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Acts to Revelation l Episode 9

June 6, 2018

27:31

Drive Thru History: Acts to Revelation

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Acts to Revelation l Episode 9

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Dave Stotts: In our last episode, Paul and his companions
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were spreading the gospel message through Macedonia.
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We visited incredible places such as Neapolis,
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Philippi, and Thessalonica.
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At the end of the episode, the Thessalonian followers of Christ
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sent Paul, Silas, and Timothy out of Thessalonica to protect
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them from an angry mob.
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According to Luke's account, the team was sent on
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to the remote city of Berea.
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Dave: The ancient city of Berea is known today as Veria.
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It's located about 45 miles west of Thessalonica
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in the region of Macedonia.
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Although little is known of this place prior to the Roman period,
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this city has been continuously occupied for nearly 2.500 years.
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There are almost no archeological ruins of Roman
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period Berea, however the discover of various monuments
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and inscriptions do confirm the location and name of this city,
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here in Roman province of Macedonia.
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According to Acts chapter 17, Paul, Silas, and probably
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Timothy arrived here in Berea one night in early 50 A.D.
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As was his custom, Paul went to the
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synagogue to preach the gospel.
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Dave: "Now, the Berean Jews were of more noble character
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than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message
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with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures
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every day to see if what Paul said was true.
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As a result, many of them believed, as did a number of
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prominent Greek women and many Greek men," Acts 17:11-12.
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Dave: According to Luke's account, the listeners at the
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synagogue here in Berea were described as people of noble
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character who eagerly received what Paul taught.
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However, they also examined the Scriptures themselves
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to verify what Paul was claiming, that Jesus Christ
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was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy
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of a promised Messiah.
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The example of the Bereans is a great reminder to all of us
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to compare what we hear in our churches and schools with
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the historical accounts that we find in the Bible itself.
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Dave: In addition to the Bereans in the synagogue,
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apparently many of the Greek men and women
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of the city also believed in Jesus Christ.
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Later in Acts, we learn that one of these
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Greeks was named Sopater, son of Pyrrhus of Berea.
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Sopater became a colleague of Paul and joined him during later
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travels in Greece and Macedonia, and finally when Paul returned
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to Jerusalem before his arrest.
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Dave: Now, after Paul spent some time preaching
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and teaching, the Christians here at Berea
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sent him out of the city for his own protection.
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It seems the unruly mob from Thessalonica made the
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72-kilometer hike to Berea to cause trouble here too.
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Now, 72 klicks is a long way to walk.
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It seems to me anyway that your garden variety
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unruly mob is comprised of people who have a lot
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of spare time on their hands.
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Maybe things haven't changed that much in 2.000 years.
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It's like that old saying, you know, from ye olden time,
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"Mobs will be mobs."
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Dave: "The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast,
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but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea.
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Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens, and then left
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with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon
