Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-12-09
ATHENS AT TIRE TINE OF PAUL
The Rev. W. W. Taylor.

Egypt, Athens grew TIL her magnifi-
Gance became uurivaed, and for learn.
ing she was called the eye Of Greece, y
1.-THE school of the world, The pro
moter of civilization, . the mother of
arts and eloquence. For ages mis-
tress, after being conquered by Romans,
she dictated to her rude masters their
morals, manners, philosophy and laws.
No region on earth could be found
about which clustered so many natural
beauty spots, no city was ever built
where lived in every aga such pro
fusion of great men. no locality existed
where were grouped SO many snecimens
OF finished workmanship in every de.
partment of art.
When Paul visited Athens the philo-
sophie city still clutched her hoary
atheism. still boosted her enthronad
and glorious idolatry.
Tho apostle undoubtedly came to
Athens from Macedonia in one of the
corn ships, that landed him in the
Pir@us, five miles from the city. He
walked over a road $50 feet wide, once
protected by high walls on each eide,
hut now broken into fragments of
heavy masonry. At the gate OF the
city no encounters signs of its artistic
devotion in an equestrian statue of
Neptune and temple dedicated to
Ceres, and immediately within his eyes
rest upon the sculptured forms of
Minerva, Jupiter and Apollo, with
Mercury and the nine MUSES. all placed
near sanctuary of Bacchus, He is in
quarter of the city called Ceramicus,
an animated spot, hut turning to the
right, he soon finds himself in one
more alive, for he enters the Agora,
that is the forum or market place.
Tais great square lies directly under
Mars Hill, TO the south, wet of the
Acropolis, which ia the glory and
crown of the city, and north of the
Pnyx, the place of general assembly.
This hgora was linen with pane trees,
under which Socrates, 400 years before,
had discoursed, whore Stood affairs for
incense and burning lamps were
suspended. This corners were adorned
with temples On every side were
scattered statues of their great men
and deitied heroes, whilst the sides
ware sat off for spacious porticos or
cloisters, decorated with paintings and
statuary. In the centre stood the altar
Of the IL gods, the golden mile, stone
of Athens. The Agora, being full of
historical memorials, formed the centre
OF glorious public life, daily gather
ing place OF citizens to diecuss business
matters, and also the resort of idle
loafers, who might be seen following
some sauntering sage or standing in
groups to tell or hear sumo new
thing.
Paul may have visited the Odeium,
81 O., s.ha l., knI
be sure he Walked out eastward to the
Lyceum on the banks of the little
river, llissus, just beyond the gate
named Declares. 1t was surrounded
with gardens and groves, refreshed by
fountains and marked by plane tree
OF great age and remarkable for size
and beauty. Tho Lyceum had been
the school of Aristotle 800 years before
and thereby made illustrious, and as
the master often walked whilst talking
the sect was called the peripatetics,
the walking philosophers.
On his way to the Lyceum he had a
near view of the largest of all the tenn
pies Of Greece, not yet quits finished,
one Of the four most renowned ex.
anples of marble architectures in the
world. This was the Olympium, dedi-
Gated to Jupiter Olympus, which, with
it's supporting structures filed space
half mile in circumference. Its mag
nificence showed in 10 gigantic marble
pillars of Corinthian order, and it must
have been most solidy put together,
for after all the years against all the
vandal raids 16 of the pillars are stand.
ing to-day.
Almost opposite. on the other side of
the avenue. was the Stadium, given to
tho youth of Athens for running,
wrestling and boxing. 1t was field
ESQ feet long and 10 feet broad, well
prepared for the various games and
could furnish marble seats for 40, 600
spectators. Paul must have witnessed
some Of these sports, or he could never
have enriched his epistles with such
exhortations about fighting and run
ming and gaining the incorruptible
crown of life.
Another noted school we think he
visited was that called the A cademy.
1t stood outside the city towards the
northwest, one mile from tine gate,
Dypilum, on the banks of the Cephiesus
in the most beautiful of the suburbs
Like the Lyceum, ii was surrounded
with olive groves and plane trees, the
grounds being laid out in parks. with
walks and fountains. Tho road out
from the city was lined with monu-
ments in honor OF distinguished de.
parted citizens, especially of such as
had fallen in battle. The place was
kept in warm remembrance. being i'm.
mortalized as the school of Plato, who,
in his day, about $40 b. c., owned
small estate and lived in the neighbor-
hood.
The narrative tells us that whilst
Paul was disputing, N. V. reasoning, J
with come in the market place, certain
Epicurean and Stole philosophers en-
Gountered him, and as he was not
dressed like one OF them, they nick
| named him the Bahbler and wondered
what IA could find to say. or the four
great sects of philosophy, that 1.-THE
wisdom OF the GreekH sought after, -
the two most popular lie Paul's day
were the tive men toned incur history.
They were both started about $50 years
B. g.. the one by Epicurus, the other
by Xeno. Both were aniable men OF
vigorous intellect and brilliant genius
but both systems failed in contributing
anything valuable for mind or soul
Epicurus pronounced both soul and
body to be cornorcal. To him, as to
the Greek mind in general, outright
creation was incomprahensible and the
present wise and benevolent structure
of the universe was pure accident,
.he chance running together of ma.
terial atoms. He allowed man but a
limited existence, TO whom there was
no futurity. and his religion was a
virtual atheism. By Paul's day the
Enicureans had degenerated into mere
voluptuaries, whose motto the apostle
may have quoted to the Corinthians,
l E.,in IL, % nj NJ ant and dnir,lr