnificence
’ (19:25-27).Slide93
Ancient World – Religion: EphesusSlide94
Ancient World – Religion: EphesusSlide95
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
“
The time of this disturbance may have been
the
great
festival
– the
Artemisia
” (DJW).
The city would have been thronged with visitors , and religious and national feeling would have been running high.
A meeting was called – with
tumultuous
results.Slide96
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
“
And when they heard this and were
filled
with
rage
, they [
began
] crying out [
ἔκραζον
–
ekrazon
], saying,
‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!
’’
(19:28).
Demetrius knew how to work a crowd!
“
And
the
city
was
filled
with
confusion
.
And they
rushed
with
one
accord
into
the
theatre
– dragging along Gaius and Slide97
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
Aristarchus, Paul’s travel companions from Macedonia” (19:28-29).
“They may have been meeting in a hall belonging to one of the guilds –
but now we must picture them as spilling into the street and fanning out through the city, still shouting and gathering more people as they went.Slide98
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
The
theatre was their objective – the usual place for public meetings in most towns (Josephus,
War
7.43-53; Tacitus,
Hist.
2.80).
The theatre was well located for further ruckus –
in
full
view
of
the
temple
of
Artemis
.Slide99
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
The theatre had a capacity of about 25,000!Slide100
Ancient World – Religion: EphesusSlide101
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
“And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him. And
some
of the
Asiarchs
, who were
friends
of
his
, sent to him and
repeatedly
urged
him
not
to
venture
into
the
theatre
” (19:30-31).Slide102
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
But
the
Ephesian
Christians, in alarm,
forcibly
prevented him from doing what to them seem such a mad thing.
The chief citizens of the place also sent a message urging him not to run such a risk.
These chief citizens are called ‘
Asiarchs
’
.
This was a title given to the
foremost
men in the cities of the province.Slide103
Ancient World – Religion: Ephesus
“
So then, some were shouting one thing and some another – for the assembly [
ekklésia
] was in confusion,
and the majority did not know for what cause they had come together.
And some of the crowd concluded it was Alexander,
since
the
Jews
had put him forward” (19:32-33a).Slide104
Ancient World – Religion:Ephesus
“
There was complete disorder, for the majority of the crowd had no idea why they were there – a remark which reveals
Luke’s
sense
of
humour
.
The resentment against those who paid no honour to the great goddess was
as
much
anti-Jewish
as
anti-Christian
.
And
this
alarmed
the
Jews
of
Ephesus!
They judged it necessary to dissociate Slide105
Ancient world – Religion: Ephesus
themselves from Paul and the other missionaries – and put up Alexander” (FFB).
“But when they recognised that he was
a
Jew
a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for
about
two
hours
:
‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians’!
‘Great Artemis of the Ephesians!’Slide106
Ancient World – Religion: EphesusSlide107
Ancient World - Religion
The instances of Athens in Europe and Ephesus in Asia could be repeated a thousand times over and illustrate graphically the deeply ingrained power that pagan religion had over vast swaths of people – from the most eminent intellectually elite to the humblest peasants.
How could Christianity make any impact on any ancient culture?Slide108
The Ancient World ChristianitySlide109
The Ancient World - ChristiantiySlide110
The Ancient World - ChristianitySlide111
Christianity
After
Paul’s
conversion
, the first major impact of Christianity on ancient culture took place in Anatolia (Asia Minor) – in a place one would surely not have predicted:
Antioch
in
Pisidia
.
Pul’s
First Missionary Journey (AD 47-48).Slide112
ChristianitySlide113
ChristianitySlide114
Christianity
“
Antioch lay on the lower slopes of the mountain now called
Sultan
Dagh
, on the banks of the river
Anthius
– a commanding position well protected by natural defences.
This it needed to be, for in earlier days this had been the borderland of
Pisidia
and Phrygia.
Antioch was a
Phrygian
city (Strabo
Geography
12.557).Slide115
Christianity
“
During the reign of Claudius (AD 41-54) Antioch reached its greatest height of importance.
Throughout the period the Romanisation of both the city and the region moved apace.
New roads were built – radiating out from the city to the SW and the SE.
The road to the SE became a link in a southern loop of the road from
Ephesus
. Slide116
Christianity
These roads were primarily for military purposes – but before long they would serve to carry the gospel:
‘And the word of the Lord was being spread through the
whole
region
’ (Ac 13:49).
Antioch had a mixed population of mostly Romans, Greeks and Phrygians.
But the Seleucid kings had settled many Jews throughout this area” (DJW).Slide117
Christianity
“
Pisidian
Antioch was a Seleucid foundation (early third century BC) – though the site was inhabited long before Seleucid times.
The position was
well
chosen
by the Seleucids – to serve as a
border
fortress
.
And the same strategic advantages probably moved
Augustus
in 6 BC to give the city the status of a
Roman
colony
– under the new name of
Colonia
Caesarea
.Slide118
Christianity
Army veterans were settled among the local population.
The city became the military centre for the surrounding territory” (FFB)Slide119
Christianity
It was at (
Pisidian
) Antioch that Luke records
Paul’s
first
sermon
.
