Day 26
Wow, it’s strange to think that tomorrow (after 19 hours of traveling!) I will be back in the States, after a whirlwind month of activity—packing, moving, driving, exploring. I’ve been so many places, seen so many world famous archaeological sites, explored beautiful natural scenery, and eaten so much delicious native food! The experience was such a gift. Some things that I’ve realized: 1) I like cities, but I love nature. My favorite spots of the trip were in the mountains, over the sea, hiking the rocky trails, watching the sunsets. As Wordsworth's poetry suggests, there is such serenity and beauty to be found in that which is not made by man. Though it is not to be worshipped, it points us to Him who is! 2) My interest in history has been really stimulated and deepened! This trip really opened my eyes to the grand story of God’s world through centuries and centuries. Life didn’t start when Christ came (sometimes that’s as far back as my small mind will look). The Savior came in the fullness of time, preceded by so much culture and civilization and humanity, things that have shaped the world that I know. So many centuries of thought on man, his purpose and what the good life is have been carefully recorded as philosophy, essay, novel and poem—people have wrestled with these big themes and pondered them and built upon the ideas of others, and the mere ability to read is the key to this vast wealth and heritage. I’m so excited to continue pursuing and learning this great story that has been unfolding for so very long and what my place is in it! 3) My faith is more central to my daily functioning than perhaps I realized. That feels strange to type, given that my desire is to orient my life around God and has been for a while. I think there was just such a big contrast between America and Turkey, a country where mosques can be seen in every direction and the populace is very wholly Muslim. It was difficult for me emotionally to be there and see it all so academically and as part of a group of carefree tourists when my mind was telling me “Wait, this is a nation of lost people. Missionaries from our church are giving their lives in service to God here to try to reach them.” I didn’t expect to feel so much relief in coming to Greece and going into churches instead of mosques, nor to feel so completely joyful and content in getting to help serve refugees and play worship music in a hot, dingy building with Hellenistic Ministries. 4) God is so good. I continue to learn this every week, seeing more and more how nothing can fill and satisfy and bring such joyful contentment like He can. I leave this half of the world with the grateful praise and jubilant adoration of David on my heart. Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name! 2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits-- 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 17 from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him! 19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. 21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. 22 Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, O my soul! Ps. 103
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Our last scheduled event was to St. Luke’s Monastery today as we left the mountains, a truly gorgeous array of buildings from the 1000s AD; an orthodox church still meets there and we saw part of the mass and the eucharist. Situated right on a mountain, fresh breezes, cool air and the incredible view all around it contribute to the serenity of this holy place. It also has one of the largest and most beautiful collections of mosaics—thousands of colored tiles surrounded by millions of golden ones form images of saints, of New Testament stories, of the Virgin, of Christ. To be there an a truly gorgeous and restful Sunday morning was such a treat.
I finished my last bit of reading today, another Josef Pieper work- Leisure as the Basis of Culture. His work is so dense—I almost feel like I read each sentence 2-3 times—but such good content. In this book/essay he discusses how our culture is full of busyness and work, a constant drive of work for work’s sake; we have become a “worker’s state.” He argues that in the emphasis on utilitarian, servile jobs that serve the practical needs of society, we have lost sight of the intellectual and liberal arts as distinct parts of our lives that can do other than simply be another job (eg “intellectual worker”). I love his emphasis on the need for silence, silence to simply receive, to think, to ponder without doing processing work. “To be tied to the process of work may be ultimately due to the inner impoverishment of the individual.” In illustrating the need for leisure as the basis for these liberal arts that define a culture, Pieper ends by demonstrating that true leisure—a break from the mundane, regular tasks— centers around celebration, and celebration—holidays, festivals—has historically originated from and revolved around worship. It was a super interesting read, even more so because his argument stemmed from looking into the practices of the ancient Greeks and Romans, which has been a huge focus of this trip! I love some of his concluding words: “The vacancy left by absence of worship is filled by mere killing of time and by boredom, which is directly related