Opening the Door to the Ancient World

 

What an incredible grace.  I have been richly blessed by reading some of the early church fathers.  Also simply devastated by the circumstances that separate us (how can I relate to joy in the midst of fear in facing the Roman Colosseum?).  I remember it was Ravi Zacharias, quoting Muggeridge who said, “New problems are old problems happening to new people.”  We should not be surprised to find the problems we face being dealt with by those of the early church.  I think Christians would benefit from at least reading a little of the early church fathers.  So I have decided to post at least once a week (God willing) on some writing from an early church father.  I know being Reformed myself, we have the tendency to stick to works that are familiar to our own tradition, but often neglect to appreciate or understand the broader Christian world.  I see reading these ancient documents as a step out the front door.  Not a sweeping agreement on all that they had to say, but maintaining a discerning appreciation for those who have walked the road before us. 

A Time Long Ago. . .

To put things into context, the world of ancient Rome was just as pluralistic in its approach to religions as we see here in America (but more politically incorrect in showing their hostilities towards religions they believed would destabilize their security).  In fact, many cities had their local deities that they worshipped where they vied for the god’s favor (I think of one of the most famous, the goddess Athena of Athens) in hopes that the god would bring in richer trade or heightened political power.  It was not uncommon to see displayed in the homes a pantheon of gods whose worship ensured the divine oversight over domestic affairs.   

Of course we have the worship of Dionysius, the god of fertility and the vine.  His followers involved themselves in what was known as the Bacchanalian feasts (Dionysius was also known as the god Bacchus) where the followers would drink wine until they were drunk, both as a celebration of the god’s giving of wine and in hopes of experiencing the divine through their altered state of mind.  John MacArthur notes that large cisterns were setup to where the worshippers, in their drunken frenzy, could throw up and then return to drinking more wine.  Such feasts were known to be extreme indulgences in carnal pleasures, both gluttony and immorality. 

“Prominent among the mysteries were those associated with Magna Mater, the Great Mother, who loved the virgin-born shepherd Attis.  Attis died, slaing either by his enemies or by his own hand (if the latter, by emasculation).  Magna Mater mourned for him, effected his resurrection, and he became immortal.  Postulates of full-fledged initiation mourned for Attis, and then, as the climax of a wild dance, emasculated themselves.  This was followed by a day in which the resurrection of Attis was celebrated, and the devotees felt themselves united with Attis and so participants of his immortality. There was a lay membership of men and women which did not entail mutilation.  Associated with this cult, but borrowed from elsewhere, was the taurobolium. In this the bull was killed and the devotees bathed in its blood as means of dying to the old life and being born again.” (Latourette, Kenneth S.  A History of Christianity: Beginnings to 1500, Prince Press.  p. 24-25)

Of course there are many other cults and mystery religions that were present.  Along with this plethora of religions (chief being Emperor worship) was the philosophers.  The two most prominent were the Stoics and Epicureans.  The Stoics was the great-great-great, etc. grandfather of the movement we see now as Objectivism as Ayn Rand (Atlas Shrugged) envision it just without the pantheism, they held that it was the disciples duty to hold to rational self-control which would then make them independent of the circumstances that they might find themselves in (thus, the expression “Stoic expression” or “Stoically doing one’s duty”) .  They were pantheistic in their view of the world and held to the equality of all men.  The race of men and gods were essentially one society.  The Epicureans believed that attachment to the gods led to the pains and suffering in life.  Thus it was better to believe that the gods did not exist and involve oneself in the indulgences of the flesh.  It was by doing this that we found relief from the sheer violence of the world.  Of course, again there were other philosophies: Neopythagoreanism, Cynicism, Parapatetics, Platonism, Aristotelianism, etc.    This could go on, but I only wanted to give a brief survey (very brief) of what Christianity was born into and the odds Christianity itself faced in the sea of pluralism. 

Asking For the Ancient Paths

We could say that our situation now is very similar to what the early church faced.  I think that many who would want it be like the “good ‘ole days”, after understanding the massive complexity and struggle the early Christians faced they would probably think otherwise.  We stand within a season of peace (largely the persecution of American Christians has not reached the severity we would face in other countries), but it is a time to equip ourselves to grow and establish the Church.  All this is by way of introduction into something I think the Christian will find worthwhile.  My hope is that we will come to appreciate more the heritage we have as Christians and to find more reason to praise God, the God of the ancients, the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. 

Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ (Jeremiah 6:16, ESV)