The Denver Jewish news., 1924-01-10
ATHENS AND JERUSALEM
Travel Impressions
BY GEpALIAH RrBLICK

inc vi AtHtHs IuNi. a.
thcnon, in itself the greatest architcc-
tural masterpiece of antiquity is
pcrched on the top of Il lofty mountain.
When one has duly ascended TO thetop
of this mountain he becomes surpris-
| ingly aware of the indubitable similar
ity that exists between Athens and
! Jerusalem.
Even as Jerusalem, Athens is sur
rounded on all sides by crown OF
hills. Full of primeval strength and
beauty are the hills that surround
Athens. They lock at one with eyes
of eternity so thar he cannot escape
for long the feeling that it was not for
nothing. nor by n mere chances whim,
that the giants of the past ages had
lived and dreamed here. Such an en-
vironment is conducive to calling forth
great thoughts and limitless dreams
Far and wide, and in every direction
that your eve chooses 10 rove. it Will
meet the SUBMITS of these silent giants.
over which is spread the blue of Won
ucrously Dedutllul SKIES.
The relation of high mountains TO
philosophy is not entirely clear And
vet am almost convinced that nothing
really great can be created except in
the high places of the earth's surface
The valley does not seem capable Of
imparting wings to your soul. Per-
sonally. i hate valley as | hate death
itself. and oftentimcs | think that all
the great thoughts as well as all the
great dreams of the Imagination were
born on the mountains. 1t WAS not for
nothing that the giving Of the Torah
had to wait until such times when II
mountain was within reach of the
Inw,giver: no law could forcihly have
been given 10 people at place where
/ all was level and monotony, though this
Code hnd already been prepared in adj
vance of the deed. And when it was
/ found necessary to promise certain
/. blessings to the Jewish people if they
follow the path of righteousness and
| to curse them if they depart there
\ from. the blessings as well as the
curses had TO he pronounced from
mountain-tops. In q, plain, or n valley,
/ neither the blessing nor the curse
seems TO possess strength or impress
sivencss.
The Prophets, we find. were lovers of
! the heights. Elijah selects Mt. Carmel
as the place most suitable to engage
1 in his life and death struggle with the
I false prophets. He well knows that
/ mp above mans powers are greater.
and that no such deeds can possibly he
accomplished in n valley. Isaiah can
: not visualize the triumph of the Jews
! hui in the fact that the Jewish noun
tains will he at the head of all others.
and that when the nations will call one
another to worship the true God they
will say: let us ascend Gods noun
/ tain No one goes down into The valley
TO find the truth. At most. the valley
may become a place of punishment and
| sophot. but whatever is great must owe
/ its genesis tc the hills. And when the
glad tidings arc about to be announced
/ to the world IL must come from ;hc
I heights down TO the people standing
/ below. Evidently. there is distinct
relationship between the hills and
/ greatness. And in this regard Athens
has nothing TO complain of. She en-
hf,,. f,,JI ,.fI
mountains.
Ancient .Judca and ancient Greece
possessed still other points of similar
! ity between them that exercised paraI-
lei effects upon the development of
their history. First of all comes the
proximity of time The following Of
the mighty Hellenic culture took place
, at practically the same time as the
composition of the Bible. \ little LATER
after the entry of the Jewish tribes
into Palestine. several Greek tribes be
gan their struggles with each ether.
while the battle about Troy is timed
just about when Judah broke away
from Ephlaim. The greatest period Of
Hellcpistic development took place just
Il little after the epoch Of the Prophets
among the lows, So that it really hap
pencd that both of these numerically
small nations who lived under similar
climatic conditions and both on the
shores Of the Mediterranean. so near
in fact that at the present time it
takes but two days to cover the space
separating the two. and yet knowing
nothing Of each other. have been the
joint creators of the modern world as
we see it today.
And yet the similarity of these two
ccuutries does not end here Both of
these countries were small in area.