We turn now to the story of the early church, as we see it in the Acts of the Apostles and especially in the letters of Paul.  This review relates especially to chapters 13-17 of Stephen L. Harris, The New Testament:  A Student's Introduction, 5th ed. (Boston:  McGraw-Hill, 2006).  Then we will go through key places in the Mediterranean world during New Testament times.  You'll need a map of the Greco-Roman world in the New Testament period, preferably the one at the end of your syllabus.  If you don't have a map, please stop now, and come back when you have a map, so that you can follow along as we travel from place to place in our review.

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

    In Luke's first volume, the Gospel of Luke, one emphasis is on the role of the disciples.  These are students who learn from Jesus and obey him, the way a person would obey a rabbi or teacher.  But in Acts, Luke's second volume, the emphasis shifts to another Greek term which is usually translated apostles, but it also means "ambassadors," "missionaries," or "persons sent with an official commission."  The disciples are a fairly small group, sometimes the twelve closest followers of Jesus.  But the term apostles (from the Greek apostello, "to send") is more open.  Sometimes it means Jesus' closest followers, but it can also include other persons, even those who never knew Jesus personally, such as Paul.  Luke doesn't want people simply to read his two volumes and enjoy them.  He hopes that his readers will apply his books to their lives -- and specifically, that they will quit worrying about such things as when Christ will return.  That will free them to minister to the poor, the weak, and the outcasts, as Jesus did.  

    This point is made clear in Luke's vivid description of Christ's Ascension into heaven.  The apostles stand there with their mouths open.  Two men dressed in white suddenly appear before them and say, "Galileans, why are you standing there looking up at the sky?  This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to heaven!"  (Acts 1:11)  The apostles realize that this is their order to get to work.  Like good Methodists, they set about methodically organizing the church.  They choose a twelfth apostle to replace Judas, and later they choose seven deacons to meet basic human needs.  Luke observes that all this activity is under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  When some of Jesus' followers are celebrating the Jewish festival of Weeks, or Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes to them in a special way with the gift of glossolalia, "speaking in tongues."  The powerful experience of the community leads us to identify this Pentecost as the "birthday" of the church. 

NOT LEFT BEHIND:  1 THESSALONIANS

    The story of the early church is linked closely with the work of the Apostle Paul.  We know him best through his letters to various churches.  In this course, we studied first his letters to the churches in Thessalonica and Corinth.  A key theme in the Thessalonian correspondence is eschatology.  The root word, eschaton, is Greek for The "End," and it is in these letters that Paul focuses on a problem which is familiar to you by now:  the delay of the parousia.  The particular concern is for those Christians who have already died, although the End of time has not yet come.  Will they miss out on Christ's Second Coming?  "By no means!" says Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:15.  Their resurrection will be the first event at that time.  Paul uses vivid symbolism -- probably not meant to be taken literally -- to portray the beautiful experience of fellowship with one another and with Christ.  According to Paul, we will all meet the Lord "in the air":  the realm between the upper level and the middle level of the three-story universe envisioned by people in the first century A.D.

CHRISTIAN ETHICS:  1 CORINTHIANS

    Paul often discusses problems in human relationships among God's people, most fully in the letter of    1 Corinthians.  He deals with questions about marriage and divorce, food, and even lawsuits.  In order to give advice on ethical matters, he has to defend his authority as a teacher of ethics.  Early Christianity is charismatic; that is, it is founded and guided by persons who have the natural gift (Greek charisma) of leadership.  But no movement stays that way for long, because many of the hardest workers may not have charisma.  The movement usually develops into an institution.  The office of apostle, which is Paul's main self-identification, is an important leadership position in the early church.  However, it is necessary for Paul to show the Corinthians his source of authority as an apostle. 

    Paul's apostleship comes from his experience of the risen Christ.  It is not from his ability to speak; Apollos is a much better preacher than Paul.  Nor is Paul's apostleship based on a strong physical presence.  He's no Mel Gibson or Arnold Schwarzenegger.  In fact, Paul says that to keep him from being too proud of himself, he has a thorn in the flesh --  a handicap of some kind which he never describes.  People have guessed at all kinds of possibilities for Paul's "thorn in the flesh":

• epilepsy
• stammering
• nearsightedness
• hunchback
• facial disfigurement -- specifically, a big nose!

