Judaism Christianity and Hellenism

Judaism Christianity and Hellenism are linked through the conquests and colonization of the Near East (Asia Minor (Turkey), Israel, Persia (Iran), Egypt, Mesopotamia (Iraq), the Levant (Lebanon and Syria), Jordan and Cyprus by Alexander the Great at the end of the fourth century BC.
After the Classical Age of Greece (5th and 4th centuries BC), Alexander the Great's legacy lives on through the Hellenistic Age (4th to 1st century BC) in which Greek culture (art, literature and philosophy) flourished based on Athens 5th-century Golden Age dominated much of the Mediterranean and Middle East and Greek was the lingua franca in the Alexandrian Empire.
Hellenism
The word "Hellenize" means to make a non-Greek a Greek.
Alexander's ambition was to Hellenize the world.
Alexander the Great founded seventy cities as far apart as Pergamon in Asia Minor, Antioch in Syria and the most famous being Alexandria which bears his name and became the capital city of Egypt.
Hellenistic Judaism
Many Jews embraced Greek culture and the Greek language.
Judaism, Christianity and Hellenism manifested in Hellenistic Judaism that blended Jewish religious tradition with elements of Hellenistic culture that profoundly impacted the customs, practices and language of the Jews.
It began with the translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek known as the Septuagint and Jews writing plays, epic poems and lyric poems all in the Greek language. - the Septuagint became synonymous with the Old Testament
Hellenism and Judaism formed the basis of Early Christianity.
The Apostles names were Hellenized and Greek names were also given to children throughout Judea and the Diaspora (e.g. Andrew, Peter, Paul, Thomas, Simon Philip, Alexander, Jason).
The New Testament was written in Greek, the Old Testament was also translated from Hebrew into Greek and Greek was used to preach the Gospel of Christ.
Christianity was able to spread from Jerusalem into the Eastern half of the Roman Empire because it was predominantly Greek-speaking.
Judaism Christianity and Hellenism
The main centers of Early Christianity were the four Greek-speaking in the East:
*Jerusalem
The first church was founded in 33 AD in Jerusalem immediately following the Ascension of Jesus Christ.
*Antioch
Antioch was the first gentile (non-Jew) city to be evangelised after Jerusalem.
Saint Peter founded the church of Antioch in 35 or 36 AD.
It was there that the followers of Christ acquired the name Christian.
*Alexandria
Saint Mark the Evangelist founded the first church of Alexandria in 42 AD.
*Constantinople (Byzantium)
Saint Andrew founded the first church in Constantinople and ordained his disciple, Stachys (Greek: Στάχυς) in 38 AD to become the first bishop.
*Rome was the Latin-speaking center in the West.
The Basilica of Santa Pudenziana is the oldest church in Rome during the pontificate of Pius I in 140–55 AD.
Saint Luke the Evangelist
Saint Luke the Evangelist, the Greek physician and Christian Historian was born in the then, Greek city of Antioch.
The Early Church ascribes to Saint Luke authorship of both the Gospel according to Luke and the Book of Acts of the Apostles.
Saint Luke was also the first iconographer to paint the image of our Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Infant Jesus in her arms.
Saint Timothy
Saint Timothy who was born in the Lycaonian city of Lystra, Asia Minor to a Jewish mother and Greek father is a co-author of 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon in the Holy Bible.
Judaism Christianity and Hellenism
Israel
The land of Israel has been the sacred core of Jewish identity since the time of the Biblical Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who worshipped God by the Law of Moses which form the first five books of the Bible, or the Torah (Hebrew for “law”).
Moses (Birth: 1571 BC) was a Hebrew (Jew) who lead the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea to Mount Sinai where he received the Ten Commandments Dictated by God Himself (Exodus 31:18).
Moses is revered as the greatest Prophet and Teacher of Judaism.
The Hebrew (Jewish) Prophets
God revealed Himself through the Jews who would keep His Redemptive Covenants to bring humanity to salvation and Worship the One and Only True God in the midst of universal polytheism.
Jewish Prophets were chosen to be a witness and a light on earth to proclaim God's Divine Presence and Truth to all the nations of the world.
Abraham and his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob are the Great Patriarchs of the Old Testament and, founders of Judaism.
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are also the spiritual Patriarchs of Christianity because of their role in God's establishment of His Covenant with the people of Israel originated from them.
The Twelves Tribes of Israel were named after the twelve sons of Jacob who each became the Patriarch of an individual tribe.
King David and Jesus Christ were from the tribe of Judah.
After Israel became a nation, God made a Covenant with their king David (2 Samuel 7:16, 1 Kings 9:4-8) known as the Davidic Covenant which became the ultimate fulfillment of the eschatological Messiah, Jesus Christ Whose Purpose was to bring the Gospel to the world.
God chose the lineage of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to bring redemption and salvation to mankind through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Founder of Christianity.
The Virgin Mary descended on her father's side from the tribe of Judah, and on her mother's from the tribe of Levi.
Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Samuel and others all heard directly from God through direct dreams or visions and recorded God's Divine Words.
They also served as mediators for Divine Liberation from ungodly thinking and worldly living.

