What three cultures had the greatest impact on th

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ChristianHistoryThe Context
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The Greek, Roman and Jewish backgrounds of early
Christianity
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What three cultures had the greatest impact on
the development of the Christian Church?

• Hebrew
• Greek
• Roman

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I. The Greek World

• Political History
• 1. Philip II of Macedon (d. 336 BC)

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I. The Greek World

• Political History
• 2. Alexander the Great (d. 323 BC)

Who played me in the movie?
A blonde Colin Farrell?!
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I. The Greek World

• Political History
• 3. Division of the Empire
• a. Wars of the Diadochi (successors)
• b. Final Division of the Empire
• 1) Ptolemaic Empire
• 2) Seleucid Empire
• 3) Macedonia

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I. The Greek World

• B. Hellenism
• 1. Definition
• Alexanders attempt to convey the Greek ideals
  the emulation of mid-fifth century Athens under
  Pericles the promotion of Greek science, math,
  art, literature, and philosophy.

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I. The Greek World

• B. Hellenism
• 2. Significance
• Hellenism exported Greek religion, philosophy,
  and language throughout the region where the
  early church spread.

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I. The Greek World

• C. Religion
• 1. Pantheon of gods and goddesses
• a. anthropomorphic
• b. capricious
• c. immoral
• d. supernatural
• e. immortal

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I. The Greek World

• C. Religion
• 2. Hero worship
• 3. The Delphic Oracle
• 4. Ruler cult
• 5. Personification of Fortune and Fate
• 6. Magic
• 7. Mystery religions

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I. The Greek World

• D. Philosophy
• 1. Socrates (c. 469-399 BC)
• Socratic method of questioning
• Knowledge is chief virtue
• Correct thoughts lead to correct acts
• Ethical values associated with Christianity
• Challenged anthropomorphism of gods
• Raised human ethical responsibility
• Influenced Plato and Aristotle

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I. The Greek World

• D. Philosophy
• 2. Plato (c. 427-347)
• a. The doctrine of the two worlds The
  material things around us are not the ultimate
  realities instead they are the shadows of
  universals which exist before and apart from
  individual, physical objects. As in the
  parable of the people in the cave seeing
  shadows cast on the wall, we comprehend
  only shadows and echoes of reality in this
  world.
• Cf. Hebrews 923-24

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I. The Greek World

• D. Philosophy
• 2. Plato (c. 427-347)
• b. The immortality and pre-existence of
  the soul Plato taught the pre-existence
  of souls and their transmigration, or
  reincarnation, after death. Furthermore,
  because of his belief that only the
  spiritual has permanence, he affirmed the
  eternal death of the body. These tenets of his
  doctrine are opposed to Christian
  resurrection, but early Christians
  pointed to Platos assertion of the
  immortality of the soul for support of their
  hope.

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I. The Greek World

• D. Philosophy
• 2. Plato (c. 427-347)
• c. Knowledge as reminiscence The
  Platonic doctrine of knowledge is based on a
  distrust of the senses as the means of
  attaining true knowledge. The senses can
  supply infor- mation only about objects of
  this world, not about ideas. Since true
  knowledge is only the knowledge of ideas,
  Plato taught the theory of reminiscence
  whereby the individual remembered ideas held
  over by the pre-existent soul. Obviously
  main- stream Christianity did not accept
  pre-existence or reminiscence, but
  distrust of sensory perception lingered,
  especially through Augustines theory of
  knowledge.

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I. The Greek World

• D. Philosophy
• 2. Plato (c. 427-347)
• d. The Idea of the Good The origin of
  the world is the work of a divine artisan,
  or demiurge, that took formless matter and gave
  it form, imitating the beauty of the Idea
  of the Good. The parallels with Genesis
  powerfully influenced early Christian
  thought. The differentiation between the
  Idea of the Good and the artisan of the universe
  established a dichotomy between the
  Supreme Being and the Creator, which is
  entirely foreign to biblical thought, but
  which became rooted in the minds of some
  scholars who wished to assert the
  impassiveness of God simultaneously with his
  activity in the world. This source plus
  Platos monotheism led to a discussion of
  God that utilized Platonic termin- ology
  for the Idea of the Good God is impassive,
  infinite, incomprehensible, and indescribable.

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I. The Greek World

• D. Philosophy
• 3. Aristotle (384-322 BC)
• a. He rejected Platos doctrine of knowledge
  by reminiscence and said that learning
  comes through experience. Thus, he
  pioneered the study of logic and the
  sciences of biology, physics, and
  psychology.