Although we can't identify it with accuracy, Paul points out in his letters how much he is able to accomplish in spite of his handicap, and we would agree!

    A crucial ethical principle throughout Paul's letters is that we are freed from the law.  But that doesn't mean that we should abandon all moral standards.  Apparently a group of Christians in Corinth has done just that.  We call them libertines.  They tolerate flagrant immorality, even incest and prostitution, because of their "freedom" from the law.  Paul calls the Corinthians back to an understanding of how Christian men and women relate to each other.  Their bodies aren't separated from their souls, in some kind of dualism.  Rather, any action by a Christian affects others, especially members of the church. 

    Paul even uses a special term for the church, to emphasize our unity and interrelatedness:  the Body of Christ.  Some of us are hands, others are feet, and others are eyes and ears.  We all belong to Christ, and we all depend on each other just as the parts of a body are related to each other.  The theme of freedom from the law is dealt with most fully in Paul's letters to the Galatians and Romans, which we'll review a little later.

    The Corinthian correspondence gives Paul's insights not only on ethical issues, but also on some very pragmatic institutional concerns, such as money.  Paul applies here his concept of the Body of Christ.  He helps the Corinthians to realize their need to share their material prosperity with the poor.  Then he takes up a collection!  Even further, he plans to take the offering personally to the poor in Jerusalem, to demonstrate the unity of all Christians -- rich and poor, Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. 

    This unity should certainly be exemplified in the communal experiences of fellowship.  But Paul finds that this isn't always the case.  Socioeconomic differences are causing divisions, even in church suppers!   He has to remind the Corinthians of the nature of Christ's last supper with his disciples.  It was intended to bring people together in a new covenant shared with all, rich and poor alike.  The bread and wine represent Christ's body and blood.  As he gave the bread to the disciples, Jesus said, "This is my body."  As he gave the wine, he said, "This cup is God's new covenant, sealed with my blood."  (1 Corinthians 11:24-25)  

LAW AND GRACE:  GALATIANS & ROMANS

    Next we'll review Paul's letters to the Galatians and to the Romans.  These letters share one basic theme at the very heart of Paul's thought:  salvation is not something that a person earns by living a good life, following the Ten Commandments, worshipping God each week, or anything else.  Rather, salvation is a gift of God, made freely, with no strings attached.  Our response to this gift should be thanksgiving.  This Pauline emphasis identifies salvation as not coming from following the law but sola fide, Latin for "by faith alone."  A great Christian leader, Martin Luther, devoted much of his life to this key theme of Galatians and Romans.  He showed how it is also central in Jesus' teachings.  

    In his letter to the Galatians, Paul is dealing with an urgent situation.  This is also one of his very first letters, which scholars believe was written about 51 A.D.  That would place it soon after 1 Thessalonians, which is the oldest of Paul's letters that we have.  Galatians is marked by a sense of urgency and anger.  Paul feels that an attack is being launched against the Good News that Christ died to set us free from the law.  So Paul must respond vigorously to this challenge, or Christianity runs the risk of becoming bogged down in legalism. 

    Paul's training as a Pharisee gives him a mastery of the Jewish Bible (which Christians now call the Old Testament).  He has combed these scriptures to find a person who can best represent a covenant with God based on faith rather than law.  Paul has found not one but two persons who best represent the covenant with God.  He features them in Galatians as symbols of faith.  Which couple pops into your mind:  Sarah and Abraham? Yes, both are used as examples of faith in Galatians:  Abraham is contrasted with Moses, and Sarah is contrasted with Hagar.

    Does Paul's emphasis on faith mean that the Jewish Law should be abolished?  Paul tackles that question head-on and responds with a strong negative.  The law has a very real purpose:  as it helped God's people reach maturity, so it guides each of us toward freedom as God's children.  Freedom doesn't mean anarchy but genuine concern for one another.  Paul says in Galatians 5:14, "The whole law is summed up in one commandment:  love your neighbor as you love yourself."  Paul identifies the law as primarily ethical rather than ritualistic, just as Jesus does. 

