Download New Testament Paper – Sarah Dennison

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Sarah Dennison
Mr. Mark Scharfe
BIBL 104 New Testament Studies (07)
April 25, 2015
Addressing and Learning from Greek Mythology in the New Testament
The Jews and the Gentiles. Those are the people groups who come to mind when we ask
to whom the gospel message was spread. The Old Testament talks a lot about the Jews and their
customs and history. The New Testament’s events, however, concern the Gentiles of the early
church. These Gentiles were normally Greek or Roman citizens who held to a polytheistic belief
about god. Instead of having one god, Greeks and Romans worshipped many different gods.
Zeus was the head god, but all the gods were important to those who held these beliefs. This was
the culture to which Paul and his companions went in order to spread the good news to the
world. Consequently, there are a few instances in the New Testament where these early church
leaders confront these Greek and Roman mythological beliefs. We can learn from these
situations as Christians confronting culture.
Greek Mythology is most notably mentioned in four specific places in the New
Testament. The first of these instances is in Acts 17:8-18. Paul and Barnabas performed a
healing act in Lystra. The people of Lystra couldn’t think of any way that these men could
possibly do this unless they were actually gods in the form of men. They called Barnabas “Zeus
“and Paul “Hermes”. The priest in the temple of Zeus even wanted to sacrifice oxen to them.
Paul and Barnabas were distressed when they heard this. They urgently told the crowds, “We
also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from
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these vain things to a living God” (Acts 14:15 ESV) But the Bible says that, “Even with these
words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.” (Acts 14:18 ESV)
The next instance where Greek mythology is directly addressed in the Bible is in Acts
17:22-31. This is one of the most interesting events in Paul’s ministry because he notices an altar
to an “unknown god” amongst the statues and altars to all of the gods that the Greeks could think
of. Paul then says, “What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.” (Acts
17:23b ESV) This event happens directly after he was talking with the philosophers of Athens.
The third place where a run-in with Greek and Roman gods occurs is in Acts 19 when
Paul and Barnabas are in Ephesus. The main god of Ephesus was Artemis (or Diana if you were
Roman). People would buy statues of the goddess to worship. Because of Paul’s teachings,
however, fewer idols were bought, driving those who sold the idols to stir up the people into a
riot because they were losing business and wanted Paul and Barnabas to leave. As the Bible
states, “for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, ‘Great is Artemis of the
Ephesians!’” (Acts 19:34 ESV) Only after the town clerk quieted the crowd and told them that
they could get in trouble for the riot did the people stop. This is a prime example of the
significance of Greek gods to many of the places in which Paul and the apostles preached.
The last, and probably most obscure, of the distinct mentions of Greek gods is in Acts
28:11 where it says, “...in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the
twin gods as a figurehead” (ESV) The twin gods were Castor and Pollux. Each of these run-ins
with Greek gods in the New Testament shows how Paul and Barnabas were constantly
confronted with the culture of the time and place in which they were placed to share the gospel.
The Greek gods that are mentioned in the New Testament are hugely influential in the
lives of the people who worshiped them. Zeus, for example, was the “supreme divinity in the
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Greek pantheon [of gods]” (Kolotourou) He is known as the god of the sky but is primarily in
control of rain and storms. He is best known for the lightning bolts that he holds as weapons. He
is the ruler of the gods. Hermes was seen as both a guide and a messenger. He communicated
between the gods, and also between gods and men. (Mylonopoulos) Not only was he a herald,
but he was the god of many things such as herds. He was the “giver of good luck” and has
“taught mortals all arts” (Hermes)
Artemis, sometimes translated in the Bible as “Diana”, which is her Roman name, was
mainly the goddess of fertility, childbirth, and the hunt. (Petrovic) Ironically, she was a virgin
herself who hated males. She was the sun god Apollo’s twin sister and was seen as the mistress
of all animals. The temple of Artemis was located in Ephesus. She was the main goddess
worshiped in the city. In fact, she was identified so much with the city of Ephesus that she was
often called “Artemis of the Ephesians” and even appeared on coins from Ephesus! (Hooker 4243) Because Artemis was associated closely with the “Great Mother” and childbirth she was seen
almost as a life-giver. (44) It would have been a serious offence, than to challenge her deity in a
place like Athens.
The last specifically mentioned Greek gods in the New Testament are the twin gods
Castor and Pollux. These gods were said to be the brothers of the same Helen who plays such an
important role in the Trojan War. “Castor was famous for taming and managing horses, and
Pollux for skill in boxing” (Bulfinch) These brothers were inseparable, and eventually came to
be considered the patron deities of seamen and voyagers (Bulfinch) Zeus honored them for their
dedication to each other after Castor died and Pollux offered his life in return for his brother’s.
These were only a few of the gods amongst a large pantheon of gods and goddesses in Greek and
Roman religious beliefs.
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Knowing the background of the gods is essential to understanding the portions of the
Bible in which these Greek gods appear. It is equally or even more important, however, to look
at how Paul and his companions handled these situations. These gods were part of a very old and
strong belief system that Paul and his travelling companions often had to confront. He did this in
various ways depending on the situation. When Paul and Barnabas found out that the people of
Lystra were calling them deities they knew that they had to stop the people at once and tell them
about the one true God. Barnabas was evidently the one who seemed to be the leader or more
imposing of the duo as the people labeled him Zeus, the king of the gods. Paul was often the
speaker and so was labeled Hermes as the messenger of the gods. It was not uncommon to
divinize great leaders at that time. Paul and Barnabas knew, however, that it was wrong for them
to accept deification by the people. They denied the praise and sacrifices and urged the people to
cease. The humbleness and acts of giving all glory to God that these men showed are character
traits to be desired in Christians today.
