Classical References

Xenophon the Athenian was born 431 B.C. He was a pupil of Socrates. He marched with the Spartans, and was exiled from Athens. Sparta gave him land and property in Scillus, where he lived for many years before having to move once more, to settle in Corinth. He died in 354 B.C.

DE SPECTACULIS

1) The conditions of faith, the reason inherent in truth, the law of our discipline, which, along with all the other errors of the world, takes from us also the pleasure of the public shows, - what these are I would have you learn, O servants of God, you who are even now making your approach to God; and you too I would have rethink it all, who have witnessed and borne testimony that you have already made that approach; lest by ignorance, real or pretend, any of you fall into sin. For such is the force of pleasure that it can prolong ignorance to give it a chance, and pervert knowledge to cloak itself. In addition to both these things, it may be that the opinions of the heathen have, to this day an appeal for some. For in this matter they commonly take this line of argument against us; as that there can be no clash between religion, in your mind and conscience, and these refreshments of eye and ear that lie outside us; that God is not offended by man's enjoying himself, but that, so long as his fear of God and God's honour are unhurt, it is no guilt in its proper time and place to avail oneself of such enjoyment. But it is exactly this which here and now we purpose to prove that this does not square with true religion or duty toward God. There are those who think that Christians, a race of men ever ready for death, are trained to that stubbornness of theirs by the renunciation of pleasures, that they may find it easier to despise life, when once its ties (if the word be allowed) are severed, and they no longer crave what they have emptied of meaning for themselves. This would make it a rule of human prudence and forethought rather than of Divine command. It would forsooth go against the grain to die for the Lord, if such pleasures could still have continued! Though to be sure, if it were so, stubbornness in a rule of life such as ours might well pay attention to a plan so apt.

After spending a few years reading various classics, I wished I had made a list of cross-references containing Hebrew (Biblical) ideas that were expressed in Greek, because the Classical writers abound with them.  Well, here is that list, compiled by Craufurd Tait Ramage and published in 1878!  This work is, I believe, a monumental task of research and compilation for the time.

 Many scoffers may say that this is coincidence, or perhaps the Greeks merely borrowed some ideas from the Hebrews.  Yet the truth is that while one may borrow ideas from another people, the parallels between Greek and Hebrew culture represent an astounding number of core ideas far too similar, too frequent, and too early in Greek writing to have merely been borrowed. In truth, Greek culture is Hebrew, because most of the Greeks were Hebrews!  Greco-Roman paganism, as are Keltic and Scythian-Germanic paganism, mere variations of the religions of Canaan which the Israelites were chastised for practicing and for which they were eventually expelled from the land and from the presence of God. They are the "other side" of the Old Testament story!

Click here for the June 12th, 2010 Yahweh's Covenant People Internet Radio program, also entitled "Greek Culture is Hebrew", where the parallels between Greek and Hebrew cultures found in the tragic poets Aeschylus and Euripides are discussed.