The Ancient World - Christianity - PowerPoint Presentation

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