“The speech is given at length – so that on other occasions Luke needed only to say that Paul ‘proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues’ (13:5; 14:1; etc.).
It is possible to see in the pattern of ministry outlined in this passage a parallel between Jesus and Paul.Slide120
Christianity
“... they arrived at
Pisidian
Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and
sat
down
” (Ac 13:14).
“The synagogue in the
Disapora
necessarily played a far more important part in Jewish life than did the synagogue in Judaea.
It was the general meetinghouse and com-munity hub, the schoolhouse, the courthouseSlide121
Christianity
and the archive, as well as the locus of religious education and worship.
It was to the synagogue that Paul and his colleagues went whenever they came to a new town.
There were three more or less distinct groups of people to be found there: 1)
Jews
by
birth
; 2)
proselytes
; 3)
God-fearers
– a ‘
providen
-
tially
prepared bridgehead into the GentileSlide122
Christianity
world’ – for these ‘God-fearers’ were an informed audience familiar with the Scriptures and the messianic hope of the Jews.
But
at the same time they were profoundly aware that they were themselves
excluded
from that hope as long as they remained as they were.
These
‘God-fearers’
always remained second-class citizens.Slide123
Christianiy
Proselytes
were buried in Jewish cemeteries in Jerusalem and Rome and elsewhere ... But
not
‘
God-fearers
’.
From an official point of view, despite their visits to synagogue worship and their partial observance of the law, the ‘God-fearers’ con-
tinued
to be regarded as Gentiles, unless they went over to Judaism completely through
circumcision
and
ritual
baptism
’ (
Hengel
). Slide124
Christianity
It is hardly surprising, then, when they were told that ‘the messianic hope had come alive in Jesus, that in Him the old distinction be-
tween
Jew and Gentile had been abolished, that the fullest blessings of God’s saving grace were as readily available to Gentiles as to Jews,
many
of this class embraced the Good News’ (FFB).
They formed the
nucleus
of
many
of the early Slide125
Christianiy
congregations (along with a scattering of Jews), and through them the church had entry into the Gentile world that lay beyond the ambit of the synagogue” (DJW).Slide126
Christianity
“... they arrived at
Pisidian
Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.
And after the reading of the
Law
and the
Prophets
, the synagogue officials
sent
to
them
,
saying, ‘if you have any word of exhortation/
encouragement
[
παρακλήσεως
–
parakléseos
] (‘And Joseph, a
Levite
of Cyprian
birth
,
who
was
also
called
Barnabas
Slide127
Christianity
by the apostles, which, translated, means Son of Encouragement [
παρακλήσεως
–
paraklé
-
seos
][
Ac
4:36]’) for the people,
say
it
’.
And
Paul
stood
up, and
motioning
with
his
hand,
said
:
‘Men of
Israel
, and
you
who
fear
God
[
οἱ
φοβούμενοι
τὸν
θεόν
–
hoi
phoboumenoi
ton
theon
] [‘God-fearers’], listen:
The
God
of
this
people
Israel
chose
our
Fathers
,Slide128
Christianiy
and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out from it. And for a period of about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness/ bore them up in His arms as a nurse in the wilderness [
ἐτροποφόρήσεν
–
etropophorésen
]. And
when
He
had
destroyed
seven
nations in the land of Canaan, He
distributed
their
land as an
inheritance
– [all of
which
took
] about 450Slide129
Christianity
years. And after these things He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. And then they asked for a king, and God gave them
Saul
the son of Kish, a man of the
tribe
of
Benjamin
, for 40 years. And after He had
removed
him, He raised up
David
to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will doSlide130
Christianity
will
’. From the offspring of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a
Saviour
–
Jesus
– after John had proclaimed before His coming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And while John was completing his course, he kept saying. ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not [He]. But behold, one is coming after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worth to untie’. Brethren, sons of Abraham’sSlide131
Christianiy
family, and those among you who
fear
God
, to us the word of
this
salvation
is sent out. For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognising neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled [these] by condemning [Him]. And though they found no ground for [putting Him] to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed. And whenSlide132
Christianiy
they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the cross and laid Him in a tomb.
But God raised Him from among the dead
; and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people. And we preach to Slide133
Christianity
you the
good news
of
the
promise
made
to
the
fathers
, that God has fulfilled this [
promise
] to
our
children
in that
He raised up Jesus
, as it is also written in the second Psalm,
THOU ART MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN THEE
’. And [as for the fact] that
He raised Him from the dead
, no more to decay,Slide134
Christianity
He has spoken in this way, ‘
I WILL GIVE YOU THE HOLY
and
SURE
[blessings]
OF DAVID
’. Therefore He also says in another [Psalm], ‘
THOU WILT NOT ALLOW THY HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY
. For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay; but He whom
God raised
did not undergo decay.
Therefore
, let it be known to you,Slide135
Christianity
brethren,
through Him
,
forgiveness
of
sins
is proclaimed to you, and
through Him
, everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.
Take heed, therefore, so that the thing spoken of in the prophets may not come upon you:Slide136
Christianity
‘BEHOLD YOU SCOFFERS, AND MARVEL, AND PERISH;
FOR I AM ACCOMPLISHING A WORK IN YOUR DAYS,
A WORK WHICH YOU WILL NEVER BELEIV EVEN
THOUGH SOMEONE SHOULD DESCRIBE IT TO YOU’.” (13:16b-41).