to inability to enjoy leisure; for one can only be bored if the spiritual power to be leisurely has been lost.” Food for thought right there. What does leisure mean for you, for me? Is my inner soul so nourished in worshipping God and so at rest in him that leisure is time refreshing, time renewing, time well spent? Is it possible to maintain and defend, or even to reconquer, the right and claims of leisure, in face of the claims of “total labor” that are invading every sphere of life? Leisure, it must be remembered, is not a Sunday afternoon idyll, but the preserve of freedom, of education and culture, and of that undiminished humanity which views the world as a whole. I will finish with my last reflection tomorrow as I prepare to fly back to the States. PC: This morning our group got to see our last archaeological sight of the trip, and Apollo’s sanctuary at Delphi was certainly a strong finish! Situated high up on the mountain, Delphi was the location of Apollo’s oracle; people in the ancient world journeyed from near and far to inquire of their future and request wisdom on certain decisions, as well as attend the enormous religious festival (with athletic games) which also occurred once every four years. Delphi was literally the center of the world in its day, equidistant from all relevant travelers and referred to as the navel or belly-button of the universe (and we saw the stone which represented that navel!). Its prime was during the second, third and fourth centuries before Christ. An incredible wall, masterfully built of rocks cut into puzzle pieces without cement or anything else holding it together, formed the base for the flat area on which the Temple of Apollo stood; here virgin girls called Pythia worked in the lower, dark area in the back of the temple. Perhaps under the influence of noxious fumes or drugs, the women were said to receive messages from Apollo and mumble and froth incoherently; the priests then translated the god’s “answer” into vague lines of poetry.
It was cool to be at this ancient hub, and crazy to think how central and monumentally important it was to people’s lives back then. In Aeschylus’ Oresteia, it is here that Orestes flees for purging and protection after killing his mother; it is Apollo whom Dante invokes in Paradiso (as the god of music, rational thought, and order) to aid him in his monumental task; it is the spirit of the python/Pythia which Paul drives from the slave girl following him in Philippi (Acts 16:16). We are nearing the end of our academic journey here in the Mediterranean, with only two days left; but we are still finishing some last minute reading and discussion for classes! Today I started some readings from a lesser known gem of an author, Josef Pieper- A Brief Reader on Virtues of the Human Heart. He discusses the virtues of the Christian walk, and out of the many things he says I most loved his words on discipline and temperance. A common understanding of the concept is one of strict rules, denial of pleasure, rigid asceticism. Yet he reminds the reader of Aquinas’ words, “the goal and norm of discipline is bliss,” digging at the truth that the parameters God gives us for our lives are there to maximize our joy as his creatures, to work and live as we were made to, which will bring us the most fulfillment and pleasure! He says it’s the “decision to relinquish creation for the sake of its Creator,” and that decision “shines with an affirming cheerfulness that is infinitely superior to any naive gladness over creation.” What this says to me is—in great contrast to Zorba the Greek, who lives only for pleasure and never denies his appetites—that God himself is the ultimate joy; anything we deny ourselves in discipline to obey him and honor him will be far surpassed by the goodness of the Lord’s presence, where there is fullness of joy! (Ps. 16:11). I pray this transfers from head to heart knowledge; what an incredible waste it would be to not let this truth become a part of our lives as we strive to conform to Christ’s likeness. PC: youtube We got to further explore Olympia this morning! The site is largely un-reconstructed; the bases and outlines of the buildings were present and several pillars had been re-erected to show their enormous size, but there were many piles of stones haphazardly thrown here and there by earthquakes. We walked by the athlete training area of the day, the gymnasium, as well as the Temple of Zeus which housed his statue—one of the 7 wonders of the world until it was destroyed—for these famous games were very closely connected with religious rites and worship (and Olympia/Olympus is said to be the birthplace of Zeus). We got to walk through a temple of Hera, and see her altar in front of it where they light the Olympic torch before the games today. I was intrigued by the row of remains of statues to Zeus that cheaters were forced to buy and erect as punishment, as well as a villa Nero had built there. (Apparently at one point he competed, and when he fell off his horse during the racing, everyone slowed down and waited for him to get back on! No beating the emperor at the Olympics). The best part was most definitely getting to race with my travel friends across the Olympic field where runners competed 2,800 years ago at the first instance of these monumental games!