    The specific concern in Galatians is whether Christians must continue the ancient Jewish practice of circumcision.  This ritual, going back to Paul's hero Abraham, identifies all Jewish males as heirs of the covenant.  How does Paul advise the Galatians:  must Gentiles who become Christians be circumcised, to show that they have accepted God's covenant?  (Note that the point is not whether Christians may choose to be circumcised or to circumcise their sons, but whether this is required for persons to become Christians.)  The answer is No -- circumcision cannot be an entrance requirement for anyone to become a Christian.  Paul states it this way in Galatians 6:15, "It does not matter at all whether or not one is circumcised; what does matter is being a new creation."  Paul also says in 3:28, "There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free people, between men and woman; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus."

    If you've understood the main ideas in Galatians, then you already know Romans in a nutshell.  Romans is written later and is developed more fully and carefully, rather than responding to a crisis as Paul had to do when he wrote Galatians.  But the themes and even the symbolism from the Bible, such as the stories about Abraham, are the same.  Because Romans is the most precise and thorough of all Paul's letters, it is often called his "systematic theology."

    A distinctive image in Romans is the New Adam, representing Christ's identification with all humanity.  Paul shows symbolically how Christ identifies with each of us in our freedom to choose wrongly.  But because Christ chooses instead to follow God's will, his righteous act sets people free and gives new life to all.  Since adam in Hebrew means "human being," Christ as the New Adam represents one of us and all of us!

    Another important theme of Romans is the special relationship between Judaism and Christianity.  Over the centuries, this has often been a point of tension.  Just a few years ago, the president of a large Protestant denomination made a public statement that God doesn't hear the prayers of Jews!  Even though many people in his own churches disagreed with him, that statement represents a Christian misunderstanding which is far too common.  When Senator Joseph Lieberman, a deeply religious Orthodox Jew, ran for the office of Vice-President in 2000, he said that he had prayed long and hard about his decision to run.  Certainly God heard his prayers -- even though he wasn't elected!  Paul devotes three whole chapters in Romans to Christian-Jewish relations.  He doesn't oversimplify the issue, so his discussion is very complex.  But he repeats several times in different ways his basic assumption:  "Did God reject his own people?  Certainly not!"  (Romans 11:1)  

    Paul even uses a horticultural image:  the Jews are a cultivated tree, onto which a branch of a wild tree has been grafted.  The branch (representing the Gentiles) can't survive all by itself.  It depends on the roots of its parent tree (representing the Jews) for nourishment.  Paul uses the image of a tree which provides cooking oil for many foods in the Greco-Roman world --  an olive tree.  When you go to the Middle East, you'll find that many olive trees with grafted branches have survived there for centuries!  I took the picture above near Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives, which has these and a number of other trees that are several hundred years old.

PRISON LETTERS:  PHILIPPIANS & PHILEMON

    Now let's turn to the prison letters of Philippians and Philemon.  In Philippians we see a view which has expanded beyond Israel, beyond the Roman Empire, into the whole universe.  Chapter 2 expresses the letter's cosmology with a Christ-hymn, a poetic description of Christ which may have been sung or chanted as a creed by early Christians.  Unfortunately, we don't know what kind of music they used.  If only Charles Wesley had composed a setting of this hymn for the Concert Choir to perform!  The hymn tells how Christ Jesus "emptied himself" of all his divinity and became fully human.  He was so humble that he walked the path of obedience all the way to the Cross.  Because of his humility, his willingness to give up his divine attributes and become a servant, God gave him something greater than that which anyone else has:  "the name that is greater than any other name," which will lead all beings in heaven, on earth, and in the world below to acknowledge him as Lord."  (Philippians 2:9-11)  The implication of the Christ-hymn is that, just as Christ was humble in the incarnation, so we too should be humble.  We should look out for one another's interests and show compassion toward one another.

    In his letter from prison to a wealthy Christian slave owner in Colossae named Philemon, Paul shows a quite different concern:  how to help a person become accepted as a brother in Christ, regardless of his previous life story.  Paul appeals to Philemon to welcome home Onesimus, a runaway slave, and Paul implies that Onesimus should be given the full legal status of a free person.  The basic approach in this delightful short letter is a very down-to-earth yet subtle application of those basic principles of unity and equality which Paul described forcefully in his letter to the Galatians.