“And as Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people
kept
begging
that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath. Now when [the meeting of] the synagogue Slide137
Christianity
was broken up,
many
of the
Jews
and of the
God-fearing proselytes
followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were
urging
them to continue in the grace of God” (13:42-43).
“And the next Sabbath
nearly
the
whole
city
assembled to hear the word of God.
BUT
when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with
jealousy
, and [began] Slide138
Christianity
contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were
blaspheming
.
And Paul and Barnabas spoke out
boldly
, and said, ‘it was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold,
we are turning to the Gentiles
. For thus the Lord hasSlide139
Christianity
commanded us,
I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES,
THAT YOU SHOULD BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE
EARTH [Is 49:6).
And when the Gentiles heard this, they [
began
] rejoicing and glorifying
the
word
of
the
Lord
; and as many as had been
appointed
to eternal life believed (13:44-48).
“And
the
word
of
the
Lord
was being spreadSlide140
Christianity
through the
whole
region” (49).
“
BUT
the Jews aroused the
devout
women
of
prominence
and the
leading
men
of
the
city
, and instigated a
persecution
against Paul and Barnabas, and
drove
them
out
of
their
district
.
But they shook off the dust of their feet [in protest] against them, and went to
Iconium
”
(13:50-51).Slide141
Christianity
“The
God-fearers
in the congregation were especially attracted by Paul’s message, and spread the news abroad among their fellow-Gentiles.
The result was that a week later there were more Gentiles than Jews present at the synagogue service.
The leaders of the Jewish community were displeased and visited their displeasure onSlide142
Christianity
the
two missionaries.
But many of the Gentiles accepted the salvation through faith in Christ which the missionaries proclaimed and formed a Christian group in separation from the synagogue –
the
first
of
the
churches
of
Galatia
” (FFB).Slide143
Christianity - Paul
Here it is pertinent to pause to look a little more closely at the man who played such a significant role in the impact which Christianity made on the ancient world.
One of the ways of doing this is by consider-
ing
the various roles in which Paul functioned – but not only that he functioned in these roles, rather also
how
he functioned.Slide144
Christianity - Paul
T Great
r
a
v
e
l
l
e
rSlide145
Christianity - Paul
Great
E
v
a
n
g
e
l
i
s
tSlide146
Christianity - Paul
T Great
e
a
c
h
e
r Slide147
Christianity - Paul
O
Great
r
g
a
n
i
s
e
rSlide148
Christianity - Paul
A
Great
p
o
s
t
l
eSlide149
Christianity - Paul
T Great
h
i
n
k
e
rSlide150
Christianity - Paul
T
Great
h
e
o
l
o
g
i
a
nSlide151
Christianity - Paul
C Great
o
m
m
u
n
i
c
a
t
o
rSlide152
Christianity - Paul
V
Great
i
s
i
Strategist
o Tactician
n
a
r
ySlide153
Christianity - Paul
Great
W
r
i
Letters
t
e
rSlide154
Christianity - Paul
Proportionate
contribution to the NT
Greek text = 657 pp
Paul:
157 = 24%
Hb
: 30 = 4.5% - 28.5%
Ac: 57 = 8.2% -
36.7%
Matthew: 84 = 12.78%
Mark: 53 = 8%
Luke (G): 92 = 14%Slide155
Christianity - Paul
Luke
(A): 94 = 14.3% --
Luke: 28.3%
John (G): 66 = 10%
John (E): 12 = 01.8%
John (R): 45 = 06.8% --
John: 18.6%
Hebrews: 30 = 4.5%
Peter: 14 = .02%
James: 9 = .01%
Jude: 3 = .045%Slide156
Christianity - Paul
“Of all the New Testament authors, Paul is the one who has stamped his personality unmistakably on his writings. It is for this reason that he has his secure place among the great letter-writers in world literature ... because they express so spontaneously and therefore so eloquently his mind and his message” (FFB).
Bruce then cites one of the leading classicalSlide157
Christianity - Paul
philologists
of his day, Gilbert Murray:
“He [Paul] is one of the great figures in
Greek
literature
”.
Bruce goes on:
“... and a greater Hellenist even than Murray, Ulrich von
Wilamowitz-Moellendorff
, described him [Paul] as ‘
a
classic
of
Hellenism
’.
Paul, he said, did not directly take over any of Slide158
Christianity - Paul
the
elements of Greek education, yet he not only writes Greek but
thinks
Greek; without realising it, he serves as the executor of Alexander the
Great’s
testament by carrying the gospel to the Greeks”.
Here it is apt to cite the following words:
“Neither the Roman Empire nor the triumphal march of Christianity, whose congregations at the end of antiquity Slide159
Christianity - Paul
encompassed
the vast area from Ireland to India, nor the Byzantine Empire nor Arabic civilisation are conceivable without the life- work of
Alexander
” (Hermann
Bengtson
).