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as possible," Acts 17:14-15.
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Dave: According to Luke's account, Paul's
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next stop was the epic city of Athens.
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Now, most of that 300-mile journey was probably by boat,
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but we're gonna drive it and see what we find along the way.
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Dave: Just 20 minutes outside of Berea
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is the ancient city of Vergina.
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It was here in 336 B.C.
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that King Philip II was assassinated in the theater,
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and his son, Alexander the Great, was proclaimed king.
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The site was discovered in 1976 and excavations have now
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revealed an extensive royal palace and ancient tomb complex,
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including the undisturbed tomb of Philip II himself.
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Forty-five minutes outside of Berea
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is the ancient city of Pella.
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This was the capital of the Macedonian empire.
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It was the birthplace of Alexander the Great in 356 B.C.
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and the starting point for his ten-year campaign to conquer
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the world, beginning in 334 B.C.
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As we continue our drive south towards Athens, we cross from
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Macedonia into Achaia, the other Roman province that was
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important to early Christianity in this part of the world.
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[making car engine noises]
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[coughing]
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Dave: Wow.
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Dave: Achaia covered about two-thirds of modern-day Greece.
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During the Roman period, Corinth was the capital and largest city
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of this province, where the governor was stationed.
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Athens was the famous center of culture and learning.
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About an hour south of Berea is a special mountain
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that towers above the entire area, Mount Olympus.
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Dave: There she is, Mount Olympus,
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often shrouded in mystery.
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Huge fan.
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Dave: Sometimes in "Drive Thru History," we travel halfway
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around the world to get to a site that's covered in
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scaffolding, or in this case, shrouded in clouds.
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Well, behind those clouds is the stunning Mount Olympus,
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fabled home of the 12 Olympian gods led by Zeus.
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To the ancient Greeks, this location was the
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centerpiece of their mythological beliefs.
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A number of peaks formed Mount Olympus.
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Together, they comprised the realm of the gods, with the
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highest peaks considered off-limits to mere mortals.
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Today, the highest peak is known as Mytikas,
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rising to 9.570 feet.
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In Greek mythology, this peak was associated with the meeting
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place for Zeus and his pantheon of gods.
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This peak is known as Stefani.
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In ancient times, it was known as the throne of Zeus.
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Although the Greek gods were based in myth and legend, Mount
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Olympus was a very real place to the ancient Greeks.
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Continuing our drive south, our next stop is Thermopylae,
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about 100 miles north of Athens.
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Dave: I've made it to Thermopylae, here on
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the eastern coast of central Greece.
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Now, the name Thermopylae means "Hot Gates,"
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because of the hot sulfur springs in the area.
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According to Greek mythology, this was one of the gates
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to Hades, the underworld of the dead.
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In ancient times, Thermopylae was a very narrow land passage
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with those huge, steep mountains running down into the sea,
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leaving a thin marshy area along the coast.
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But silt, over the centuries, has pushed the coastline out,
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and you can see this road here, which will give you a pretty
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good indication of where the shoreline would