Now I am writing as we wind around the twisty edge of the land by the coast of blue-green water, still and smooth as glass with a white mist, having recently come from the bridge over the gulf of Corinth. We stopped at the site of the famous navel battle of Lepanto, which was fought between the Holy League under the Pope and the Ottoman Turks in the late 1500s AD. Standing on the shore, we read G.K. Chesterton’s dramatic poem on the event—romanticizing the battle and the heroics of Don Juan of Austria—and took pictures with the statue of Miguel Cervantes (author of Don Quixote, which I hope to be translating soon in Spanish class!) who also fought in the battle. Our bus is approaching the Parnassus mountains and ultimately Delphi, which will be at about an 1,800 feet elevation. Outside my window is one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen; the sandy, peach colored hills dotted with black overhang a sea of pale purple, the exquisite amethyst blending into the lightest shades of navy, turquoise and jade. Such beauty declares the power and goodness of the master Artist! As we round a corner we can now see below us the largest olive grove in Greece; thousands and thousands of the squat, gray-green trees spread over acres between the rolling mountains. Wow. Have you ever seen the icon “The Hospitality of Abraham?” It was the last one in our Rowan Williams book and most definitely my favorite. The image harkens back to Abraham welcoming the 3 visiting angels, whom Christian tradition has paralleled with the members of the Trinity. I love that Christ takes the center and prominence, for it is in God made flesh that we most fully gain knowledge of the Divine. His fingers are in the symbol traditionally given to Christ showing him as teacher and authority, yet they are not raised as per the usual, but gesture instead to the chalice, the eucharist. The fourth place at this table is left to me, to you, and we are beckoned to join with Christ in his death—death to our flesh, to our sin, to our desires, for if we die with him we are also raised with him! The eyes of the Son are to the Father, who gazes at the Spirit, who looks again to Jesus in a dynamic circle that forces the reader not to simply look in stasis at one figure. As Williams put it, Knowing the Trinity is being involved in this circling movement: drawn by the Son towards the Father, drawn into the Father’s breathing out of the Spirit so that the Son’s life may be again made real in the world. It is where contemplation and action become inseparable. I love his insight that the doctrine of the Trinity is far more than a theological fact tucked away in our Bibles—it is an invitation to action, to the love and movement the Godhead shares, for as Augustine said, the Kingdom of Heaven is “not just to be looked at, but to be lived in.” It’s an invitation to accept the Father’s gift, repent and be redeemed by the Son, and walk as Jesus did in his life and death by the transforming power of the Spirit. What a cool reminder in this icon, things I would never have considered if I saw the image before now. Note: posted a day late because no matter how hard I tried, the wifi at the last hotel would not let me load the page!
Today several hours on the bus winding through mountains with small, twisting roads surrounded by lush green forests (especially driving through the pastoral delight of Arcadia) brought us to Olympia! We will get to see more tomorrow of this birthplace of the Olympics (the first ones were in 776 BC!), but the visit to the museum with finds from the archeological digs at the site was pretty neat. We saw pottery, corinthian-style battle helmets, armor and shields, and jewelry; but what impresses me the most at these museums is the marble statues of heroes, gods, goddesses, emperors and athletes. It astounds me that anyone can take an enormous chunk of pure marble and carve away the stone to reveal a life-like human beneath, much less during the 3rd and 4th centuries before Christ. These works of art are truly breathtaking; smooth and vivid, the sculptors make hard stone appear as soft flesh, as curling hair, as a garment fluttering gently in the breeze. Between here and the Epidauros museum I have seen the emperors Hadrian, Augustus and Nero, the greek gods Zeus, Nike, Aphrodite, Apollo and Artemis, and many headless bodies (and bodiless heads). It has been interesting seeing how much reverence was paid to Aphrodite, the goddess of love for the Greeks, while contemplating a recent author’s dissection of love in its many forms, be it affection, friendship or eros. C.S. Lewis’ final chapter in the Four Loves offers some beautiful insight on the divine love “Caritas” or "Agape," this love simultaneously of and through and for God, Love himself. Charity: the 1 Corinthians 13 love, the love which is undeserved, freely given; the love which loves the unlovable purely, without expectation of return, of honor, of even the pride of being needed. How difficult it is for me to accept this love, the love which I need most of all but which is totally independent of my skills, my knowledge, my efforts at righteousness. My flesh would rather think that my striving and good works merit love in some way than realize it is 100%-without-exception a divine gift. God is love. And yet, what a glorious freedom there is, Lewis describes, in letting go of “this pretense that we have anything of our own”- he says “we have been like