    We can see a lot of Paul's personality in Philemon, but some of it comes out also in Philippians.  For instance, chapter 3 tells us about his favorite sport.  You didn't know that Paul was an athlete?  Maybe he didn't get to the Olympics, but his descriptions here and elsewhere are so vivid that he must have been more than a spectator.  What was Paul's favorite sport?  Not fishing with Johnny Wood; that was Simon Peter's favorite occupation.  Not playing basketball for Coach Bob Johnson -- Tarsus Tech wasn't in the ODAC.  Paul might have enjoyed playing football for Coach Don Montgomery, but he just couldn't face Lucy holding that football for him to kick!  You've guessed it:  track!  As Paul looked back over his life, he used a number of technical Greek terms from track, concluding:  "So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God's call through Christ Jesus to the life above."  (Philippians 2:14)  He set very high standards for himself, while observing that he hadn't yet reached the goal or won the prize.

    Paul's ideals are expressed in Philippians 4:8 (King James Version), in words that are as beautiful as this flowering tree that I saw by the Sea of Galilee:

    "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are just,
    whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
    whatsoever things are of good report;
    if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,
    think on these things."

    I hope that as you carry out your own ethical inquiry and seek to establish your ideals in life, you will find guidance in Paul's letters!  I also hope that this brief review has been helpful for you.  Now get out your map of the Greco-Roman world in the New Testament period, and let's travel to some key places in Paul's life.  Since I was your tour guide on our trip around Israel to see key places in the life of Jesus, I hope that you'll trust me again to be your guide.

MAP REVIEW:  THE GRECO-ROMAN WORLD

Dr. Kellogg:  Welcome!  Just as Paul sailed all around the Mediterranean, so if we want to see some key places in his life, much of our trip will be on the ship Macte Virtute.

You:  I know that macte virtute is Latin for "Increase in Excellence," and I see it on the college seal way up above my head whenever I go to the library.

Dr. Kellogg:  Right!  Our starting point is the city of Tarsus, in the area which a couple of thousand years will be known as southeastern Turkey.  Find that point on your map, so you can follow along as we go.  Tarsus is an important starting point, because something essential for our ship is obtained here.  In fact, among all the craftspersons in Tarsus, we find that a man named Paul is known for his skill in working with this.  What part of the ship does Paul help us with?

You:  The mast?

Dr. Kellogg:  No, only people living in Crowe's Nest may work on the mast!

You:  The prow?

Dr. Kellogg:  No, Paul doesn't believe that we should be prowed.

You:  Ugh, what an awful pun!  Does Paul help us with the stern?

Dr. Kellogg:  I'm sorry, but that's wrong.  Get that stern look off your face, or I'll call you Howard!  Here's a hint:  what is the most distinctive characteristic of Tall Ships?

You:  It must be the sails!

Dr. Kellogg:  Right!  Paul developed expert skills right here in Tarsus for working with sailcloth, tents, and other canvas products -- he was known as a tentmaker and a real "seamster"!  With a good set of sails, we can sail the Macte Virtute down to the coast of Israel and then go overland to Jerusalem.  One of the most outstanding theologians in the whole world in the 1st century A.D. lives here.  Do you know his name?

You:  Yes, Rabbi Gamaliel!

Gamaliel:    שלום -- Shalom!   I'm pleased to meet you both!  Let me tell you about the most brilliant student that I've had for many years.  His name is Saul, and he is a Pharisee like me. ...

You:  He sounds just like the sail maker Paul of Tarsus, whom we met recently!

Gamaliel:  Ha-ha!  Of course -- Paul is his Roman name, but Saul is his Hebrew name, which points back to his ancestry.  He and I have moved in quite different religious directions, and he rarely works with sailcloth now.  But every once in a while he returns to his roots.

    We enjoy our time with Gamaliel, who seems to be open to many kinds of persons and to new ideas too.  But suddenly the curtain begins rustling, and something cold and wet pokes its way into the room.

Dr. Kellogg:  Ach!  That makes me think of the old saying, "Give him an inch and he'll take a mile!"  

