¶ … Narrative of an Episode From My Travels With Paul
As a traveling companion of Paul, I have seen a number of marvels and the way in which the Christian faith of the Apostle challenges the boundaries between cultures and societies. For example, in Greece, I have seen Paul mix and mingle with Jews, with those baptized by John (and then baptized in the spirit of Christ by Paul),[footnoteRef:1] with Romans, and with every other possible number and variety of inhabitant in the islands. Paul could relate to many because his mission and view were such that he saw himself connected to everyone, even the living and the dead. I mention these latter because even a tombstone of a young girl, depicting her innocence as she holds a dove, could elicit from Paul such reverence and appreciation and praise that you would think he had personally known that girl.[footnoteRef:2] In such simple representations of life, a girl and a bird, he saw great meaning and a universality of richness that extended to everyone. For Paul, there was no distinction between wealthy Roman and Ephesian, no distinction between Jew and Gentile. Of course, at the same time, he was perfectly well aware of how these peoples and their cultures and backgrounds differed on a socio-economic level, or on a political level -- or even a religious level -- but it was this latter level where he sought to unite all, to equate all, by bringing them all into the same religious fold, so that they like him were followers of Christ. His successes were astounding, and his challenges even more so. In some places he was loved, in others hated. Truly the most important aspect of this world that I witnessed was the manifestation of one of two spirits -- a kindly spirit that welcomed in truth and charity; and a demonic spirit that sought only to sow hatred and division.[footnoteRef:3] [1: Acts 18.] [2: This tombstone may be seen at the Getty Villa, currently on loan from the NY Met Museum. "Marble Relief with a Young Girl Holding Doves." Getty. Web. 20 Apr 2016.] [3: Acts 19.]
One of the most interesting experiences when in Paul's company was the riot in Ephesus.[footnoteRef:4] This riot perfectly represents the interface between early Christianity and the Greco-Roman social, cultural, and religious environment. A man named Demetrius, who built shrines made of silver in honor of the goddess Artemis (called Diana by the Romans) caused a frenzy among the Ephesians when he gave the impression that Paul was going to ruin them of their livelihood by converting the populace. Demetrius spoke to his friends and fellow craftsmen and complained of the fact that Paul denounced the "gods" and "goddesses" of their craft as false and as being no gods at all. Thus there was a significant religious divide between the believers in the Greek gods and goddesses in Ephesus and the followers of Christ, whom Paul taught. When Demetrius began to speak against Paul, the non-Christians were angered: they believed that Paul constituted a threat to their livelihood (what would happen, for example, if the whole region converted to Christianity -- there would be no more need for the fine shrines built by these craftsmen). The situation quickly turned violent. The peace and serenity represented by the innocent girl holding the doves in the tombstone that Paul had earlier during his travels seen as an image of purity and goodness was nowhere to be found in Ephesus. The divide between the two religious camps was full of fire. Even our friends were taken by force by the followers of Demetrius. Even the Jews got involved and tried to sway events, but the Ephesians only shouted in the crowd where they had gathered all the more loudly, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"[footnoteRef:5] [4: Acts 19.] [5: Acts 19:34.]
I was reminded of a Roman floor mosaic that we had seen earlier in our travels: the mosaic depicted a bear hunt. Like the social environment in Ephesus, it was a combination of cultures that produced the work -- a Greek influence combined with a Roman sensibility. The picture showed hunters in pursuit of bears: it was depicted across a number of tiles in the wealthy home of a Roman interested in hearing what Paul had to say about Christ and God. Paul being of Roman and Jewish...
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