Being of an anxious disposition as a child (ok, and as an adult, too), I often worried over whether I would have been a follower of Christ if I lived in the ancient world. Would I have recognized those truths? Would I have felt the call in my heart? How much of my faith was a privilege of my heritage, rather than a true heart-based decision?
I know it’s a silly thing to have worried about, but to me it meant the difference between a true faith and a hereditary faith – which is to say, no faith at all.
Fast forward to college: I “happened” to take a Classical Studies class on the Greco-Roman epics with a friend, and I fell in love with the tragic stories of myth and legend. These stories told of the hopes, dreams, fears, and agonies of an entire civilization.
And, without using these exact words, the entire civilization seemed to be crying out for a God of Grace and Mercy.
These stories, these myths, told of a Yearning for a Savior. They held hints passed down over the generations, from mother to daughter and from father to son: hints of a Savior to come. These hints were mutilated and twisted by the Adversary; but they survived nonetheless. They were the cornerstones on which God built a Yearning for Him in the hearts of the gentiles.
These were the stories the gentiles knew when Jesus the Messiah walked this earth. These were the concepts they held dear as he taught a new way. This was the yearning in their hearts when they could physically go to Him.
Jesus came to the Greco-Roman world. The apostles wrote to encourage believers in the Greco-Roman world. To separate the Greco-Roman culture from our faith is neither safe nor wise. We lose so much of what they would have taken for granted. (Which is, perhaps, why the classics were studied along with the Bible throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance.)
While studying these stories, I began to make subtle connections to the Scriptures. Suddenly, concepts such as “supplication” (Phil. 4:6) or “drink offerings” (Phil. 2:17) took on a new light. These were concepts familiar to those Paul (in this case) was writing to! They would have had a cultural connotation for these things that we no longer have.
These small discoveries began to add up, and I felt as if I was getting a behind-the-scenes look within the mind of the ancients. These concepts were not esoteric, ethereal knowledge. These were common, basic concepts that they re-appropriated to worship the one true God.
So, in response to my youthful worry: of course I would have followed Christ! In fact, I find it more miraculous that I follow Him now, so far removed from His day and age.
Certainly, I don’t need to know the cultural background to have faith; but understanding the mind of the ancients certainly invigorates my faith, making it even more powerful and personal. I hope you find the same to be true. I can’t claim to know all that was in their minds – that would be impossible; but I hope to shed a little light on things we tend to pass over in our studies.
I hope you enjoy this adventure into the mind of the ancients, and I hope your love for Christ grows with each passing week!