bathers who want to keep their feet—or one foot—or one toe—on the bottom, when to lose that foothold would be to surrender themselves to a glorious tumble in the surf!” Wow, I love that image. I think for me, coming to that place of total nothing-ness before God and allowing his ocean of love to be totally undeserved is what brings me to a place of falling in love with the Lord! Oh, how greatly I long to fully realize the depths of his incredible agape for me and to live always in that joyful, secure place! I have caught glimpses this year, and what abundant life it is. Lewis also discusses how caritas transforms and elevates our natural loves as well; affection, friendship and eros are not displaced by the divine love— rather, he says, “The natural loves are summoned to become modes of charity while also remaining the natural loves they were.” As Christ took manhood into his divine nature, so natural love is “taken up into, made the tuned and obedient instrument of Love Himself.” This gives so much more purpose to our relationships and these different types of loves, for without caritas they ultimately break down in human selfishness or idolatry of the creature rather than the Creator. Yet what beauty they gain as avenues for this kind of love, which Lewis calls “the whole Christian life in one particular relation.” PC: trip advisor.com Today was all about the Myceneans! We started by visiting the tomb of King Agamemnon, proceeded to view his golden mask and lots of pottery from the 11th-31st centuries BC in the museum, and finally passed through the gate with the towering lions above it (still there from the 1200s BC!) and hiked up and down and around the whole city of Mycenae! The age of the stuff was incredible, hard to believe. It was equally impressive to be able to connect a real place, a real, enormous, beehive/pyramid shaped stone tomb (31 rows of stones!), and real golden treasure to the wealth king of which I have read so much! Agamemnon is famously murdered in Aeschylus’ trilogy the Oresteia, after sacrificing his daughter Iphegemia in order to obtain favorable winds for his soldiers to sail to Troy. He is part of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, the captain who led the Greeks to defeat the trojans after they stole his brother Menelaus’ wife Helen. I also crossed his path briefly in Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde, for the British, medieval author set his work during the ancient siege of Troy. Such cool connections!
We also got to visit the city of Epidaurus, famous for its dedication to the healing god Asklepios, who is reported by mythology to have been born there. I got to see a myriad of ancient scalpels and other tools of medicine from the 400s BC and on, stand in the center of a 14,000 seat Greek theater and hear crazy cool acoustics vibrate and hum when I clapped, and contemplate the differences between the ancient Hippocratic Oath (much more clear-cut, with high moral standards and specific do’s and don’ts laid out) and the modern one (quite vague and liberal, cuts out prohibitions on abortion and euthanasia). Hippocrates was an early priest of Asklepion, devoted to healing and medicine in the 400s BC. I spent this evening reading Clement’s letter to the Corinthians, written around 97 AD. Though not considered canonical (obviously), his lengthy letter does indeed contain much echoing of Paul’s letters and other scripture, including the Old Testament. He expounds greatly upon his subjects, and I enjoyed how he used pictures and comparisons- urging us to understand worship by learning from the angels, resurrection by remembering the phoenix, and peaceful and harmonious submission to God’s order by gazing upon the oceans, seasons and stars. He writes so sincerely and with passionate exhortation on themes such as true Christian love, living in holiness, divisions, and the Eucharist, always emphasizing the preeminence of Christ. I loved his line, “let us strain every nerve to be found among those who wait in patience for Him.” What a vivid picture! I pray that would be true of my life. I also loved these words; they made me laugh: “My brothers, do let us have a little humility; let us forget our self assertion and braggadocio and stupid quarreling, and do what the Bible tells us instead.” Can’t you just imagine him saying that and the exasperated look on his face? So straight forward; it cracks me up. I can’t think of a good way to end right now so I’ll just advise you to go back and read that humorous line again; I hope it makes you smile. And maybe you’ll even test your own heart and see if it was needing this down to earth, practical advice. My favorite spot of the trip was definitively discovered and chosen this morning as I climbed up Acrocorinth, the Acropolis of the ancient city of Corinth. The enormous, rocky mountain towers above the sea; gold and brown hues of long, wild grasses flutter gently in the breeze, surrounded by the increasingly higher leveled, castle walls built by Turks, Venetians and Byzantines. Wildflowers and purple thistles grow in clusters over the craggy surface, and climbing the high points of the rocks and walls reveal all the rolling, jagged earthy landscape beneath. What a picture! As we drive back down the winding roads, the enormous rocks alternating shades of gray and orange loom high above, in all their strength as an ancient mighty fortress; yet so completely and utterly beautiful.