Wilamowitz
went on to say:
“At last, at last, someone speaks Greek out of
a
fresh
inward
experience
of
life
. That experience is
his
faith
, which makes him
sureSlide160
Christianity - Paul
Adds Bruce:
“No mean tribute from
a
Hellenist
of
Hellenists
to
a
Hebrew
of
Hebrews!
”
It cannot get better than that.Slide161
Christianity - Paul
P Great
a
s
t
o
r ShepherdSlide162
Christianity - Paul
Great
H
u B
m e
a
i
n
n
gSlide163
Paul
1) Traveller 9) Visionary
2) Evangelist 10) Writer
3) Teacher 11) Human being
4) Organiser 12) Pastor/ Shepherd
5) Apostle
6) Thinker
7) Theologian
8) CommunicatorSlide164
Christianity - Paul
As a second example, we can choose Paul’s initial foray into Europe – namely
at Philippi.Slide165
Christianity – Paul - PhilippiSlide166
Christianity - Paul - Philippi
Paul and Silas and Timothy and Luke followed the Via
Egnatia
for about 16 km in a NW direction – then came upon
Philippi
.Slide167
Christianity – Paul - PhilippiSlide168
Christianity – Paul - PhilippiSlide169
Christianity – Paul - PhilippiSlide170
Christianity – Paul - PhilippiSlide171
Christianity - Paul - Philippi
“... to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a [Roman] colony ...” (16:12b).
Philippi
was founded by Philip II of Macedonia (father of Alexander the Great) in 356 BC (he reigned 359-336) – on the foundation of an earlier town,
Krenides
.
It was the first city named after an individual.
Slide172
Christianity – Paul - Philippi
“There does not seem to have been a synagogue in Philippi – presumably because there does not appear to have been a Jewish community of any size” (FFB).
“And we were staying in this city for some days: (Ac 16:12b).
Slide173
Christianity – Paul - Philippi
“And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a
riverside
, where we were supposing that there would be
a
place
of
prayer
...” (16:13a).Slide174
Christianity – Paul - PhilippiSlide175
Christianity – Paul - Philippi
“
The Greek text has them simply going ‘out of the gate,’ and as long as we understand ‘the gate’ to be that of the city.
But another identification is possible.
About 2 km to the west of the city, on the Via
Egnatia
, stood a Roman arch – now in ruins. And a little beyond this ran the
river
Gangites
-- a tributary of the
Strymon
.Slide176
Christianity – Paul - Philippi
The
Jews may therefore have been obliged to hold their meetings at this distance – beyond the gate.
Here the missionaries expected to find their ‘place of prayer’.
The Greek has only the one word,
προσευχήν
–
proseuchén
,
which
can
mean
either
an
act
of
praying
or the place in
which
it
is
done
– in the latter
sense
sometimes
denoting
a
build
-Slide177
Christianity – Paul - Philippi
ing
(e.g., a synagogue).
But Luke’s use of the word here probably means that there was no building –
just
a
regular
meeting
spot
in
the
open
.
When Jews were obliged to meet in this way, as far as possible they would do so near a river or the sea - to facilitate their ceremonial washings: and so at Philippi, it would seem.
Slide178
Christianity – Paul - PhilippiSlide179
Christianity – Paul - Philippi
Here
Paul and his companions found some
women
.
The
absence
of
men
may explain the lack of a synagogue – since at least ten men were needed before a synagogue could be established.
They ‘sat down’ – the usual posture for teaching among Jews, though in this case it may simply indicate informality” (DJW).Slide180
Christianiy – Paul - Philippi
And a certain woman named
Lydia
, from the city of
Thyatira
...” (Ac 16:13b-14a).Slide181
Christianity – Paul - PhilippiSlide182
Christianity – Paul - Philippi
Lydia
: «
Her
name
was
Lydia, and
that
was
also
the
name
of
her
country –
though
it
no longer
existed
independently
[
it
was
conquered
by Cyrus the Great in 546 BC], but
had
long
since
been
absorbed
into
the province of
Asia
» (DJW).Slide183
Christianity – Paul - PhilippiSlide184
Christianity – Paul - Philippi
“Lydia ... Thyatira ...
a
seller
of
purple
fabrics
, a worshiper of God [
σεβομένη
τὸν
θεόν
–
sebomené
ton
theon
],
was
listening
[
ἤκουεν
–
ékouen
]
… » (14).Slide185
Christianity – Paul – Phiippi
Purple fabrics
: “Dyeing was one of the stable industries of Thyatira – and it was probably from here that Lydia bought [brought] her purple cloth.
It was a luxury trade, and Lydia must have been
a
relatively
wealthy
woman
to be engaged in it” (DJW).Slide186
Christianity – Paul - Philippi
A
God-fearer
: “... It may have been at Thyatira that she had been introduced to the Jewish faith.
There is evidence that the Jews of Thyatira were especially involved in the dyeing trade.
Thus the way had been prepared in her for the gospel” (DJW).Slide187
Christianity – Paul - Philippi
«…
was
listening
[
ἤκουεν
–
ékouen
… » (16:14b): « The
imperfect
tense
of the
verb
‘to
hear
’
suggests
that
she
heard
the
missionaries
on more
than
one occasion » (DJW).