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I. The Greek World

• D. Philosophy
• 3. Aristotle (384-322 BC)
• b. Aristotle described the person as a
  whole being with integrated body and soul
  the soul does not exist apart from the body
  although some aspect of the soul is not
  physical and survives death.

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I. The Greek World

• D. Philosophy
• 3. Aristotle (384-322 BC)
• c. He affirmed the presence of an
  impersonal, ultimate divinity termed the
  Prime Mover, which was the epitome of
  knowledge, actively causing all motion and
  passively attracting all objects by its
  magnetic, supreme perfection.

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I. The Greek World

• D. Philosophy
• 3. Aristotle (384-322 BC)
• d. Most of Aristotles works were lost to the
  West for seven hundred years until the
  rediscovery of his works on logic
  revolutionized Christian theology in the
  thirteenth century. Meanwhile, Platos
  idealistic realism profoundly influenced
  the theology of early and medieval Christianity
  through Augustine and others. Islam,
  however, benefited from Aristotles
  influence on the sciences and, for a time,
  outperformed the West technologically.

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I. The Greek World

• D. Philosophy
• 4. Stoicism - Zeno of Citium (c. 342-270 BC)
• a. The human soul is a spark of the universal
  World Soul, which endues the individual
  with personal dignity and joins all
  humanity as one family. They championed
  slaves and other outcasts of society.

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I. The Greek World

• D. Philosophy
• 4. Stoicism - Zeno of Citium (c. 342-270 BC)
• b. Salvation for the Stoic came through
  proper exercise of reason and will only
  the inner man truly counted.

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I. The Greek World

• D. Philosophy
• 4. Stoicism - Zeno of Citium (c. 342-270 BC)
• c. Stoics were highly predeterministic,
  rejecting Fortune and embracing Fate, whom
  they considered to be an expression of the
  benevolent World Soul which moved events
  toward the best solution for the common
  good. Therefore, true virtues were
  self-control and duty to remain unmoved by
  the circumstances of life. They held no
  doctrine of permanent immortality so what
  mattered was living responsibly in this
  world.

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I. The Greek World

• D. Philosophy
• 4. Stoicism - Zeno of Citium (c. 342-270 BC)
• d. Leading Romans embraced Stoic
  philosophy, including Cicero and Seneca,
  Neros tutor Epictetus, and Marcus
  Aurelius, who incorporated them into his
  Meditations.

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I. The Greek World

• D. Philosophy
• 5. Epicurus (341-270 BC)
• Pleasure is the chief goal in life and is
  defined as the absence of pain. Epicurus did
  not advocate, however, a life of debauchery.
  He taught that physical appetites had to be
  satisfied, but only in moderation, and he
  ranked spiritual fulfillment above bodily
  pleasure. He advocated atheistic materialism
  all moral and ethical relationships were
  pursued primarily for personal well-being also
  utilitarianism Whats in it for me?

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I. The Greek World

• D. Philosophy
• 6. Summary of Philosophy
• These philosophers were all preoccupied with
  an insatiable quest for the purpose of life
  humanity in search of destiny. Most of them
  used philosophy as the means to answer the
  needs of a society with virtually no moral
  foundation and no personal God. The
  bankruptcy of philosophy was evident in the
  fact that they asked questions for which they
  had no answers, but they prepared the way for
  the Lord Jesus Christ to answer these needs.

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I. The Greek World

• E. Summary of Religion and Philosophy
• The Greeks described their gods in one of two
  ways
• 1. Anthropomorphism Gods were humans
  writ large, with the same passions and
  weaknesses, just greater beings.
• 2. Logical abstraction Description
  depended on logical syllogisms such as God
  is perfect, a perfect being must have all
  knowledge therefore, God must be
  omnipotent.

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I. The Greek World

• E. Summary of Religion and Philosophy
• Both of these descriptions have fatal flaws
• 1. Anthropomorphism This approach concentrated
  too much on the desires of humans and
  blurred distinctions between the natural
  and the supernatural.
• 2. Logical abstraction This approach depended
  on mans limited understanding of the
  universe and divine purpose. For example,
  consider this syllogism God is perfect,
  perfect beings do not suffer therefore,
  God cannot suffer. This concept is
  erroneous according to the New Testament.
  Also consider immutability and the Incarnation.

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II. The Roman Empire

• Augustus Caesar
• On January 16, 27 BC, Octavian assumed the title
  Augustus.
• He transformed the republic into an empire which
  he extended from Spain and Gaul to Syria and
  North Africa.
• Through dual government, which combined the rule
  of the senate and the emperor, he restored order
  and unity to Roman government torn by civil war
  for 80 years.

