Paul and the Greek Poets

You never know what lesson you are learning today will mean for you tomorrow. A classic example involved one of my favorite Bible characters, Rabban Gamaliel I., a prestigious scholar and member of the Jewish Sanhedrin.

Historians record that as a teacher he insisted that his students study the Greek poets. Imagine a young student thinking, “What’s with this? Why should I a Jewish boy with Roman citizenship have to study Greek poetry?” From his perspective that would have been good logic.

Recently I stood on Mars Hill in Athens, Greece where that lesson proved to be very valuable for that young student named Paul. In Israel Paul could quote Old Testament passages and the people understood where he was coming from.

Later he went to the cultural center, Athens. The people there knew nothing of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Near the base of the Parthenon crowned Acropolis is the small hill known as Mars Hill. Here on the occasion of the meeting of the Areopagus Paul addressed a crowd described as, “All the Athenians and foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking and listening to the latest ideas?”

Along the pathway leading up Mars Hill were statues to various gods and goddesses. All were well identified. Just incase they had overlooked one, they had a statue dedicated to “the unknown God.”

The Greeks were devotees of their poets. Seizing the moment Paul addressed the crown saying, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” Lock on. They knew Paul was quoting from two of their favorite poets, Aratus and Epimenides. Gamaliel had saved the day. Paul got his audience and the gospel spread.In that day as in this people have different opinions regarding the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul was one who spread the news broadly. Recently sailing the Aegean Isles locals share another means of the discrimination. On most of the islands were Jewish colonies expectantly looking for Messiah.

Many Jews were made Roman slaves and forced to be oarsmen on slave ships. They had been in Jerusalem and knew the promise of peace and hope offered by Jesus. Their pain and drudgery was made easier by the hope they had of a better heavenly home as a result. They believed in Him as Messiah.

As they forcefully were made to power the ships around the sea, they encountered Jewish communities expecting the Messiah. Many in these colonies joined in sharing their belief and thus through persecution the word spread.

By academic and enslaved spokesmen the word spread. Rome intended it for evil, but God intended it for good.

There are still persons on both sides of this vital issue. This is merely a historical perspective of how many came to believe.