The morning call., 1893-12-17
GREEK CULTURE.
1t Prepared the World for
Christianity.
The Fullness of Time Brought About
by Greek Art, Literature
and Philosophy.

Right Rev. Dionysius Latas. Archbishop
of Zante, delivered lecture last night in
Metropolitan Hall on Greek art and litera-
ture as preparation for the coming of
Christianity into this world. 1t Is a pity
that only small audience was present to
listen to man who undoubtedly possesses
In high degree the eloquence of q race
that has produced orators such as Demos
themes and Lysias.
Most honorable ladies and gentlemen"
began the lecturer. Il consider myself
happy In having set my foot in this glorious
land of the United States. 1 have met
many Americans at Athens, and from con-
versation gathered many things about
America, and the desire grew to visit and
see the nation whose progress. practical life
aud hope in the future admire. l am
happy because in this progress of the
United States l meet everywhere with the
spirit of my ancestors. l have visited
New York, Boston, Washington and Chi
cago. where ever before me rose the great
buildings of that great achievement of
human ingenuity. the Worlds Fair, and
ever l seemed to be in my own country at
Athens, opposite the Acropols or the Par
thenOn, owing TO the presence of Greek
style and art. Therefore, | appear before
you with confidence to speak about An
cient Greece. AS Greek shall speak Of
Greece. as minister of the Christian
church L shall speak to you of Christianity.
In other words, the relation of Greece to
the Gospel
Ancient Greece, through her literature
and art, prepared the road for Christianity
and rendered smooth the way for its ad-
vance. The person of the Lord, Jesus
Christ, cannot be separated from the laws
a of A
The Jewish prophets proclaimed years
before he came the coming If Christ, the
future prosperity of the earth. the expia-
ton for sin by God. the deliyerance of
mans soul, the personal freedom of man,
his equality before God. the future
progress of the peoples and nations. The
Messiah was to appear. as ST. Paul says,
when the fulIness of time came" This
'fullness of time" ancient Greece was
predestined to point out and determine.
I'm Olden times there was country
called Greece that reached in almost
every direction the highest peaks of glory.
Science and art, rhetoric and philosophy
and every other element of progress had
been improved so much that in compari-
son with other nations Greece was as light
to darkness. as progress to Il stationary
condition, as life TO death. For this rea-
were wont to say. Every one
who Is not Greek is bar
barian.' at the time of Plato and
Aristotle when Greek philosophy had ar
rived at its highest develo pment. the couu-
try in every other respect began to decline.
Greek philosophy could not Dring pack the
purity of the old manners and the rever-
ence toward the gods. This gradual
downfall was accelerated by the jealousy
and intermnable Quarrels of the Greek
States, which led to the conquest of the
country by the Macedonians. when
w
to be recovered. Under Macedonian rule
dlssension continued, the arms of Rome
prevailed, Achaa was annexed and all
idea of political freedom was wholly wiped
out There resulted from the fall Greek
cosmopolitanism and scattered over the
lands the Greeks prepared and enlight-
ened the peoples. Political indepen-
dence and national freedom were gone.
but new career of spiritual life
was opened. Greece fell under the
yoke of Macedon and Rome, but the
bulwark which had separated it from
the barbarans fell down, the maxim
Every one that is not Greek is barbarian
lost Its significance ana cosmopolitanIsm
succeeded. From this loss of freedom the
Greeks turned as refuge to philosophy;
to stoicism with its self-sufficiency; to
epcureanism with its Let us eat and
drink, for tomorrow we die
The subsection of the people under the
Macedonian and Roman arms prepared
the future prosperity of mankind. By in
tercourse with the Romans the philoso ph-
ical school of the Stoics and Eclectcs was
formed, whose purpose was TO choose the
sublime and excellent out of every system
and store II up, 10 become in future time
the material of the future philosophy. In
like manner a union of the Greek and
Eastern life took place, and at Alexandria
was turned the school known as the Neo-
Platonists, the last uttetance of Greek
nh IinGD INV a.
tnat In Plato was contained all truth, and
their work was 10 reconcile all other phil
osoDhy with his teachings AS the Greeks
lost their liberty under the Macedonians
and Romans, SO the Neo.PiatonistS lost
the power of discovering the pure truth of
philosophy by inquiry and research. Hence
the philosophy OF Alexandria took on re-
ligiOuS character.
The END OF man is to return to God. his
object 10 unite his soul with God. The
saying oil Socrates was, Y ou will pass the
rest Of your life in darkness unless the
deity snail send some one else TO yOu. A
similar saying is ascribed to Plato, and
these sayings of the philosophers agree
with the predictions of the prophets of
Judea In relation TO the expected Messiah.
These sayings point To the fullnpss of time
which brought into the cave of Bethlehem
the God man, the glaTy Of heaven and
earth. The Roman empire began to dwin-
die, distress and affection increased for
the people and rendered stronger the de-
sires of man. The ancient order could not
satisfy the demands of the soul of man,
therefore necessarily followed new re-
ligion. Christianity was to prevail; it
had to undertake great struggle to ac-
CURE sovereignty over other religions, to
break down the wall that separated the
race. to secure the determination of man in
one spiritual family under one God.
In proper time Mary, most blessed of
human beings, brought forth the Messiah
at Bethlehem. proclaimed 5y the prophets
OF Judea and by Socrates and Plato in
their sayings the fufillment of the hopes
OF the nations. Our Sayinr is born In The