You:  What is poking the curtain aside?

Dr. Kellogg:  In a classic Arab story, a camel wants to come out of the cold desert air at night into his owner's tent.  But the master won't let him, because there isn't enough room for both of them.  He tries to slip in little by little, beginning with the camel's nose.  That term comes to be used for certain philosophical arguments!

You:  Ah, this is our old friend the camel, from last unit!  He has escaped from Ryder Rent-a-Camel just to be with us again!  As the "ship of the desert," he's as good on land as the Macte Virtute is on the sea, and he says he can hardly wait to take us to Damascus!

Dr. Kellogg:  Here we are at the home of Ananias.  I'll bet he will show us around the city.  The Damascus city gates close at sundown.  It's amazing how quiet this walled city is at night!

You:  Yes, there are Chadius Gentry and the other guys from Physical Plant rolling up the sidewalks.  That reminds me of Emory!

Dr. Kellogg:  Look over in that dark corner.  There's a huge basket that seems somewhat out of place.  What's that for, Ananias?

Ananias:  Oh, that's what we used when we had to smuggle Paul out of here, late one night.  We lowered him with a rope tied to this basket, over the high wall in a dark area, to escape an assassination plot.  He had gone through a life-changing event, when the risen Lord Jesus came in a vision to him on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus.  So Paul really needed time to sort out what had happened to him.  Just as Jesus went out to the Judean Desert after his baptism and vision of the Holy Spirit, Paul went out to the desert of Arabia.  It must have been in Arabia that Paul came to understand God's plan for him to become a missionary to the Gentiles. He came back from Arabia to Damascus and then went on to another Syrian city:  Antioch.

Dr. Kellogg:  Let's go on, as Paul did, from Damascus to Antioch.  This famous Syrian city holds some bittersweet memories.  It was the capital of the Seleucid Greek rulers, including the worst tyrant of all, Antiochus IV Epiphanes.  His cruelty led to the patriotic revolt by the Maccabees.  What's more important about this city now is that some of Yeshua's followers are here.  Because of Antioch's Greek culture, they don't call him by his Aramaic name, Yeshua, but by his Greek name, Jesus.  

You:  You're right.  And I've noticed that the people in Antioch don't call him the Messiah.  Instead, they translate that title, meaning "The Anointed One," into Greek as Christ.

Dr. Kellogg:  Yes -- it's here in Antioch that some Greek-speaking people have given Jesus' followers the nickname Christians, because they are followers of Christ.  It's a way of making fun of them by calling them "Oily People."  The Christians took over that nickname, which they understood as meaning "People of the Anointed One."   The name "Christian" has now spread from Antioch throughout the Roman Empire to become the common way to identify Jesus' followers anywhere.  Something else really important happened here in Antioch:  Paul and Barnabas spent a year here, and then they were commissioned to go out on their very first missionary journey!

You:  It appears that our camel is following his nose toward the central Turkish highlands of Galatia.  Now we feel right at home, except that this mountainous area should be pronounced Galatchia, like Appalachia.  Instead, it sounds more like Glacier.

Dr. Kellogg:  Let's attend a Christian worship service here.  Whew -- what a relief -- there's no snake-handling!  But Paul's Letter to the Galatians is read aloud to the congregation.  It deals with how Christians should relate to the Jewish law.  Are we supposed to follow the Ten Commandments and the other laws in the Torah?  Or are they part of an old covenant which is no longer valid?  One part of that law is especially under debate in Galatia, because it goes all the way back to God's covenant with Abraham.

You:  That's the issue of circumcision.  I've heard some Christians saying that it is required of Christians as well as Jews.  Others say, "No, we're freed from the law."  Paul's letter to the Galatians agrees strongly with those who say that Christian boys and men don't need to be circumcised.

Dr. Kellogg:  So Christians in our own time may circumcise their babies if they wish; it's not a religious matter for them.  Let's go on down from southern Galatia to the coast, where the Macte Virtute will meet us.  We can sail from the Mediterranean Sea into the smaller Aegean Sea, just as Paul did several times.  We'll also pass by the island of Patmos where a half-century from now, John will write Revelation while he is in prison for being a Christian.