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have been during the 5th century B.C.
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Thermopylae was the location for the epic battle between
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the Persians and the alliance of Greek city-states
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led by King Leonidas of Sparta.
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Now, this battle has been made famous because of a
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number of movies, TV shows, and video games
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in the pop culture legend known as the 300.
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You see, in addition to being king, Leonidas commanded
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an elite group of 300 Spartan guards.
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And like all male Spartans, Leonidas had been trained
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since childhood to be a Hoplite warrior.
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Dave: The Spartans were known for their physical and mental
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toughness, and spent their entire lives preparing
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for the rigors of becoming warriors.
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Let's take a look at how the typical
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Spartan warrior was equipped.
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First, there were dreadlocks.
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Spartans thought they were both handsome and fear-inducing.
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Next came the beard, minus the mustache.
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Think Abraham Lincoln with dreadlocks.
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Working from the feet up, we add sandals, though while in
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training, they often went barefoot to toughen their feet.
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It is said that Spartan boys were forbidden to wear shoes,
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lest their feet become soft.
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Bronze greaves protected the shins.
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A pteruges, made of tough leather,
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protected the waist and groin.
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A bronze cuirass protected the chest and back.
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By crouching closely together, Spartans could form a phalanx,
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which protected the group from arrows
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and other forms of attack.
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Finally, there was a felt helmet liner and then a
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Corinthian-style bronze helmet, which protected the head
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and gave a fearsome appearance.
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The helmet often had a stiff, horse hair crest,
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which made the warriors appear taller and added
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some protection from blows to the head.
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The crest could also signify one's rank and unit.
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Thus equipped, the Spartans were a most fearsome force.
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During the 5th century B.C., the Persians were out to conquer
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the world, including the powerful city-states of Greece.
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It started under Darius the Great, who is mentioned in the
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Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
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After the death of Darius in 486 B.C., his son,
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Xerxes, took over world conquering duties.
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Xerxes is the Persian king mentioned in
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the Old Testament book of Esther.
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Dave: In 480 B.C., the Persians, under Xerxes, waged
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a second great military campaign against the Greeks.
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The pass here at Thermopylae was the only land route that the
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Persians could take in order to attack the lower city-states.
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Because of the narrow nature of the pass, this was where the
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Spartans set up their defenses.
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Now, legend has it that 300 Spartans held off a million
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Persian soldiers, but that's not exactly what happened.
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In reality, it was 300 elite Spartan bodyguards
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that served King Leonidas, and several other
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Greek city-states joined in the fight.
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A good estimate is about 7.000 soldiers from
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about 14 different Greek city-states.
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Now, the Persian army was huge, but it was short of a million.
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Modern scholars today suggest it was a Persian army of between
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100.000 and 300.000.
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Still, not great odds for the Greek allies.
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Dave: In any event, there was a three-day battle where the
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Greeks held off the Persians with legendary feats of courage.