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II. The Roman Empire

• Augustus Caesar
• The establishment of the Empire brought about
  three results critical to the growth of the
  church
• 1. Roman law
• 2. Pax Romana (27 BC 180 AD)
• 3. Roman roads

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II. The Roman Empire

• B. Culture
• 1. The Law
• 2. Hellenism
• 3. Language
• Latin and Greek

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II. The Roman Empire

• C. Religion
• 1. Polytheism
• 2. Syncretism
• 3. Emperor worship
• 4. Ceremony
• 5. Philosophically based

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II. The Roman Empire

• C. Religion
• 6. Mystery religions

• These cults were derived mainly from the East
• They involved secretive ceremonies and
  initiations
• Their members were attracted by promises of
  fellowship and immortality
• Many cults believed in a savior-god, who had died
  and risen again
• Many sought to release the soul from the flesh,
  which they perceived as contaminated (dualism)
  
• Some practiced asceticism and cleanliness
  others engaged in ritual debauchery

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II. The Roman Empire

• C. Religion
• 6. Mystery religions
• a. Magna Mater cult The Great Mother
  loved a virgin born shepherd and
  achieved his resurrection after he
  died.

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II. The Roman Empire
C. Religion 6. Mystery religions b.
Mithraism Similarities to Christianity

• Communion meal
• Baptism (in the blood of a bull)
• Membership from all strata of society
• Belief in Unconquered One
• Belief in afterlife/heaven
• Flood heritage
• Birthday of Mithras was December 25
• Worshiped in Mithraeum, an underground
  cavern/crypt

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II. The Roman Empire

• D. Factors in Graeco-Roman world favorable to
  the spread of Christianity
• 1. Universal language
• 2. Roman roads
• 3. Pax Romana
• 4. Roman citizenship gave privileges to some
  missionary preachers
• 5. A unified empire broke down many
  cultural/nationalistic barriers
• 6. Mystery religions and Greek philosophy
  prepared many for the advent of Christ

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III. The Hebrew Nation
A. Geography Palestine was located at the
crossroads of the great trade routes between
Egypt and Mesopotamia, Rome/Asia Minor and
Arabia. However it was not a cultural center
just a backwater province.
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III. The Hebrew Nation

• B. History
• 1. Alexanders defeat of Persia (331 BC) led
  to the voluntary dispersion of Jews for
  commercial enterprises throughout the
  Alexandrian Empire.
• Alexander brought Hellenism into Palestine
  but allowed the Jews to retain their religious
  identity.

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2. After Alexander a. Ptolemaic Egypt
dominated Palestine (331-198 BC) b. Syrian
Seleucids accelerated Hellenization (198-142 BC).
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III. The Hebrew Nation

• B. History
• 2. After Alexander
• c. Maccabean revolt against Antiochus IV
  Epiphanes (166-142) and his successors
  earned Jews their freedom.
• d. The Hasmonean dynasty ruled Palestine
  independently (142-63 BC) until Roman
  conquest.

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III. The Hebrew Nation

• B. History
• 3. Roman domination
• a. Civil War (67 BC)
• b. Pompey conquered Jerusalem (63 BC)
• c. Herod (the Great) was pronounced King of
  Judah by the Roman Senate (40 BC)

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III. The Hebrew Nation

• C. Religious Parties
• 1. Pharisees
• 2. Sadducees
• 3. Zealots
• 4. Herodians
• 5. Essenes
• 6. Samaritans

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III. The Hebrew Nation

• D. Common Tenets
• 1. Ethical monotheism
• 2. Eschatological hope

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III. The Hebrew Nation

• E. The Diaspora
• 1. Voluntary dispersion
• 2. Involuntary dispersion
• 3. Synagogues
• a. Ten families
• b. Five-point liturgy
• 1) The Shema (Deut. 61-4)
• 2) Prayer
• 3) Reading of the Scripture
• 4) Sermon
• 5) Benediction

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III. The Hebrew Nation

• E. The Diaspora
• 3. Synagogues (continued)
• c. Focal points for winning converts to
  Judaism
• 1) God-fearing Gentiles proselytes of the
  gate
• 2) Proselytes of righteousness
• d. Early centers of Christian missionary
  activity

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III. The Hebrew Nation

• E. The Diaspora
• 4. Language
• a. Greek
• b. Septuagint (LXX)
• 5. Hellenization
• Philo of Alexandria (26 BC 53 AD)

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Summary Jesus Christ came at Gods appointed
time in history, fulfilling the Fathers purpose
in a well-ordered but morally bankrupt society
seeking to answer the meaning of existence.