    Here we are in Macedonia, not far from the old home place of Alexander the Great.  A key city in Macedonia is Thessalonica.  Here we find a warm, close-knit Christian community, trying to live by the ideals that Paul has taught them.  But this church is struggling with a difficult problem.  Paul will write them a letter to try to help them resolve the problem, but a second letter will be necessary as well.  Later Luke's two-volume work will deal with the same issue.  Do you know what it is called?

You:  Christology?

Dr. Kellogg:  No, Paul's most beautiful Christology is in his letter to the Philippians, who live in the nearby Macedonian city of Philippi.  In it he quotes a Christ-hymn used in worship by believers.  The people of Thessalonica are concerned about a different problem. 

You:  Will Luke and Paul both deal with glossolalia?

Dr. Kellogg:  No, Paul will deal with speaking in tongues in a letter to the Corinthians, not the Thessalonians.  Here's a hint:  it's the postponement of something that the Thessalonian Christians had expected to happen right away.

You:  Oh, of course, the delay of the parousia!

Dr. Kellogg:  Right!  The parousia is Christ's Second Coming.  Some Thessalonians are worried, because it hasn't happened yet.  Will Christians who have died miss out on the Kingdom of God?  Paul reassures them that they will all be in the Kingdom.  From Macedonia, it's just a hop, skip, and jump down to Athens.

You:  I'm impressed by Athenian architecture!  Apparently it has imitated the style of Wiley, Carriger, and McGlothlin-Street.  The Stoic philosophers on the long colonnaded porches are fascinating.  And look at the magnificent Parthenon, the temple of Athena, high on the fortified hill which is called the Acropolis.

Dr. Kellogg:  But there's something even more relevant to our New Testament study:  an area known in Greek as the Areopagus and in Latin as Mars Hill.  The City Council of Athens holds sessions open to the public here.  Just like a "town meeting" which Lori Fleenor or another student government leader might convene, the meetings at Mars Hill are open to many different points of view.  People are encouraged to express their concerns.  Paul himself made a stirring speech here one day!  Remember that the Areopagus is not a temple.  There are many temples in Athens, but they are places to worship the gods, not to argue politics.  As a place for public debate, Mars Hill in Athens is a lot like the Forum in Rome.

You:  Corinth is just a little ways south of Athens.  Can we go there?

Dr. Kellogg:  Sure!  There's a thriving Christian church here in Corinth.  It includes in its membership lots of different kinds of people.  They have lively meetings, discussing ethical issues.  Let's see if they will let us sit in on one.

Corinthian Christian:  Brothers and sisters, the question under discussion this evening is whether Christians should be able to eat food offered to idols.  This is not a theoretical problem, but a real one, and we don't all agree on the right answer.

You:  What deity is so popular in Corinth that some Corinthians offer food to the deity -- Ceres?

Corinthian:  No, the goddess for whom cereal was named loves food offerings, and the Kelloggs are her high priests.  But she isn't so popular in Corinth as in Battle Creek.  The beloved goddess for many of our church members, before they became Christians, is Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

Dr. Kellogg:  Did Paul give you guidance on this matter?

Corinthian:    Yes, Paul wrote us a letter that I'm going to read aloud to the church.  In it, he tells us that in theory, we can eat food offered to statues of gods or goddesses, because we know that they are not real.  There is only one God, the Creator of all that is.  But new Christians might be hurt, even if they just see us old-timers eating such food, because that would remind them of meals that they used to have, dedicated to their favorite deity.  They might even relapse into the belief that the deity has somehow affected that food.  So out of consideration for our "weaker" brothers and sisters, those who are still learning how to live a Christian lifestyle, Paul suggests that we avoid eating food which has been dedicated to another god or goddess.  

You:  You know, that's a pretty good ethical principle that could be applied in many ways beyond eating certain kinds of food!

Dr. Kellogg:  I agree!  Now that we've seen a favorite city of the goddess Aphrodite, let's go back across the Aegean Sea to visit the city of the moon-goddess, known as Artemis or Diana.  Here we are in Ephesus.  

You:  I'm beginning to realize how difficult it is to live the Christian life in cities dominated by these powerful religions.