Being
an intelligent
woman
,
she
must have
reflected
much
and
seriously
on
what
she
had
heard
!Slide188
Christianity – Paul - Philippi
«
… and the Lord
opened
her
heart
to
respond
to the
things
spoken
by Paul » (16:14c).
« Luke
attributes
her
readiness
to
respond
to
something
more
than
her
background. The Lord ‘
opened
her
heart
’. This must
always
be
the case.
Without
in
any
way
diminishing
the importance of repentance and
faith
and of Slide189
Christianity – Paul - Philippi
preaching
the faith of Christ, there can be no life in Christ unless the gospel comes, ‘not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit’ (I
Thes
1:5; cf. Eph 1:18)” (DJW).Slide190
Christianity – Paul - Philippi
“
It is noticeable that in the three Macedonian towns, Philippi, Thessalonica and
Beroea
, women are mentioned especially as influenced by the gospel.
This corresponds to the considerable freedom and social influence enjoyed by Macedonian women, who were hardly less active than men in public affairs” (DJW).
But remember that Lydia was not a ‘native’!Slide191
Christianity – Paul - Phiippi
“And she prevailed upon
us
[
παρ
-
εβιάσατο
–
par-
ebiasato
] » (16:14-15). [
παραβιάζομα
ι
–
para-
biazomai
:
this
word
is
used
only
by
Luke
in the NT, and
only
in
one
other
instance
– the
two
disciples
with
Jesus
on the road to
Emmaus
: « And
they
urged
Him
<
παρ
-
εβιάσα
ν
το
–
para-
ebiasanto
>
saying
, ‘
Stay
with
us, for
it
is
getting
towards
evening
, and the
day
is
now
nearly
over’. And He
went
in to
stay
with
them
» <
Lk
24:29>].
Slide192
Christianity – Paul - Philippi
What
a
pearl
was the first convert to Christianity on the European continent!
A woman of noble disposition and character.
Intelligent. Thoughtful. Dynamic. Sensitive.
Enterprising. Cordial. Warm-hearted. Strong-minded. Generous. Influential.
Persuasive. Hospitable. Caring. Slide193
Christianity – Paul - Corinth
This took place early in Paul’s
Paul’s
Second Missionary Journey (50-52).
There is of course also the instance of the
Philippian
jailor, and Thessalonica, and
Boerea
, and Athens – but those are for another day.
On to
Corinth
!Slide194
Christianity – Paul - Corinth
“And the Lord said to Paul in the night by
a
vision
,
‘Do not be afraid [any longer], but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for
I
have
many
people
in
this
city
’.
And he settled [there]
a
year
and
six
months
,
teaching
the word of God among them” (18:9-11). And how they needed
teaching
!Slide195
Christianity – Paul - Corinth
“
But while
Gallio
was
proconsul
of
Achaia
, the Jews
with
one
accord
rose up against Paul, and brought him before the judgement seat [
bema
], saying,
‘This man persuades men to worship [
σέβασ
-
θαι
–
sebasthai
--
σέβομαι
–
sebomai
:
to stand in
awe
,
venerate
,
reverence
,
worship
, adore
]
contrary
to
the
law
’.Slide196
Christianity – Paul - Corinth
“
But
when Paul was about to open his mouth,
Gallio
said to the
Jews
,
‘If it were a matter of
wrong
or
vicious
crime
, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you; but if there are questions about
words
and
names
and
your
own
law
, look after it
yourselves
;
I
am
unwilling
to
be
a
judge
of
these
matters
’.Slide197
Christianity – Paul - Corinth
And
he
drove
them
away
from
the judgement
seat
[
bema
].
And they all took hold of
Sosthenes
, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the
bema
.
And
Gallio
was not concerned about any of these things” (18:12-17).Slide198
Christianity – Paul - Corinth
Gallio
“On this occasion [Paul’s] Jewish opponents, instead of stirring up the
city
rabble
against him or accusing him before the
civic
magistrates, approached the
Roman
administration
of
the
province
.
Any decision that
civic
magistrates, such as the
politarchs
at Thessalonica, might take would be valid
only
within
their
own
civic
Slide199
Christianity – Paul - Corinth
jurisdiction
.
By contrast, the verdict of a
Roman
governor
would not only be effective within his province, but would be followed as a precedent by the governors of other provinces.
Had
the
proconsul
of
Achaia
pronounced
aSlide200
Christianity – Paul - Corinth
verdict
unfavourable
to
Paul
,
the
story
of
the
progress
of
Christianity
during
the
next
decade
or
so
would
have
been
very
different
from
what
it
actually
was
” (FFB).
Gallio
was an
exceptional
individual
!
He was the son of the elder
Seneca
.
Lucius
Seneca – born of an equestrian family at
Corduba
in Spain ca. 55 BC. Elder Seneca.Slide201
Christianity – Paul - Corinth
Writer
of rhetoric (ca. 55 BC – ca. AD 40).
Was in Rome as a young man and later.
He amassed a considerable fortune, and may have held an official post in Spain, or engaged in trade.
By his marriage with
Helvia
, he had 3 sons:
1)
Annaeus
Novatus
– adopted by L.
Junius
Gallio
, and
later
became
governor
of
Achaia
.
2) L.
Annaeus
Seneca – the philosopher.
3) M.