I had no idea that the area around Corinth itself was so mountainous. We got to visit the archaological site of the lower city center itself, a playground of pillars, walls and marble streets. Most of the remains are from when Corinth was a Roman city, during the first and second centuries AD, much of it likely added after Paul’s visits. Some older Greek constructions such as temple pieces still remained, though. Having read 1st and 2nd Corinthians for class, as well as Acts 17 when Paul visits and is brought before Consul Gallio at the Beema (the high building/seat of the governor, which I stood upon!), walking through the ancient city was an strange experience. There was so much going on in my mind; Paul’s chastisement against sexual immorality and our guide’s note that the Temple of Aphrodite employed 1,000 cult prostitutes, Paul’s exhortation for the church to live in unity and get rid of the divisions among them, his explanation of spiritual gifts and the unique nature of the body of Christ with many different members united under the head, his instructions for their financial gift, and his plans to come visit them again. Standing in that city I half imagined the pages of the apostle’s ancient letters curling up around us in that dusty, white place, and the apostles pleading with the Jews in the synagogues (we saw some jewish inscriptions) before offering salvation to the Greeks. It seemed a funny thing to me that everything felt so normal; that birds were chirping and restaurants and stores just outside the site were operating and our group was doing its regular routine of listening and goofing off. Life goes on. In Zorba, he and his friend (the narrator) have visited a monastery to make a business deal. The latter is at first captured by the spiritual serenity; “In a high green hollow, ingeniously harmonizing the peak’s nobility with the plain’s sweetness, this monastery seemed to me an exceptionally well-chosen haven for meditation. What a miracle! What solitude! What bliss!” But the author then portrays the monks as carnal and self-centered, no different from any other man. “What kind of people are these? asked Zorba, ready to vomit.” “Mules, fit for hell! Each one has a devil inside him. This one wants a woman, this one salt codfish, this one money, this one newspapers. Oh, those nincompoops! They should come down to the world, and stuff themselves full of all that in order to cleanse their noodles. As for me, when I crave something, do you know what I do? I eat and eat until I’m satiated. That’s how I get free.” Zorba’s method of fulfillment is gorging himself on whatever he craves until he makes himself sick and desires it no more. And he claims that by this method he is not dominated by his passions! Unfortunately the “religious” men that the narrator portrays are not uncommon, even amongst those who would claim the title “Christian.” Yet I have learned and seen and experienced that the life of Christ God wants us to live is one of victory! Man was created to rule; rule the earth, rule the creatures, rule our passions. And by God’s grace, in the new covenent we are given the ability to master sin and walk as Jesus walked (Romans 6:14); a life of holiness, of freedom from slavery to our passions and liberty in the purpose of God for our lives, so much higher than mere satiating of appetites. I don’t want to only hate on Zorba, though, for there is much in him that I resonate with and long for. His zest for life; his sense of adventure; his depth of emotion; his freedom. He is joyful, wild, colorful; I, too, thirst for travel, for adrenaline, for new sights and new experiences and for the unbridled dance of the joy of life. But I find this so much more greatly enriched in being a part of the Father’s great plan. We spent the morning exploring the Greek Agora in the heart of Athens, the city’s political center where a government of tribes changed to a democracy! (Demos=people, cratos=power). Each tribe elected 50 men to represent them in the Council of 500, and thus the brand new, man-made contraption of representative government was born. In the Archaeological Museum we saw pieces of pottery with names of leading men roughly scratched on the red and black shards; apparently this was for use in the practice of ostracism, in which each man wrote the name of someone he wished expelled from Athens for 10 years; the man with the most votes was kicked out. It was crazy to walk through streets and in front of homes from the 400s BC which Socrates would have frequented, and make the connection with Plato’s Apology, in which Socrates is on trial for not honoring the gods (after seeing the worship of the ancient world it’s easier to understand why this was such a big deal), corrupting the youth, and destroying the peace as a questioning busybody! It’s truly amazing to be in the birthplace of so much of western civilization, culture and philosophy.