Dr. Kellogg:  Yes, Ephesus attracts pilgrims from all over the world, who come to seek the blessings of the Mother Goddess Artemis.  They also want to see the special sign of her favor which she sent down from the sky to the city of Ephesus:  a piece of the moon.

You:  It looks like a meteorite to me!

Dr. Kellogg:  Shhhh!  Paul once got in trouble here in Ephesus, because the Christian message was seen by some of the sellers of souvenirs and sacred objects as reducing the money that they could make off the pilgrims, and a riot broke out!  I'd like to go to the city of Colossae, about a hundred miles east of here.  But I'm not sure about the best way to get there...

You:  Can we take our old friend the camel?

Dr. Kellogg:  No, he's really hungry, so he's already in Colossae picking colossal olives for his salad-in-a-pita.  Hey, here's a mail truck that's about to head east.  Excuse me, sir.  Could we catch a ride with you to Colossae?

Mail carrier:  Yes, I have room for you.  My name is Onesimus, and I'm taking some mail to the Christian community in Colossae.  

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    Here we are in Colossae.  I'd like to introduce you to Philemon.  Once upon a time, when I was a slave, he was my owner.  But now, because of a beautiful little letter that Paul wrote to him, Philemon is my brother in Christ.  

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dr. Kellogg:  The Colossian church has really made us feel at home!  In a way, I hate to leave.  But we need to go to Troas.  Now that our camel has refilled that pantry on his back, he'll take us.  He would like to visit his old friend the Trojan horse, since ancient Troy is just a few miles from present-day Troas.  

You:  I think I'll see if I can find any Christians here in Troas.  I'll just look up "Christians" in the Yellow Pages.  The first name listed is Eutychus.

Dr. Kellogg:  Good day, brother Eutychus!  We're touring the Middle East, trying to learn everything we can about Paul of Tarsus.  Do you know him?

Eutychus:  I sure do.  He was preaching a revival meeting here in Troas one time, up in the top floor of that building over yonder.  I was sitting in that third-story window listening to him, and somehow I dozed off to sleep for just a little bit.  Paul was probably annoyed with me for going to sleep while he was preaching.  :)  Anyway, I fell out of the window -- splat! -- right onto the street.  I was dead as a doornail; you know, I saw the long tunnel, with the white light at the end, and all that ...

You:  Wow!  What happened?

Eutychus:  Paul brought me back to life!  That made me a changed person.  I didn't need the rabbit's foot and four-leaf clover that I had always carried around in my pocket for good luck.  Now I could really live up to my name, which comes from the Greek eu, "good," and Tyche, the goddess of luck or fortune.  I really am Lucky!

Dr. Kellogg:  We're happy for you!  Here at Troas port is our ship, the Macte Virtute.  It will take us to Caesarea.  Sometimes it's called Caesarea Maritima ("by the sea"), to identify it as the one on the Mediterranean coast, in contrast to Caesarea Philippi, an inland city where Simon got his nickname "Rocky."  A couple of millennia from now, archaeologists will dig up some of the things that we can see.  Some students from Duke and Emory & Henry will be among the archaeological teams digging up Caesarea!

You:  Well, I have a spoon.  Let's see what I can find.  I know that it's Satan's job, not my job, to dig up dirt on people.  :)  Maybe I can dig up something else.  Oh-ho, here's the pot that I buried here several years ago, when I got us in trouble with it!

    Unfortunately, that piece of broken pottery has so much sentimental value for you that you try to sneak out of town with it.  You are nabbed by an R.A. and thrown into the Caesarea Jail, until your case can be heard by Governor Festus.  I come to visit you in the jail.

Dr. Kellogg:  This jail cell reminds me of the cells in Qumran.

You:  It reminds me of my dorm room in Emory!  I just wish I could hear that midnight train coming through...  Look at the graffiti that I found over here in the corner:  BLZ, PDK, SI, FGF, FPA, QCE, ABC, DOP, DRD, KFA, PSK, SUN, and PAUL SLEPT HERE.

Dr. Kellogg:  I want to ask the guard:  was Paul really in this jail?

Guard:  Yeah, for a couple of years, until Governor Festus sent him on to Rome to stand trial.