Annaeus
Mela
– the father of Lucan.Slide202
Christianity – Paul - Corinth
His original name, Marcus
Annaeus
Novatus
, but was adopted by the senator
Lucius
Junius
Gallio
– by which name he was then known.
Brother
of
Seneca
the
philosopher
(ca. 3 BC – AD 65).
“He appears to have been a man of
consider-able
personal
charm
– ‘
no
mortal
,’ said his brother Seneca [the philosopher], ‘
is
so
pleasant
to
any
one
person
as
Gallio
is
toSlide203
Christianity – Paul - Corinth
to
everybody
’ (
Natural Questions
iv a; Preface,11),
Dio
Cassius refers to his
wit
(
History
lxi.35).
After holding the
praetorship
[next rung up to the consulship], he was appointed
proconsul
of
Achaia
.
From an
inscription
at
Delphi
in Central Greece, recording a proclamation made bySlide204
Christianity – Paul - Corinth
the
Emperor
Claudius
between the
end
of
51
and
August
of
52
, it can be inferred,
Gallio
entered
upon
his
proconsulship
in
July
51
.
(The inscription, which mentions
Gallio
as proconsul of Achaia, is datable by its reference to Claudius having been acclaimed
imperator
for the 26
th
time; the evidence of other inscriptions indicates that the period during which Claudius could be so describedSlide205
Christianity – Paul - Corinth
covers the first seven months of AD 52. As a proconsul entered on his term of office [nominally] on July 1, it is just possible that
Gallio
became proconsul on July 1, AD 52, but much more probable that he did so on that date in the year 51 [
Deissmann
, Lake])” (FFB).
Gallio’s
proconsulship
is the anchor date for NT chronology. His handling of the situation was of cardinal importance for Christianity.Slide206
Christianity – Paul - Ephesus
Paul’s Third Missionary Journey (AD 52-55)
“... reasoning daily in the
scholé
of
Tyrannus
.
And this took place for two years, so that
all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord
–
both
Jews
and
Greeks
” (Ac 19:10).Slide207
Christianity - Ephesus
“
Luke tells us
little
of Paul’s
years
at Ephesus, but the little he does tell shows
how
great
an
impact
Paul had on the city” (DJW).
This is
enormous
when one considers
the
history
and
character
of
the
city
.
It reveals Paul as
a
colossal
,
towering
figure
.
“At the same time, it portrays
accurately
the
religious
and
moral
atmosphere
of the
place
.Slide208
Christianity – Paul - Ephesus
According
to
Rackman
,
‘at Ephesus, Hellenistic culture and philosophy had made a disastrous union with oriental superstition’
.
The result was
a
city
preoccupied
with
magic
. Paul must have deplored their superstition –
and
yet
the
very
interest
of
the
Ephesians
in
magic
gave
the
gospel
an
entry
” (DJW).Slide209
Christianity – Paul - Ephesus
“
Many of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices.
And many of those who practised magic brought their books together and [
began
] burning them in the sight of all;
and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver” (19:18-19).Slide210
Christianity – Paul - Ephesus
“
So the word of the Lord was
growing
mightily
and
prevailing
” (19:20).
The effects of evangelism “were being increasingly felt in both Ephesus itself and in the province” (DJW).Slide211
Christianity
The
Wider
Circle:
Asia
MinorSlide212
Christianity – Wider Circle
“And they [Paul and Silas on Paul’s Second Missionary Journey – AD 50-51] passed through the Phrygian and
Galatian
region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in
Asia
[Roman province of Asia], and when they came to
Mysia
, they were trying to go into
Bithynia
and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them” (Ac 16:6-7).Slide213
Christianity – Wider CircleSlide214
Christianity – Wider Circle
“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and
Bithynia
...” (I Peter 1:1).
These represent districts in which Paul was not active – at least not in northern Galatia.Slide215
Christianity – Wider CircleSlide216
Christianity – Wider CircleSlide217
Christianity – BithyniaSlide218
Christianity - Bithynia
If the First Epistle of Peter was written by Peter, and there are good grounds for thinking that it was, and Peter’s death is to be put in the middle of the 60s, how were the vast regions covered by his letter evangelised, and evangelised so early?
This raises major, intriguing questions.
The subject is all the more intriguing for five reasons:Slide219
Christianity - Bithynia
1) We have information from one of these
regions – Bithynia.
2) Bithynia is comparatively remote.
3) The information is from a
non
-Christian
source.
4) The source is of the highest quality.
5) The information is highly illuminating.Slide220
Christianity - Bithynia
Pliny
the
Younger
(AD 61 or 62 – ca. 114)
Nephew of Pliny the Elder
He showed talent at an early age, and received and excellent education.
He trained as an
advocatus
-- lawyer.
He began a distinguished legal career at the age of 18.Slide221
Christianity - Bithynia
He
succeeded in navigating unscathed through the reign of terror of Domitian (AD 81-96). (Domitian had insisted on being addressed as ‘’
Dominus et Deus
- Lord and God”.)
In AD 100 he addressed to Trajan (98-117) the customary
gratiarum
actio
– ‘address of thanks,’ and then produced his
Panegyricus
.Slide222
Christianity - Bithynia
His
most notable success also took place in AD 100 – prosecution of Marius
Priscus
.
