Hellenism, Roman Citizenship and the Jewish Role in Apostle Pauls Background Free Essay Example, 5250 words

Tarsus was an important port about 10.2 miles up the river Cyndus from the southern coast of what is modern-day Turkey and it had a long and illustrious history, even before the time of Paul. Alexander the Great (d. 323 B. C.) had taken it over during one of his expansionist campaigns and it was granted the privileged status of a city-state in the Greek empire in 170 B. The city may well have enjoyed its connections with the Greek centres of learning and power, but it is important to remember that even in this early period the Greek domains were extremely varied in their history and worldviews. Walbank3 argues that the Hellenistic influence in the period of Alexander the Great spread very fast into Asia Minor but in some places, it had much more of an effect on the local cultures and practices than in others. There was no such thing as a heterogeneous Greek culture, and as the empire began to contract under pressure from pagan tribes and the advance of the up and coming Roman Empire , there was in many places a great deal of disappointment and disillusionment in the old Greek ways. We will write a custom essay sample on Hellenism, Roman Citizenship and the Jewish Role in Apostle Paul's Background or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page 291); mention of a prophet from Crete who insulted his own people in Titus 12 is a third classical reference, traced back to the poet Epimenides (6th century BC). Further evidence for this line of reasoning has been found in the style of writing that Paul uses, particularly in his sermons and letters. Drane detects a Stoic style of writing and some similarities in Paul s theology and Stoic philosophy. The Stoic branch of Greek philosophy was quite fatalistic.