On a completely different level, this evening I was privileged to be part of a small group of students going to observe, learn and help out with Hellenistic Ministry, the main evangelical Greek mission. It’s kind of crazy that while 98% of Greece is reported to be Christian, the truth is that because the Greek Orthodox church is the state church, these numbers actually are really counting those who fall under the broad, state label rather than people who have actually trusted Christ as Lord. Out of 11 million people in Greece, only about 25,000 are evangelical believers; less than 3%. Hearing this shocked me. The ministry we spent time with tonight has so many different facets, but the part we helped out with was their weekly dinner for refugees, a segment of the population that has been a huge focus of their ministry since 2015 and 2016 when the refugee crisis started. Around 100 people a day are still fleeing to Greek islands, where the refugee camps are hugely overcrowded. Tonight we helped serve a meal and clean as the people heard a gospel message, testimony, and invitation to return for a Bible study. Being there on the 7th floor of that worn-down building, hearing men share the love of Christ in English, Greek and Farsi to men, women and children from Syria, Iran, Azerbaijan, Damascus and other places was such an incredible blessing, so truly humbling. You can see the exhaustion, the emptiness on many of their faces, people who feel like they don’t belong anywhere and are struggling to completely rebuild their lives. Some are Muslim; some are Christians who fled persecution; others have no faith at all. Yet, as I thought to myself in awe, they are receiving Christ’s love and his message from the church in Athens- the church which originated with the words of Paul and those with him who first traveled here and spoke in the synagogues, Areopagus, and Agora, bringing the gospel message shortly after Christ rose! It’s as if I have stepped into history; it truly is real, living, breathing; it his HIS story and in his sovereign grace He is working out his beautiful plan across centuries through those who follow Him. As I have continued to read Zorba the Greek, it seems to me that his way of life and philosophy falls so short of life that is lived from and through and to the One who made all things, the Giver of good gifts and Lover of our souls. This character so exalted for his freedom, willingness to do anything and everything, and all around zest for life believes “in nothing and no one, only in Zorba.” He mocks, “You hold a scale, eh? You weigh by the gram, eh? Come on, decide! To hell with scales!” He is lovingly described as a “ vivacious heart, warm voice, a great unrefined, unsophisticated soul,” yet the worldview of the book is lacking. To live solely for what’s new, for physical pleasure, creates a restless, searching, roaming type of heart, As Zorba is; always going and coming and seeking new pleasures and tasks. When we unconsciously slip into this “freedom” we too become wanderers, seeking the satisfaction of our Maker in things that will never give it. Forgive me, Lord. May my soul earnestly seek for you, for a life devoid of your love and purpose for me is as a dry and weary land where there is no water. I was reminded of this tonight in the simple joy and peace there was in serving a meal and giving the love of Christ to those without it. PC: Natalie Ciacco. Love that my Greek last semester gave me enough to figure out this was John 1:14- "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us; and we have seen His glory, the glory as of the One and only who came from the Father full of grace and truth." Oh, my. The Parthenon crowning the Athens Acropolis is truly unrivaled as a feat of architecture and beauty from the ancient world. This morning our group walked to the base of the enormous hill, fortified all around by tall, impressive stonewalls like a castle. We ascended the slippery, dull red marble paths until we reached the top; we could gaze out to the city of Athens spread before us, the white buildings crowded together all the way to the sea, with an island behind it. And then we could gaze to the Erecthon temple, supposedly where Zeuss and Athena fought over who would be patron god of the city; Zues blasted through the ceiling of this temple (a large hole was in the top corner) to bring a stream of water out of the rock, and Athena brought forth an immense olive tree (growing in front of the temple). Athena won, thus, “Athens.”