One of the main reasons that Paul’s teachings on the gospel weren’t shot down
immediately in most of the towns in which he preached, is due to the fact that most Greeks liked
to consider themselves scholars and philosophers. In fact, as stated by Yuri Koszarycz, “New
doctrines and new cults flourished and died within Rome with regularity” (Koszarycz) The altar
to the unknown god is a fascinating instance of using the culture, and in this case, the cultural
acceptance of new ideas and divinities, to the advantage of explaining the gospel. Paul knew that
the Athenians did not want to miss giving any god or goddess their own altar, for fear of
angering a god, so they made an altar to the unknown god just in case they missed any. He used
this, found common ground with the pagans, and preceded to use this opening to spread the good
news. He used a tactic that Jews had used in earlier generations to try to explain the one true God
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to Gentiles. He “tried to show pagans that their highest religious aspirations were best met in
Judaism,” or in this case, in Christ. Yet at the same time he made sure to be clear that
Christianity held very different beliefs. Thus, he used a good strategy as an opening, but didn’t
dumb down or change the gospel to try and relate it to the religious of the Greeks and romans.
(Tag: alter to an unknown god)
In the instance of the riot at Ephesus, Paul and his companions, according to a
commentary by Ed Rickard, “had done nothing to hinder or defame the cult of Diana.” (Rickard)
Paul’s companions stayed strong even through the terrifying ordeal of being brought into a
Roman arena and listening to the deafening roar of a giant mob yelling “Great is Artemis of the
Ephesians!” (Acts 19:29, 34 ESV) Paul’s companions set a great example of staying strong for
the faith and standing up for what they believed in. A sizable riot could have easily killed these
men. They even took them into the arena where many Christians later died. Yet, God honored
their strong faith by saving them from any real harm.
It is also interesting to note how Paul handled the appearance of the twin gods on the
front of the Alexandrian ship on which he sailed to Rome. Instead of refusing to board the ship
or commenting on the images of the twin gods, Paul chose not to make mention of it. It is
obvious that Paul believed that this was not the correct moment for sharing the gospel or
bringing up the subject of religion. He was not participating in worshiping these gods, nor did he
believe he needed to say anything as far as the Bible says. He exemplified how to use wisdom to
discern the right course of action in such a situation.
God had a reason for inspiring Paul to include confrontations of Greek Mythology.
Whether it was being the center of a riot with grace, denying deity and pointing glory to God,
finding an opening to share the gospel, or simply living in the world without being of it, Paul and
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those with him confronted their culture in a way that exemplifies Christ. As Christians we know
that Zeus, Hermes, Artemis, Castor, and Pollux can never compare to our great God. Through
these instances, we can learn how to confront culture as Christians, using our knowledge of our
environment to help us share the gospel where God has placed us.
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Works Cited
"Artemis of Ephesus." - Livius. 2 Mar. 2014. Web. 27 Jan.
2015.<http://www.livius.org/religion/artemis-of-ephesus/>.
Bulfinch, Thomas. "XX. D. Castor and Pollux. Vols. I & II: Stories of Gods and Heroes.
Bulfinch, Thomas. 1913. Age of Fable." XX. D. Castor and Pollux. Vols. I & II: Stories
of Gods and Heroes.
“BibleGateway.” Diana of the Ephesians. Zondervan, n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.
"Hermes HUR Meez." Hermes * The Immortals * Greek Mythology: From the Iliad to the Fall
of the Last Tyrant. Michael Stewart, 2005. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
Hooker, Morna D. “Artemis Of Ephesus.” Journal Of Theological Studies 64.1 (2013) 42-44.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Apr. 2015
Kolotourou, Katerina. "My Library."REGENT UNIVERSITY LIBRARY and LAWLIBRARY. 26
Oct. 2012. Web. 27 Jan. 2015. <http://0onlinelibrary.wiley.com.library.regent.edu/doi/10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah17476/full
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Koszarycz, Yuri. "ORB: Ecclesiology." ORB: Ecclesiology. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.http://www.theorb.net/textbooks/eccles/culture.html
Mylonopoulos, Ioannis. "My Library."REGENT UNIVERSITY LIBRARY and LAWLIBRARY. 26
Oct. 2012. Web. 26 Jan. 2015. <http://0onlinelibrary.wiley.com.library.regent.edu/doi/10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah17193/full
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Petrovic, Ivana. "My Library." REGENT UNIVERSITY LIBRARY and LAW LIBRARY. 26Oct.
2012. Web. 27 Jan. 2015. <http://0-
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onlinelibrary.wiley.com.library.regent.edu/doi/10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah17055/full
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Rickard, Edgar,. "Commentary on TheBook of Acts." Uproar in Ephesus: Commentary on Acts
19:23-20:16. 26 July 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.
"Tag: Alter to an Unknown God." Www.craigkeener.com. Craig Keener, 31 Aug. 2011. Web. 25
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