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The Persian army was primarily archers with wicker shields,
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which is one of the reasons the Spartans were able
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to hold out as long as they did.
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The Persian arrows couldn't penetrate the
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metal of the overlapped Hoplite shields.
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Dave: On the third day of the battle, it became obvious that
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the Persians would overwhelm the outnumbered Greeks, so Leonidas
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pushed his elite Spartans into the widest part of the pass in
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order to inflict maximum Persian casualties and to give
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the remaining Greek soldiers an avenue of escape.
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In the ensuing clash, Leonidas was killed in heroic fashion.
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His men fought furiously to retrieve his body
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but were unsuccessful.
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Now, here at Thermopylae, you can see today
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a monument with the phrase, "Go tell the Spartans," the phrase,
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attributed to Leonidas, where he essentially was saying,
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"Go tell the Spartans that I did what I had come to do."
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The battle of Thermopylae and the role of the 300 Spartans
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soon acquired legendary status.
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Free men sacrificed themselves in order to
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protect the Greek way of life from foreign invasion.
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Dave: This is the end of our 300-mile Greek
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road trip from Berea.
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This is the epic city of Athens.
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Athens was established around 1.400 B.C. and rose quickly
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to become the most prestigious
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of the ancient Greek city-states.
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The name of Athens is connected to the Greek goddess Athena,
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who according to legend won the right to give her name
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to the city after a competition with Poseidon.
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Dave: The initial settlement of the city was on the
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Acropolis, which housed a palace, at least one temple,
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and had a wall encircling it.
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Democracy emerged in Athens centuries later, beginning with
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a constitution in the earth 6th century B.C.
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In the earth 5th century, Athens started developing
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its own navy to defend the region against the growing
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threat of invasion from Persia.
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In addition to building over 200 warships,
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a new harbor at Piraeus was constructed
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and connected to Athens via a walled road.
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Dave: In the wars with Persia that followed, the Athenians
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were able to defend their homeland largely due
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to its navy, its leadership, and its alliances
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with other Greek city-states.
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Although Athens was sacked twice, the Persians were
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ultimately defeated, and the period that followed
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was the Golden Age of Athens.
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Dave: During this period, playwrights such as Aeschylus
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and Euripides composed their masterpieces, which are still
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read and performed today.
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Herodotus and Thucydides recorded histories that continue
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to be used by modern scholars.
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Socrates trained a line of philosophers, including Plato,
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that influenced many of the great thinkers for centuries.
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Hippocrates established medicine as a distinct field of study in
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Greece and Pericles led Athens into greatness,
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promoting academics, art, architecture, and democracy,
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and started construction projects on the Acropolis,
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including the Parthenon.
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The Parthenon soon became the most awesome and imposing
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building on the Acropolis, housing a 37-foot statue of
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Athena, covered with ivory and gold.
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Another statue of Athena, even more massive, was made
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of bronze and stood over 49 feet high outside the temple.