Though we saw several other temples, the beautiful marble entrance, and theaters (one for drama, and one solely for music!) on the Acropolis, the Parthenon is easily the largest, most grandiose and eye-catching building at the site. Eight pillars wide and seventeen pillars long, the enormous marble structure was truly dazzling! We learned about how the architects used optical illusion techniques: curving the enormous pillars inward so that they appear straight rather than bowing; making the pillars get smaller as they go up, get larger in the middle (not visually noticeable) for stability and to counteract the optical illusion of pillars being skinnier in the middle, and then get smaller again, making them appear taller; causing the four corners of the parthenon droop down and the steps between to curve upward, correcting the visual illusion of a sunken middle that would occur if such long steps were constructed perfectly straight. This structure was so carefully designed and constructed to make it pleasing to the eye! Around the top of the structure were friezes— 3d sculptures carved in the flat marble of horses, armies, and people conquering beasts. The entire thing, we learned, was constructed essentially as Athenian propaganda about their power, wealth and might following their victory over the Persians at the battle of Marathon (490 BC, from which comes the tall-tale of a runner who ran from the battle to bring the good news and then promptly died from exhaustion) and the battle of Salamis (480 BC, in which the Athenians used their magnificent fleet to win the naval battle). Apparently Socrates himself helped some in its construction, for he was a stone mason by trade before he became a philosopher! The most amazing part of the day—and of the trip so far, for me—was climbing up the slippery marble steps to stand on top of Mars Hill, or the Areopagus, where Paul delivered his famous oration to the Athenians. Ancient history was brought back to life for me as I imagined Paul’s words as the Athenians would have heard them, surrounded by dark green trees and against the backgdrop of the Acropolis which stands right next door, temples and structures of man-made glory protruding into the sky. Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. I’ve spent the last three weeks seeing temples of magnificent marble built by the ancient world to their deities; seeing the Parthenon, the temple of Athena and all the sculptures of greek and Roman gods that filled the archeology museum we visited, the apostle’s words make so much more sense. “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else…since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. It’s hard to put into words how incredible it is to stand in these places; to see the centuries of human history—living, worshipping, building, warring—that led right up to the coming of our Savior, who literally transformed the world to the point where the entire calendar shifts at his life. To climb the Areopagus, feel the cool breeze upon my warm skin, and see what Paul saw as he begged the Athenians to turn to Christ, understanding why he chose the words that he did, turns my faith from words on a page from times long ago into a living, breathing thing; it’s so real. There’s not any neat way to end that; it’s all a continuation of this crazy journey of discovering how good, how true, how mighty the Lord is. What a privilege. PC: marshillfoundation.org I sit right now on the bus, yet again, leaning my head against the great glass window and staring off at the island of Cyprus as we grow nearer our impending flight to Athens. Will Greece, I wonder, actually embody the Greek spirit of which I am reading in Nikos Kazantzakis’ Zorba the Greek? The novel is bursting with philosophy. Zorba is a whirlwind, a firework, a roller coaster of a man; he grabs at life and seizes every color, every woman, every new land, every adventure. He is simultaneously earthy and ethereal, old and young at heart, contemplative and roaringly raucous. He is profane and adulterous and has faith in nothing but himself; yet like his Buddhist companion the narrator, one cannot help being drawn to his zest for living, like a moth to a light. Where does this light come in against the light of Christ’s glorious transfiguration in yesterday’s icon? I’m not there yet. The mind can’t always be in analysis mode.
` It’s amazing how strong pride can be, especially spiritual pride. I can spend hours reading about the glory of Christ as depicted in the icons of his Transfiguration and Resurrection, when he conquers death and breaks the power of Hell, reconciling his own to himself and bringing unity to what has been broken and divided—yet minutes later, my mind is again caught up in myself and comparing myself to others. Clearly it is the Lord who is awesome in power, mighty in battle; I’m only she who fails him in so many ways literally each day. And yet my heart has the audacity to look smugly at other people and cast judgement with a sense of spiritual superiority like the pharisee who praised you that he was not like the sinner. Oh Father have mercy on me! Oh kneel me down again, here at your feet Teach me how much you love humility O Spirit be the star that leads me to This humble heart of love I see in you! (Brenton Brown) Anselm's words in his 16th prayer also add such poignant depth to this desire for humility and the battle against ugly pride; I want your love to burn in me as you command so that I may desire to love you alone and sacrifice to you a troubled spirit, ‘a broken and a contrite heart’ the bread of tears and sorrow for which I hunger more than for any choice delights. A nighttime walk around Athens revealed a bustling and magnificent city; it’s hard not to be impressed when the city center hugs the Acropolis, and upon this high hill the white marble pillars of the Parthenon are lit up with soft orange against the dark sky. I so look forward to exploring this ancient birthplace of so much philosophy, music, art and learning! PC: tripadvisor.com |