Judaism Christianity and Hellenism

Christianity
Hellenism’s impact continued during the Roman Empire and its influence on Christianity and later, on Western civilization was monumental.
Christianity arose within the Hellenistic world of the Roman Empire through the Jewish communities in the last years of the first century BC and in the first years of the first century AD that was dominated by Roman law and Greco/Roman culture - Early Christianity spread and flourished through the Hellenized Eastern half of the Roman Empire.
Christianity has a common historical heritage and religious continuity with the ancient spiritual heritage of the Jews that is rooted in the Old Testament.
Judaism and Christianity both believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - the Creator of our universe and the source of all that exists.
The sites holiest to Judaism and the historical and archaeological sites of the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ are located there.
Jesus was Born a Jew, He Ministered to the Jews and called his Twelve Disciples who ultimately became Apostles to fulfill His last Great Command after His Resurrection from the Jews.
The authors of God's Word, (Holy Bible) were Jews except for Saint Luke the Evangelist who was Greek and Saint Timothy who was a Greek/Jew.
The term "Christian" (Greek: Χριστιανός) was first used in the city of Antioch, meaning "followers of Christ".
The term "Christianity" (Greek: Χριστιανισμός) was used by Saint Ignatius of Antioch around 100 AD to describe the faith of Christ's followers.
Jerusalem was the original Christian "centre of the world" because it was at the heart of Christ's Ministry, the Place of His Crucifixion, Burial, Resurrection and Ascension.
The purpose of Christianity was to reach people of all cultures and to bring them to Jesus Christ.
Judaism Christianity and Hellenism
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ chose Twelve Disciples to symbolize the 12 Tribes of Israel to be witnesses to His Life, Teachings and Miracles.
“Follow Me And I Will Make You Fishers of Men”.
The Cross of Christ reminds Christians of God's Act of Love and Atonement in Christ's Sacrifice at Golgotha - "the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.
Jesus offered people deliverance from their sins:
The Great Commission endowed His Disciples to become Apostles who were to:
1. Share the Gospel to all people.
2. Baptize believers.
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
- Matthew 28:19
Jesus Christ was then taken up into Heaven to take His Place at the Right Hand of His Father.
His Resurrection from the Dead showed that death is not the end but rather, the Gateway to everlasting life in God's Heavenly Kingdom.
Holy Bible
Judaism Christianity and Hellenism
The Bible is the Word of God and, the Sacred Book of Judaism and Christianity.
It is the source for understanding:
*God and His Creations.
*Life in this world and the eternal world to come.
*How to live morally and spiritually through Christian principles.
*Spiritual inspiration to move mountains in adversity through faith in God and Jesus Christ.
God's Laws of Life:
*Sets boundaries - it avoids excesses and eliminates all that is harmful
*Guide us to right thinking and right action
*Provide standards on which to base decisions that affect life
Jesus Christ says, "This is the way to a meaningful, just and wholesome existence".
Heavenly Kingdom of God
The Heavenly Kingdom of God is a major theme throughout the four Gospels of the Bible.
Heaven is a Paradise of awe and wonder where:
*Love and joy binds all God's Heavenly Dwellers to give Glory where it is due - to God!
When Jesus said, "My Kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36) He is referring to God's Heavenly Kingdom, the eternal home of God's people.
The Heavenly Kingdom of God is the spiritual dwelling place of our dear Lord, Jesus Christ, our Blessed Virgin Mary, the Saints, Prophets and Angels - it is also the eternal home for all humanity!
Jesus Christ came to prepare humanity for the life to come after physical life has ended.
His Crucifixion on the Cross and His Resurrection, two of the most important events in Christian history, provided salvation to everlasting life through the forgiveness of our sins.
John the Baptist preached in the wilderness of Judea saying, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."
(Matthew 3:1-2)
Judaism Christianity and Hellenism
Apostolic Age
The Early Church produced its first Christian leaders who defined Christian Doctrine and established the uniqueness of their faith.
The Apostolic Age is directly tied to the missionary journeys of the Twelve Apostles dating from the Great Commission by the Risen Jesus Christ in Jerusalem around 33 AD until the death of John the Apostle in Asia Minor in 100 AD.
The Apostles spread the Message of the Gospel throughout the Classical World and founded the Five Apostolic Sees of Christianity.
Patristic Era
The Patristic Era of the Church Fathers (Greek: πᾰτήρ (father) historically describes the time and writings of the Church Fathers from the Apostolic Age (100 AD) to either 451 AD (the date of the Council of Chalcedon) or to the Second Council of Nicaea in 787 AD.
The Church Fathers were influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity and are noted for their holiness.
They are generally divided into the Ante-Nicene Fathers, those who wrote before the Council of Nicaea (325) and the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers who wrote after 325 AD.
The Church Fathers are also divided into Greek and Latin writers.
Some of the most prominent Greek Fathers of the Church are Justin Martyr, Athanasius of Alexandria, Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, and Maximus the Confessor.
Latin Fathers of the Church include are Tertullian, Cyprian, Jerome, Ambrose of Milan, Augustine of Hippo, and Gregory the Great.