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The Parthenon functioned not only as a monument and temple
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to Athena, but as a bank for the city of Athens.
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Dave: In the 6th century A.D., the Parthenon
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was converted into a church after Christianity became
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widespread here in Athens.
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Then, for a time, when the Ottomans controlled the region,
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the Parthenon was used as a mosque.
00:17:12.110 --> 00:17:14.250
It was also doubled as a warehouse for weapons.
00:17:14.260 --> 00:17:18.010
Unfortunately, the large amounts of gunpowder stored here led to
00:17:18.020 --> 00:17:21.280
an explosion in 1687, during a war with Venice, and the
00:17:21.290 --> 00:17:27.080
structure was severely damaged.
00:17:27.090 --> 00:17:30.050
It wasn't until 1983 that the massive restoration
00:17:30.060 --> 00:17:34.000
project you can see going on here today was started,
00:17:34.010 --> 00:17:37.180
with the goal of restoring the Parthenon to as
00:17:37.190 --> 00:17:40.100
close to its ancient form as possible.
00:17:40.110 --> 00:17:42.220
The Parthenon remains today an enduring symbol
00:17:42.230 --> 00:17:46.140
of ancient Greece in Athenian democracy.
00:17:46.150 --> 00:17:49.180
Visible from all over the city, its massive columns
00:17:49.190 --> 00:17:52.200
still represent one of the world's great monuments.
00:17:52.210 --> 00:17:56.030
During the Roman period, much of the monumental
00:17:56.180 --> 00:17:58.290
architecture was expanded and rebuilt.
00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:02.240
Now, the Golden Age of Athens was long gone, but the city
00:18:02.250 --> 00:18:05.190
was still an important center of learning and philosophy.
00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:09.170
Even Plato's Academy and Aristotle's Lyceum
00:18:09.180 --> 00:18:12.260
were still in operation during the Roman period.
00:18:12.270 --> 00:18:16.150
Dave: This is the Athens that Paul visited in about 50 A.D.
00:18:18.140 --> 00:18:22.190
As you'll recall, Paul was forced to flee a mob in Berea,
00:18:22.200 --> 00:18:27.180
and he was escorted here to Athens by some
00:18:27.190 --> 00:18:29.240
of the new Berean Christians.
00:18:29.250 --> 00:18:32.120
Paul was instructed to wait here in the city until Silas
00:18:32.130 --> 00:18:36.050
and Timothy could join him.
00:18:36.060 --> 00:18:38.140
According to chapter 17 of Acts, here's what happened next.
00:18:38.150 --> 00:18:44.100
"While Paul was waiting in Athens, he was greatly
00:18:44.110 --> 00:18:47.010
distressed to see that the city was full of idols.
00:18:47.020 --> 00:18:51.120
So, he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing
00:18:51.130 --> 00:18:55.150
Greeks, as well as in marketplace day by day
00:18:55.160 --> 00:18:59.050
with those who happened to be there.
00:18:59.060 --> 00:19:01.190
A group of epicurean and stoic philosophers
00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:04.220
began to debate with him.
00:19:04.230 --> 00:19:06.260
Some of them asked, 'What is this babbler trying to say?'
00:19:06.270 --> 00:19:10.040
Others remarked, 'He seems to be advocating foreign gods.'
00:19:10.050 --> 00:19:14.200
They said this because Paul was preaching the good
00:19:14.210 --> 00:19:17.000
news about Jesus and the resurrection," Acts 17:16-18.
00:19:17.010 --> 00:19:23.220
Dave: While waiting in Athens, Paul immediately noticed
00:19:24.230 --> 00:19:27.180
that the city was filled with idols, shrines, and altars,
00:19:27.190 --> 00:19:32.250
and temples dedicated to Pagan gods.
00:19:32.260 --> 00:19:35.100
According to Luke's account, this troubled him greatly.
00:19:35.110 --> 00:19:38.160
Altars in Greece were often dedicated to specific gods,
00:19:38.170 --> 00:19:42.170
such as Zeus, Athena, Apollo, or Poseidon.
00:19:42.180 --> 00:19:46.250
Altars here in Athens were even dedicated
00:19:46.260 --> 00:19:49.070
to the demons of the underworld.
00:19:49.080 --> 00:19:52.000
Walking around ancient Athens today, you still see shrines,
00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:56.260
and temples, and altars everywhere.
00:19:56.270 --> 00:19:59.180
These Pagan places of worship were so common that virtually
00:19:59.190 --> 00:20:03.050
every block had an association with some god,
00:20:03.060 --> 00:20:06.190
goddess, spirit, or demon.
00:20:06.200 --> 00:20:09.100
A Roman official serving under Emperor Nero
00:20:09.110 --> 00:20:12.140
in the 1st century A.D. once said of Athens,
00:20:12.150 --> 00:20:15.260
"Truly, our neighborhood is so well stocked with
00:20:15.270 --> 00:20:19.030
deities to hand, you will easier meet with a god than a man."
00:20:19.040 --> 00:20:23.250
Dave: Therefore, just as Luke described in Acts, Paul
00:20:24.220 --> 00:20:28.020
was truly experiencing a city, quote, "Full of idols."
00:20:28.030 --> 00:20:33.080
Dave: During his time in Athens, Paul taught and probably
00:20:33.090 --> 00:20:36.190
worked in the commercial section of the agora, or marketplace,
00:20:36.200 --> 00:20:41.140
right below the Acropolis.
00:20:41.150 --> 00:20:44.010
Now, his time in the marketplace allowed Paul
00:20:44.020 --> 00:20:46.160
to come into contact with people from all walks of life.
00:20:46.170 --> 00:20:50.080
As you can see, the agora from the Roman period, right next
00:20:50.090 --> 00:20:53.140
to the ancient agora, has been remarkably preserved,
00:20:53.150 --> 00:20:57.000
including buildings, streets, statues, and altars.
00:20:57.010 --> 00:21:02.020
At some point, Paul caught the attention of the local
00:21:04.030 --> 00:21:06.210
philosophers and became an instant curiosity in the city.
00:21:06.220 --> 00:21:11.070
They asked Paul to come before the Council of the Areopagus
00:21:11.080 --> 00:21:16.010
and explain his new way of thinking.
00:21:16.020 --> 00:21:18.190
They said, "You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears
00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:22.280
and we would like to know what they mean," Acts 17:20.
00:21:22.290 --> 00:21:27.160
The Areopagus of Athens, also known as Mars Hill,
00:21:29.080 --> 00:21:32.230
is located just northwest of the Acropolis.
00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:35.210