In AD 104 and 106 he acted as counsel for the defence of two senatorial ex-governors accused of maladministration in
Bithynia
.Slide223
Christianity - Bithynia
The experience and knowledge thus acquired as well as in finance made Pliny an obvious choice when the emperor Trajan (AD 98-117) decided to place Bithynia under an imperial
legatus
(legate) with special powers to over- haul its finances –
probably
in
AD
110-111
.
We know that Pliny spent at least two years in Bithynia and that his time there over-lapped C.
Macer
, governor of Moesia in 112.Slide224
Christianity - Bithynia
Pliny
to
Trajan
:
“Among the chief features of
Amastris
(Greek city on the south coast of the Black Sea), Sir, a city which is well built and laid out, is a long street of great beauty. But throughout the length of it there runs what is called a stream [
flumen
] that is in fact a filthy sewer, a disgusting eyesore which gives off a noxious stench. The health and appearance alike of Slide225
Christianity - Bithynia
the
city will benefit if it is covered in, and with your permission this shall be done. I shall see that money is not lacking for a large-scale work of such importance” (X. 98).
From the above we see that Pliny was a
highly
civlised
individual – something to be noted in what follows a little below.
Slide226
Christianity - Bithynia
Trajan
to
Pliny
:
“There is every reason, my dear Pliny, to cover the water which you say flows through the city of
Amastris
, if it is a danger to health while it remains uncovered. I am sure you will be active as always to ensure that there is no lack of money for this work” (X. 99).
(Note Trajan’s emphasis on health – a very Roman touch.)Slide227
Pliny to the Emperor Trajan
“
It is my custom to refer all my difficulties to you, Sir, for no one is better able to resolve my doubts and to inform my ignorance.
I
have
never
been
present
at
an
examination
of
Christians
. Consequently, I do not know the nature or the extent of the
punishments
usually
meted
out
to
them
, nor the
grounds
for
starting
an
investigation
and
how
far
it
should
be
pressed
. Nor am I at all Slide228
Pliny to the Emperor Trajan
sure whether any distinction should be made between them on the grounds of age, or if young people and adults should be treated alike; whether a pardon ought to be granted to anyone retracting his beliefs, or if he has once professed Christianity, he shall gain nothing by renouncing it; and whether it is
the
mere
name
of
Christian
which is punishable, even if
innocent
of
crime
, orSlide229
Pliny to the Emperor Trajan
rather
the
crimes
associated
with
the
name
.
For the moment this is the line I have taken with all persons brought before me on the charge of being Christians.
I
have
asked
them
in
person
if
they
are
Christians
, and if they admit it,
I
repeat
the
question
a
second
and
third
time
, with a warning of the punishment awaiting them.
If
they
persist
,
I
order
them
to
be
led
away
for
execution
; Slide230
Pliny to the Emperor Trajan
for
whatever the nature of their admission, I am convinced that their
stubbornness
and unshakeable
obstinacy
ought not to go unpunished. There have been others
similarly
fanatical
who are
Roman
citizens
. I have entered them on
the
list
of
persons
to
be
sent
to
Rome
for
trial
. [It is not clear whether Pliny was obliged to do this, whether or not those charged had (like Paul)Slide231
Pliny to the Emperor Trajan
exercised
their right to appeal, but it was probably the custom to do so.]
Now that I have begun to deal with this problem, as so often happens,
the
charges
are
becoming
more
widespread
and
increasing
in
variety
. An
anonymous
pamphlet
has been circulated which contains the names of a number of accused persons. Among these I considered that I should Slide232
Pliny to the Emperor Trajan
dismiss
any who denied that they were or ever had been Christians when they had
repeated
after
me
a
formula
of
invocation
to
the
gods
and
had
made
offerings
of
wine
and
incense
to
your
statue
(
which
I
had
ordered
to
be
brought
into
court
for
this
purpose
along
with
the
images
of
the
gods
), and furthermore had
reviled
the
name
of
Christ
:
none
of
which
things
,
I
understand
,
any
genuine
Christian
can
be
induced
to
do
.Slide233
Pliny to the Emperor Trajan
Others
, whose names were given to me by an informer, first admitted the charge and then denied it; they said that they had ceased to be Christians two or more years previously, and some of them even twenty years ago.
They
all
did
reverence
to
your
statue
and
the
images
of
the
gods
in
the
same
way
as
the
others
, and
reviled
the
name
of
Christ
. They also declared that theSlide234
Pliny to the Emperor Trajan
sum total of their guilt or error amounted to no more than this: they had met regularly before dawn on a fixed day to chant verses to a god, and also bind themselves by oath, not for any criminal purpose, but to abstain from theft, robbery and adultery, to commit no breach of trust and not to deny a deposit when called upon to restore it. After this ceremony it had been their custom to disperse and reassemble later to take food of Slide235
Pliny to the Emperor Trajan
an ordinary, harmless kind; but they had in fact given up this practice since
my
edict
,
issued
on
your
instructions
, which banned all political societies.
This
made
me
decide
it
was
all
the
more
necessary
to
extract
the
truth
by
torture
from
two
slave-women
,
whom
they
call
deaconesses
.