You:  Dr. Kellogg, don't let the guard see this, but I've been using my archaeological spoon to dig a tunnel out of jail, and I'm ready to escape now.

Dr. Kellogg:  Great -- the Macte Virtute is waiting for us!

  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You:  What's this island that we're passing by?

Dr. Kellogg:    It's the island where Paul was shipwrecked on his way to Rome from Caesarea.  The name of the island sounds like something which is often added to milkshakes.

You:  I'll have a jamocha shake, please, with Malta!

Dr. Kellogg:    Yes, it's on Malta that Paul was bitten by a snake but was not harmed.  The natives gave him a boat, the Maltese Falcon, that was almost as good as our Macte Virtute!

    Here we are in Rome.  Even though Paul is under house arrest while awaiting his trial before the emperor, he can receive visitors.  Let's spend as much time with him as we can.  Paul, you should write all your ideas down.

Paul:  I already have, Fred.  You'll find my theology not in abstract summaries, but in the letters that I've written to the churches about specific issues.  I hope that someday many Christians will find these letters helpful.

You:  You can't imagine, Paul, but 2,000 years from now, people will still gain new insights from your letters, and they'll apply your insights to their own lives.  

Dr. Kellogg:  We could call you the Epistolary Apostle!  One final request, Paul:  before we go home, I would like to visit a couple of places in Egypt, even though you didn't travel there to establish churches.  Can you help us?

Paul:  Yes -- since I'm a Roman citizen, and Egypt is part of the Roman Empire, I'll make arrangements for you to get an exit visa.  Bon voyage!

Swooooooooooooosh!

Dr. Kellogg:   The Macte Virtute was just naturally attracted to the library in Alexandria, maybe because of the macte virtute inscription on the library in Emory.  Here we are in the greatest library of the ancient world!

You:  I see why Alexander the Great made this his capital and named it after himself -- it's a magnificent city!

Dr. Kellogg:  Yes, and here's where collections of great scriptures, philosophical writings, and other literary works from all over the Mediterranean world were translated into Greek and deposited.  You remember that the New Testament writers relied on the Septuagint, the most important translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek.  It was translated and published right here in Alexandria, and this famous library made it available to people interested in what Christians would someday call the Old Testament.

You:  Since we're in the Nile Delta, could we go on up the Nile to see the place where some other documents were discovered that are also important for understanding the New Testament?

Dr. Kellogg:  Of course!  Our ship will take us up the river to the town known in the 21st century as Nag Hammadi.  Ah, here we can see where Muhammad Ali was digging for fertilizer about sixty years ago, when he found a pottery jug with books writing in Coptic, an ancient Egyptian language.  One of them turned out to be a collection of sayings of Jesus, and scholars think that some of those may be authentic teachings going back to Jesus himself.  Do you remember the name of that book?

You:  Isn't it the Gospel of Thomas?

Dr. Kellogg:  Right!  Let's look around and see if we can find anything that archaeologists might have missed.  Wow -- here's a book that promises us a mystical journey if we sing our alma mater, Latin for "nourishing mother."  Let's try it::

    ♫ Across the hills of old Virginia
    There comes a melody divine;
    It fills our hearts with deepest longing,
    And sweetest memories there entwine.
    It brings the thought of Alma Mater,
    And friends we love so true.
    So now we're singing, voices ringing,
    Love we're bringing you.  Rah!  Rah!  Rah!

    Hail Emory!  Hail Emory!
    Hail Blue and Gold!  True as of old!
    Hail Emory!  Hail Emory!
    Hail to old E.H.C.!♪

    That song takes us straight to our home, sweet home -- Emory.  I hope that this trip has helped you to review and remember some of the key places in the Greco-Roman world.  Please give me, your tour guide, any tips or comments on this review program.  If you want, you can send me e-mail: fkellogg@ehc.edu

To look at one of my other syllabi or a unit review in a different course, go to my Home Page.

To review a different unit in the New Testament course, go directly to one of the following:

    Unit 1, Backgrounds of the New Testament
    Unit 2, The Gospels
    Unit 4, Epistles and Revelation

If you prefer, you may return to the Emory & Henry College Home Page.

Last updated:  November 12, 2007