Basically, it's a small mountain of marble where people met.
00:21:35.220 --> 00:21:39.290
During the classical period, it was used as an
00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:42.190
assembly place for judicial tribunals for major crimes.
00:21:42.200 --> 00:21:46.160
When Paul was in Athens, the Areopagus had become a popular
00:21:46.170 --> 00:21:50.140
gathering place for people to discuss and debate ideas.
00:21:50.150 --> 00:21:55.090
The Council of the Areopagus consisted of 100 members,
00:21:55.100 --> 00:21:59.090
including philosophers, scholars,
00:21:59.100 --> 00:22:02.000
and former officials of Athens.
00:22:02.010 --> 00:22:05.100
Dave: According to Acts chapter 17, it was here at the Areopagus
00:22:06.200 --> 00:22:10.160
that Paul engaged the professional thinkers of Athens.
00:22:10.170 --> 00:22:14.260
Paul very wisely acknowledged the broad spiritual curiosity
00:22:14.270 --> 00:22:19.170
of the Athenians, which provided a natural opening
00:22:19.180 --> 00:22:22.170
for a conversation about God.
00:22:22.180 --> 00:22:25.190
"People of Athens!
00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:27.170
I see that in every way, you are very religious, for as I walked
00:22:27.180 --> 00:22:31.190
around and looked carefully at your objects of worship,
00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:34.210
I even found an altar with this inscription,
00:22:34.220 --> 00:22:38.000
'To an unknown god.'
00:22:38.010 --> 00:22:40.150
So, you are ignorant of the very thing you worship,
00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:43.290
and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:47.140
The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of
00:22:47.150 --> 00:22:52.040
heaven and earth, and does not live in temples built
00:22:52.050 --> 00:22:55.220
by human hands, and he is not served by human hands
00:22:55.230 --> 00:22:59.210
as if he needed anything.
00:22:59.220 --> 00:23:02.030
Rather, he himself gives everyone life, and breath,
00:23:02.040 --> 00:23:05.290
and everything else," Acts 17:22-25.
00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:11.120
Dave: In Paul's speech to the Areopagus Council, he used an
00:23:11.290 --> 00:23:15.260
altar to the unknown god to illustrate that the god unknown
00:23:15.270 --> 00:23:21.070
to the Athenians was really the one true God of the Bible.
00:23:21.080 --> 00:23:25.140
Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle used the generic
00:23:25.150 --> 00:23:30.280
term "theos" or "god" in their ancient writings.
00:23:30.290 --> 00:23:34.100
So, Paul's explanation would have been extremely interesting
00:23:34.110 --> 00:23:38.030
to the educated philosophers here in Athens.
00:23:38.040 --> 00:23:41.090
Paul went on to make the gospel understandable
00:23:41.100 --> 00:23:45.000
within the Athenian context.
00:23:45.010 --> 00:23:47.160
He referred to Greek gods, Greek philosophers,
00:23:47.170 --> 00:23:50.160
and Greek poets in his talk, delivering a masterful example
00:23:50.170 --> 00:23:54.240
that the gospel of Jesus Christ applies to everyone.
00:23:54.250 --> 00:23:59.130
Dave: Paul concluded, "Therefore, since we are
00:24:03.140 --> 00:24:06.010
God's offspring, we should not think that the divine
00:24:06.020 --> 00:24:09.020
being is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image made
00:24:09.030 --> 00:24:13.160
by human design and skill.
00:24:13.170 --> 00:24:16.010
In the past, God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands
00:24:16.020 --> 00:24:20.100
all people everywhere to repent.
00:24:20.110 --> 00:24:23.120
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with
00:24:23.130 --> 00:24:26.210
justice by the man he has appointed.
00:24:26.220 --> 00:24:30.020
He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him
00:24:30.030 --> 00:24:33.260
from the dead," Acts 17:29-31.
00:24:33.270 --> 00:24:37.230
Dave: Many people rejected Paul's message here on Mars Hill
00:24:43.170 --> 00:24:47.000
that day, but Luke records that a number of people
00:24:47.010 --> 00:24:49.220
became believers, including a man named Dionysius,
00:24:49.230 --> 00:24:53.100
who himself was a member of the Areopagus Council,
00:24:53.110 --> 00:24:56.110
along with a woman named Damaris.
00:24:56.120 --> 00:24:58.240
Now, we don't know much about these first Christians here
00:24:58.250 --> 00:25:01.290
in Athens, but history records that Christianity
00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:05.070
grew here in the late 1st century.
00:25:05.080 --> 00:25:08.030
Over the years, one of the big symbols of the expansion of
00:25:08.040 --> 00:25:11.050
Christianity was the number of Orthodox churches built over
00:25:11.060 --> 00:25:15.050
Pagan temples throughout the city.
00:25:15.060 --> 00:25:18.220
This is the church of Panagia Kapnikarea,
00:25:19.110 --> 00:25:22.080
built over an ancient temple to Athena.
00:25:22.090 --> 00:25:25.280
Panagia refers to the Virgin Mary.
00:25:25.290 --> 00:25:28.260
Now, this church is located on the street of Ermou,
00:25:28.270 --> 00:25:33.060
Athens's most lively and crowded downtown street.
00:25:33.070 --> 00:25:37.080
00:25:37.250 --> 00:25:47.200
Dave: This is the Church of the Holy Apostles,
00:25:48.150 --> 00:25:51.050
built right here in the middle of the ancient agora
00:25:51.060 --> 00:25:54.130
in the 10th century.
00:25:54.140 --> 00:25:56.000
I love this setting of this church, with the Acropolis
00:25:56.010 --> 00:25:59.000
rising up in the background.
00:25:59.010 --> 00:26:01.170
According to Acts chapter 18, it was shortly after Paul's
00:26:05.120 --> 00:26:08.130
presentation of the gospel on the Areopagus that he left
00:26:08.140 --> 00:26:12.030
Athens and traveled to the capital city of Corinth.
00:26:12.040 --> 00:26:15.200
So, it's time for us to hit the road for the next stop
00:26:15.210 --> 00:26:18.260
in our epic journey.
00:26:18.270 --> 00:26:20.210
00:26:21.040 --> 00:26:26.290
00:26:29.040 --> 00:26:39.040
00:26:39.100 --> 00:26:49.070
00:26:49.140 --> 00:26:59.060
00:26:59.090 --> 00:27:07.190
[engine revving]
00:27:10.100 --> 00:27:13.080
00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:24.020
00:27:24.130 --> 00:27:30.160

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Acts to Revelation l Episode 9

Acts to Revelation l Episode 9

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Menu Top

Acts to Revelation l Episode 9

Acts to Revelation l Episode 9

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