Hellenism and Ancient Greece

Hellenism 336-39BC, began by Alexander the Great infiltrated the Hebrew culture in
almost every way that I can think of. I have added Ancient Greece from Microsoft
Home on CD. I may have things after Hellenism. I read ISBE and a book by
Readers Digest called GREAT PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE AND HOW THEY
LIVED. I'll try to categorize and alphabetize:
Amphitheaters & Theaters
Round or oval buildings with an open space (arena) surrounded by rows of rising
seats. For Competitive Sports, Circuses , Drama, Political Debates Tragedy,
Comedy, Drama are all ancient Greek words they had Plays in the great theater called
Epidaurus, it sat 14,000 all had a good view and sound was heard by the very last
row.
Aqueducts
A large pipe or conduit made for bringing water from a distant source. Passage or
canal. We know of the one done by Hereod. One of the many sciences.
Architecture
Changed from simple to elaborate and ornate with deities on the buildings. Evolved
into large metropolis cities and to a urban lifestyle. Buildings changed from flat or
rounded roofs to pointed roofs, porticals, columns all done elaborately. Huge
fortresses were built and surrounded by elaborate gardens. The fortress in Athens,
(wisdom and crafts) is the birth place of democracy, laws were created, buildings for
literature, lecture, libraries and sculpture.
Gymnasiums
There athletic competitions took place. Olympic Games a festival consisting of
various contests in athletics, poetry, and music, held every four years at Olympia in
honor of Zeus.
Wrestling (nude) Jewish men got into this and became aware of circumcision
difference. Some men went through painful operations to reverse themselves and
appear non Jewish.
Javelin throwing, dancing, gymnastics and other sports. Healthy bodies were
promoted.
Arts and Letters
Free expression and nude sculptures, done in marble. Mostly developed in the
service of religion. Their work really made the object or person really come alive.
Portraits were done. Athens was the center for the arts and science.
Education
Greeks were the first to have an alphabet and written word. The first for recorded
history. Scribes did this. English and other modern languages still use Greek letters,
sounds, and words. "Atlas, history, democracy, drama, orchestra, tragedy and comedy"
are all Greek words. A boys education could end for boys at 7 years old, and then go on
to learn the art of war. They learned reading, writing, and arithmetic. Wrote on wax
tablets overlaid on wood. They learned a musical instrument, recited poetry, and were
devoted to athletic skills.
Classical Education

Education was for more than jobs, but to be educated for government. Education
ended at 18 years of age. To further education, they went to the philosophers. The
philosopher/teachers traveled all over to their students. Students practiced public
speaking, disguised philosophy, politics and science. Sophocles, Euripides,
Aeschylus wrote about the rule of law and the rights of the people (democracy).
Solon revolutionized Greek Government.
Philosophy
Free thinkers all came to Athens. They argued ideas of Individuality / love of
independence and lead to liberty (our Psychology comes from here). recognition of
the rights of man. Natural Philosophy sprung from contradictions of mythical
theology and operation to it supernatural beings.
Ethics
There were no ethics, morality being customary. Ethics were founded by the quest of
Socrates for the universal, not in conduct, but in judgment. Ethics arose out of
irreconcilable contradictions of conduct.
Science
The great center for science again was Athens. Medical Doctors developed surgery,
with out anesthetic. Many sciences developed there.
Nature and Conduct
Was not terribly different from other peoples through the 7th century had little
change.
Clothing and Hairstyles
Skirts, capes, buttons on shoulders, wide brimmed hats (sign of membership in the
gymnasiums)
Manners
Healthy social life. Sophistication came in with an elite upper class.
Magic and Mythology
Grew out of primitive animism, the belief that all life is produced by a spiritual force
separate from matter, belief in the natural phenomena, rocks, trees, wind etc..area
alive and have souls, a doctrine of the existence of soul as independent of matter,
and a belief in the existence of spirits, demons etc.
Idol Worship and Worship of Nature
Worship of Nature, recognized an order in her operations.
Idols were:
Zeus, a complete myth, became a god. A supreme deity, son of Cronus overthrown
by his son Zeus, and Rhea mother of Zeus, and husband of Hera same as the Roman
Jupiter.
Chthonic cults, (in the earth) gods and spirits of the underworld : They believed the
gods lived in the underworld. They were superhuman beings with great power.
applied to such Greek gods as distinguished from those of Olympus.
3
Olympian worship, a mountain in northern Greece, was believed to be the home of the gods who acted
like human families, fell in love, married, had terrible arguments and did things they later regretted.
Apollo, god of music, poetry, prophesy and medicine (Delphinium larkspur name
came from here), later identified with Helios, a sun god: Delphi is the place where
Delphian Apollo originated and was identified with youth, manliness and beauty.
And was visited at times of distress and doubt.

Hera, sister and wife of Zeus. She was Queen of the gods, goddess of women and
marriage.
Dionysus, the god of teeming Nature was the god of wine and dine.
Orpheus a god who was a musician of unbelievable ability, with the lyre, affected
beasts and even rocks and trees. They found little satisfaction from this.
(It is from Zeus counsel), he was a warrior at the siege of Troy, who helped Odysseus steal the statue
of
Athens.
Demeter, her worship was a different goddess of agriculture and fruitfulness,
protectress of marriage.
Names
Became Greek
Pottery
Using finer clays they became more elaborate and ornate.
Lamps
Lamps changed from flat saucers to closed shape.
Coins
Were made in many different sizes and shapes as well as different metals. They even
used iron bars for money.
Political Domination
Laws were made, government established, power and politics were established in
Athens.
Public Bathes
Women
Freedom, but not as much as the men. Athens had limitations with women though.
These liberties were unknown to the Oriental women. Girls were not educated.
They rarely left the home. They were to learn household skills to be wives and
mothers.
Children
Baby showers came from Greece as well as potty chairs. They had toys, many were
buried in their tombs with them. They had dolls, wagons, tops, the game of
Blindman's Bluff is Greek in origin. But when the age of 13 came along the toys were
no longer allowed, as they were adults and dedicated to the god of Apollo.
Slaves
Were abandoned children that were set at the slave wall or they could be adopted
out. Belonging to individuals and the State.

Urban Lifestyle
Large metropolis cities were created.

Military
Greece had great military power. They were in constant war the Spartans and
Athenians. They had a great Navy, with warships (triremes) the best. They even had
lighthouses. An Army Alexander the Great thought of war strategy and developed
Calvery with his foot soldiers.
Merchants and Traders

The first to conqueror (with out war) the ancient lands.

in matters of religion
free development of living institutions
had Priests but were never ruled by them
literature, regarded with veneration
shrines with treasured writings and directions for practice in cultic worship

An interesting question is: how much of the Greek civilization (Hellenism) and thought penetrated
and influenced Judaism?
It came in 3 centuries before Christ. The LXX was written for the Jews of the
Dispersion and found acceptance in Palestine where the Persian language Aramaic was
now spoken. Hebrew became a dead language and only spoken by a few. Jesus
spoke Aramaic He of course, knew Greek. But there is no evidence of Greek influence
in His thought. All the writings of the NT were done originally in Greek, though the
authors differed in the degree of proficiency in the use of the language and Hellenistic
thought. The book of Peter was written to Jews that were dispersed or scattered, and therefore Hellenists.
Jews were for all practical purposes Greek.
But for the destruction of Jerusalem it is probable that the Jews would have yielded completely to
Hellenic
influences. ISBE page 1374
Anita Austin
Dec 14, 1997
425 335-4667