Chapter 2

StudyBlue printing of Chapter 2 html, body, div, span, applet, object, iframe, h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, p, blockquote, pre, a, abbr, acronym, address, big, cite, code, del, dfn, em, font, img, ins, kbd, q, s, samp, small, strike, strong, sub, sup, tt, var, b, u, i, center, fieldset, form, label, legend, table, caption, tbody, tfoot, thead, tr, th, td { margin: 0; padding: 0; border: 0; outline: 0; font-size: 100%; background: transparent; } body { line-height: 1; } blockquote, q { quotes: none; } blockquote:before, blockquote:after, q:before, q:after { content: ''; content: none; } /* remember to define focus styles! */ :focus { outline: 0; } /* remember to highlight inserts somehow! */ ins { text-decoration: none; } del { text-decoration: line-through; } /* tables still need 'cellspacing="0"' in the markup */ table { border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0; } /* end RESET */ .header { min-width:800px; } .logo { padding:6px 20px 2px 20px; margin:0; font-size:25px; font-weight:bold; color:#808285; position:relative; border-bottom: 1px solid #c5c5c5; } .logo-blue { color:#70adc4; } .logo-desc { font-weight:normal; font-size:19px; color:#cccccc; margin-top:50px; position:absolute; display: none; } .back-button { position:absolute; top:20px; right:20px; font-size:13px; line-height:25px; color:rgb(0,175,225); font-weight:normal; } .back-button a { color:rgb(0,175,225); } .instructions { padding:0; margin:0; width:100%; position:relative; color:rgb(100,100,100); } .step-holder { border-left:1px solid #ededed; margin-left:20px; } .steps { padding:15px 0; float:left; width:24%; border-right:1px solid #ededed; text-align:center; } .steps-01 { } .steps-02 { } .steps-03 { } .steps-04 { } .label { padding:5px 10px; } .print-button { } .print-button a { background-color:rgb(0,175,225); color:white; line-height: 19px; padding:9px 8px 5px 30px; font-size:14px; text-decoration:none; background-image: url(images/printer.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: 7px 50%; -moz-border-radius: 5px; -webkit-border-radius: 5px; } .print-button a:hover { background-color:black; } .theNote .content { width: 8.0in !important; margin: 5px auto; padding:20px; background-color:white; } .theNote .header { border-bottom: 1px dashed #C8C8C8; font-size: 17px; padding: 0 0 10px; line-height: 19px; color: #00ADE1; min-width:500px; } .theNote .body { font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; padding: 10px 0; } .theNote{ padding:6px 0; clear:both; background-color: rgb(200,200,200); } .theNote h3{ color: rgb(100,100,100); } .theNote h1, .theNote h3{ background-color:white; padding:2px 20px; width:8.0in !important; margin: 0 auto; font-size: 15px; } .theNote h1{ padding-top: 10px; font-size: 15px; } .theNote h1:first-child{ font-size: 20px; } .theNote h3 { font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; } #options { border: 3px double #ccc; padding: 5px 12px; margin: 10px 50px 10px 20px; float: left; } #info { border-top: 1px solid #ccc; padding-top: 5px; font-style: italic; } li { margin: 5px 10px 5px 25px; } ul li { list-style: disc; } ol li { list-style: decimal; } img { border: 0; } table { clear: both; width: 100%; border: 1px solid #c5c5c5; border-width: 1px 0; margin: 0; page-break-after: always; } table#page { page-break-after: auto; } td { text-align: center; font-size: 12px; border-bottom: 1px dashed #c5c5c5; height: 1.75in; width: 50%; padding-left: 15px; } .leftside { border-right: 1px solid #cccccc; padding: 0 15px 0 0; } .bottom td { border-bottom: none; } .clearfix { clear:both; line-height:1px; height:1px; } img { max-width:80%; max-height:150px; margin:20px; } @media print {.header { display: none; } .content .header{ display:inherit; } table { border: 1px dashed #bbb; border-width: 1px 0; } .theNote{ background-color:white; } } The Greco-Roman World The Problem of Beginnings The first book to be written was probably 1 Thessalonians, written by Paul. The problem with beginning with the Jesus is that we have no writings from him. Second, 1st C. traditions don't translate easily to 21st C. (assumptions, values, priorities, etc.). Culturally at the time there were VERY few upper class, few had social mobility, slaves made up ~1/3rd, no cures for diseases, most illiterate, and people other than Jews were polytheistic. We can understand something only in light of what we already know. (How do you explain a car to someone who hasn't ever seen one?) One Remarkable Life Apollonius of Tyana : A neo-Pythagorean teacher & pagan, worshipper of Roman gods, whose life and teachers are written. His story is very similar to that of Jesus and he lived at that time. To study the traditions, we have to study their context in the Greco-Roman world. The stories of Jesus were told among those who could make sense of them! Greco-Roman World : A terms used by historians to describe the Mediterranean from the time of Alexander the Great through the first 3-4 Centuries in Rome. Alexander the Great is significant because he quickly overran the region and impressed a sort of cultural unity. He was trained in Greece by Aristotle and promoted Greek, built cities, theaters, public baths, etc. (Hellenization). Greek language, customs, institutions, traditions, and religions formed a cultural unity. This is the context of the world at the time. The Environment of the New Testament: Religions in the Greco-Roman World Religiosity: Organized religion differs very much comparing then to now. No creeds, appointed leaders, few ethical demends, etc. for pagans Polytheism : There are many gods. There was a pyramid of power in relation to gods. One Almighty God (debated who), the Great Gods, local gods (Poseidon, Aphrodite, Artemis, etc.), Divine Beings (demigods, immortals, heroes), then humans. Daimonia : Local deities with limited powers that had to be persuaded through cultic acts to behave in beneficial ways. Religion was not about afterlife but current life for those in the Greco-Roman world and their devotion to the gods mattered, not doctrine. Cult & Cultus deorum : Cult derives from "car" and the latter was "care of the gods" The gods communicated through divination (ways of discerning divine will) and oracles (places where a priestess in a trance would answer questions about the future) Church and state were together and there was religious tolerance, although refusing to recognize the divinity of the emperor would be a "political" statement. At-a-Glance Almost all religions in the Roman Empire were: Polytheistic Concerned with present life instead of the afterlife Focused on cultic acts of worship rather than doctrines (what to believe) or ethics Closely connected with the political state Tolerant of other religions and nonexclusive