I
found
nothing
but
a
degenerate
sort
of
cult
[
superstitionem
pravam
]
carried
to
extravagant
lengths
.Slide236
Pliny to the Emperor Trajan
I have therefore postponed any further examination and hastened to consult you. The question seems to me to be worthy of your consideration,
especially
in
view
of
the
number
of
persons
endangered
;
for
a
great
many
individuals
of
every
age
and
class
,
both
men
and
women
, are being brought to trial, and this is
likely
to
continue
. It is
not
only
the
towns
,
but
villages
and
rural
districts
too
which are infected through contact with thisSlide237
Pliny to the Emperor Trajan
wretched
cult
. I think though that it is still possible for it to be checked and directed to better ends, for there is no doubt that the
people
have
begun
to
throng
the
temples
which
had
been
almost
entirely
deserted
for
a
long
time
;
the
sacred
rites
which
had
been
allowed
to
lapse
are being performed again, and
flesh
of
sacrificial
victims
is
on
sale
everywhere
,
though
up
till
recently
scarcelySlide238
Pliny to the Emperor Trajan
anyone
could
be
found
to
buy
it. It is easy to infer from this that
a
great
many
people
could be reformed if they were given an opportunity to repent” (
Letters
X. 96).Slide239
Trajan to Pliny
“
You have followed the right course of procedure, my dear Pliny, in your examination of the cases of persons charged with being Christians, for it is impossible to lay down a general rule to a fixed formula. These people must not be hunted out; if they are brought before you and the charge against them is proved,
they
must
be
punished
, but in the case of anyone who Slide240
Trajan to Pliny
denies that he is a Christian, and makes it clear that he is not by offering prayers to our gods, he is to be pardoned as a result of his repentance however suspect his past may be.
But
pamphlets
circulated
anonymously
must
play
no
part
in
any
accusation
. They create the worst sort of precedent and are quite out of keeping with the spirit of our age” (X. 97).Slide241
Trajan to Pliny
denies that he is a Christian, and makes it clear that he is not by offering prayers to our gods, he is to be pardoned as a result of his repentance however suspect his past may be.
But
pamphlets
circulated
anonymously
must
play
no
part
in
any
accusation
. They create the worst sort of precedent and are quite out of keeping with the spirit of our age” (X. 97).Slide242
Christianity – Wider Circle
The picture which emerges here in Bithynia was doubtless duplicated in many other parts of Asia Minor.
Indeed, the whole of this land mass became more or less saturated with the spread of the gospel.
Much the same was true on the continent of Europe.Slide243
Christianity – Wider Circle
It is also significant that it was in Asia Minor where some of the most basic doctrines of Christianity were hammered out.
The various discussions culminated in numerous Church Councils, one of the
earliestand
most important was the
Council
of
Nicaea
in
AD
325
– located, interestingly, in
Bithynia
, and summoned by Constantine (20 May).Slide244
Christianity – Wider Circle
Christianity profoundly impacted virtually every aspect of culture – including the political realm.
Diagnostic in this respect was the role of the Emperor
Constantine the Great
.
It may be noted in passing that Constantine’s mother came from Bithynia and he himself grew up in
Nicomedeia
– in Bithynia.Slide245
Christianity – Wider Circle
Constantine bowed to the impacting power of Christianity by declaring it the official religion – in the
Edict
of
Milan
(AD 313):
granting complete freedom of religion and recognising the Christian Church or rather each separate local church as a legal ‘person’.Slide246
Christianity – Wider Circle
The impact of Christianity also found
expres-sion
in architecture – especially in churches.
The early climax was certainly the
Hagia
Sophia
in Constantinople.
It was first dedicated on 15 February, 360.
It was later expanded – between 532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor,
Slide247
Christianity – Wider Circle
Justinian.
It is an architectural marvel.
It is said to have “changed the history of architecture”.
It was the largest cathedral in the world for almost 1000 years.
Architects:
Isidore
of Miletus (physicist).
Anthemius
of
Tralles
(mathematician)Slide248
Christianity – Wider Circle
Length: 269’
Width: 240’
Height: 180’
It became the model for many other churches and for many Ottoman mosques.Slide249
Hagia SophiaSlide250
Hagia SophiaSlide251
Hagia SophiaSlide252
Hagia SophiaSlide253
Hagia SophiaSlide254
Hagia SophiaSlide255
Hagia SophiaSlide256
Hagia SophiaSlide257
Hagia SophiaSlide258
Hagia SophiaSlide259
Christianity – the Mega-Story
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law” (Gal 4:4).Slide260
Christianity – the Mega-Story
The confluence of numerous streams:
1) The events of the OT – the chosen Jews.
2) The early Greek culture of the
polis
.
3) Alexander the Great.
4) Hellenistic culture – from the Indus to
Europe.
5) The Greek language.Slide261
Christianity – the Mega-Story
1) Roman
imperium
– Roman empire.
2) Roman administration.
3)
Pax
Romana
– Roman Peace.
4) Roman Law.
5) Roman roads.Slide262
Christianity – the Mega-Story
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law” (Gal 4:4).Slide263
Christianity – the Mega-Story