Page 109 - Biblical Backgrounds

reason,” but the Stoics came to affiliate it with the spiritual, creative force in the universe—reason
within the physical. This is related to Plato’s "form," which he defined as the ultimate, perfect model
held in mind or realm of the Creator on which earthly things are based. Jesus’ identification as
the logos means that His teachings directly reflect the universal truths of creation.

Although Greek culture influenced the spread, language, and culture of Christianity and even spawned
unbiblical cults, it did not affect orthodox theology. The story of a single, triune God and the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ remain untouched by Hellenism. Martyrs went to their graves in order to
ensure the gospel message stayed true. Hellenism in the early church days remains an example of how
to use culture to spread the message while not allowing the culture to change the message. 157

The Importance of the Greek Language
The New Testament authors wrote their letters in Koine Greek. Every point we hold, and our New
Testament doctrines are founded on God’s original documents. While we don’t possess any original
autographs, we do have thousands of copies and can, through textual criticism, assure all that the
Scriptures we have today are copies of the original manuscripts and can be wholly trusted.
God chose the Greek language for His autographs because it is such a precise language. It was a
language that made sense to the majority of the world. In Christ’s day, Greek was the language of
business and education and a universal language for communicating with foreigners (as English is
today). Aramaic was the primary language of Israel in Christ’s day, and Hebrew was the religious
language of the Jews. Jesus most likely spoke all three languages. Most Jews in Christ’s day did not read
or speak Hebrew but spoke Greek. The Book of Hebrews, written to Jewish Christians, was written in
Greek. The first-century church spread the Gospel to the entire world using the Greek language as a
communication medium. God wanted His Word to be accessible to everyone, and He chose the
common language of the day, Koine Greek.

P1757#y1
Ancient Greece 101

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bDrYTXQLu8

Let’s Practice…

1. What is the name of the ‘king’ who conquered the Persian empire and is believed to be referred to in
Daniel 11:3-4?

2-3. When Alexander died, his empire was divided among several generals. Name the two generals who
played a role in governing Palestine.

157 https://www.gotquestions.org/Hellenism.html

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