Peace in Christ.
Well, I just spent a week and a half in Greece: Athens and Santorini (a Greek island in the Aegean Sea). First time ever in that part of the world. Greece is still Greece to this day. It is still with us in name and language and people (which I found very friendly) just as in apostle Paul’s day.
It has an arid climate with many olive trees and vineyards. I did experience some rain while there.
I was not expecting the strong winds….the Meltemi (Etesian) winds…which are prevalent especially in the Greek islands because of a high and low pressure which are parked over the Balkans and Turkey . These winds have been a recurring phenomenon since ancient times that blow from the north.
Another thing I did not expect while my wife and I were there was that the Greek Easter holiday was held on May 5th .... which was almost a month after the one held in the US. They take it very seriously in Greece….about as serious as Christmas itself or even more so. Everything ground to a halt around that time.
The Mediterranean Sea is very clear also….almost tropical-like in color. Very beautiful in places.
Of course, being there made me think of Paul’s journeys in Greece as he sailed through the Greek islands and traveled the mainland as he spread the gospel. I did not realize how many places that he had visited were in Greece. I guess I never took a real close look at the map of his journeys until now. Being there made it real. Seeing some of the things that Paul might have seen made it more concrete and interesting.
Some of the places in Greece that Paul traveled to in his missionary work: Athens, Corinth, Berea, Thessaloniki, Phillipi.
Paul mainly traveled in Greece and also in “Asia” or Asia minor which is now Turkey. Interestingly, “Asia” means “rise” or “resurrection”. The churches of “Asia” (which are close in proximity to Greece) are in the “resurrection”.
Revelation is the awakening of His people (around the world today) to the Word of Truth in the “resurrection” (“Asia” which is now the country of Turkey). “Asia” is now a spiritual concept for His people around the world (as they will awake to His Word of Truth) and not just the historical, physical country.
Rev 1:11 KJV(11) Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Being in Greece made me think of why the New Testament was written in Greek instead of Hebrew.
I read somewhere that Greek was the common language (in that time period) that everyone from different countries could speak to one another….a “bridge language” or a “lingua franca” .
It made sense to have the New Testament written in Greek….and maybe that is why Paul spent a lot of time in Greece since from there it would easily spread to the rest of the world in that bridge language. I’m only speculating on that point.
A “bridge language” makes communication possible between groups of people who do not share a native language especially when it is a third language that is distinct from both of the speakers' native languages.
In today’s time period, I found the “bridge language” to be English in Greece.
Anyways, those are my thoughts for today.
Well, I just spent a week and a half in Greece: Athens and Santorini (a Greek island in the Aegean Sea). First time ever in that part of the world. Greece is still Greece to this day. It is still with us in name and language and people (which I found very friendly) just as in apostle Paul’s day.
It has an arid climate with many olive trees and vineyards. I did experience some rain while there.
I was not expecting the strong winds….the Meltemi (Etesian) winds…which are prevalent especially in the Greek islands because of a high and low pressure which are parked over the Balkans and Turkey . These winds have been a recurring phenomenon since ancient times that blow from the north.
Another thing I did not expect while my wife and I were there was that the Greek Easter holiday was held on May 5th .... which was almost a month after the one held in the US. They take it very seriously in Greece….about as serious as Christmas itself or even more so. Everything ground to a halt around that time.
The Mediterranean Sea is very clear also….almost tropical-like in color. Very beautiful in places.
Of course, being there made me think of Paul’s journeys in Greece as he sailed through the Greek islands and traveled the mainland as he spread the gospel. I did not realize how many places that he had visited were in Greece. I guess I never took a real close look at the map of his journeys until now. Being there made it real. Seeing some of the things that Paul might have seen made it more concrete and interesting.
Some of the places in Greece that Paul traveled to in his missionary work: Athens, Corinth, Berea, Thessaloniki, Phillipi.
Paul mainly traveled in Greece and also in “Asia” or Asia minor which is now Turkey. Interestingly, “Asia” means “rise” or “resurrection”. The churches of “Asia” (which are close in proximity to Greece) are in the “resurrection”.
Revelation is the awakening of His people (around the world today) to the Word of Truth in the “resurrection” (“Asia” which is now the country of Turkey). “Asia” is now a spiritual concept for His people around the world (as they will awake to His Word of Truth) and not just the historical, physical country.
Rev 1:11 KJV(11) Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Being in Greece made me think of why the New Testament was written in Greek instead of Hebrew.
I read somewhere that Greek was the common language (in that time period) that everyone from different countries could speak to one another….a “bridge language” or a “lingua franca” .
It made sense to have the New Testament written in Greek….and maybe that is why Paul spent a lot of time in Greece since from there it would easily spread to the rest of the world in that bridge language. I’m only speculating on that point.
A “bridge language” makes communication possible between groups of people who do not share a native language especially when it is a third language that is distinct from both of the speakers' native languages.
In today’s time period, I found the “bridge language” to be English in Greece.
Anyways, those are my thoughts for today.