Early Christianity

Judaism Christianity and Hellenism
The early Christian Church was established after much suffering and martyrdom because many Christians were beaten, stoned to death, thrown to the lions, tortured and crucified.
Early Christians gathered in small private homes, known as "house churches" due to the persecution in the first few hundred years because Rome rejected monotheistic—Judaism and Christianity that believed there was just One God and rejected worshiping other gods.
The first house church recorded in Acts 1:13, where the disciples of Jesus met together in the "Upper Room" (known as the Cenacle) on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, just outside the Old City walls where the Last Supper that Jesus Christ held with His Disciples.
The Cenacle was also the site where the Holy Spirit Alighted upon the Twelve Apostles on Pentecost.
Pentecost commemorates the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles following the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ (Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2) marking the beginning of the Christian church's mission to the world.
Judaism Christianity and Hellenism
Western Culture is Based on Three Historical Factors
1. Ancient Greece
2. Roman Empire
3. Christianity
Greek culture influenced all three historical factors.
Terms that define these three historic factors are "Greco-Roman culture", "Judeo-Christian culture" and "Judeo-Hellenic-Christian culture".
Impact of Hellenism on Christianity
Hellenistic Alexandria
Alexandria was famous for the Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, its Great Library (the largest in the ancient world) and for its Museum where scholars such as Euclid (Greek mathematician and "Father of Geometry") and Eratosthenes (Greek mathematician, geographer and chief librarian at the Library of Alexandria)
worked there.
Alexandria was also a center for Biblical Studies where the Septuagint was commissioned, which was the oldest Greek version of the Old Testament.
Hellenistic Antioch
It was at Antioch that Gentiles (non-Jew) were first baptized into the Christian church and were called Christian.
From Antioch, Saint Paul set out on his first missionary journey to Christianize the gentile (non-Jew) world.
And, it was at Antioch that Matthew’s Gospel was written.
Constantinople
Biblical Asia Minor was the birthplace of many famous Saints which included Saint Paul (a Jew born in Tarsus, Asia Minor), Saint Nicholas, Saint George, Saint Luke the Evangelist, Saint Timothy and Saint Basil to name just a few.
Constantine established the Greek city of Byzantium in Asia Minor, as the second capital of the Roman Empire on May 11, 330 AD.
Byzantium however, was to become famous as Constantinople and capital of the first Orthodox, Christian Empire - the medieval Byzantine Empire.
Constantinople developed independently and, when Rome fell to Germanic invaders, the Ostrogoths in 476 AD, the Byzantine Empire became known as "The Empire of the Greeks" because its people were Greek, their language and culture was Greek and they referred to themselves as Hellenes or Graekos to preserve their ancient Hellenic heritage.
Constantine the Great and his mother Helene are venerated as Saints by the Orthodox Church with their Feast Day being May 21.

Seeking God

Judaism Christianity and Hellenism
"Who gives intuition to the heart and instinct to the mind"?
-Job 38:36 NLT
Every culture throughout history has been convinced that there is a Higher Power to give meaning to their lives and an eternal destiny.
Natural instinct is insight from within that looks beyond the range of physical human experience: Someone Far Greater than we could ever imagine!
God's Presence is everywhere at all times!
Just look around, above and beyond.
God's Divine Presence encompasses the whole of the universe.
Through the Holy Spirit humanity finds their direction to what is true.
Creation
Everything man-made comes to life through intelligence and design.
The Watchmaker Analogy: "when we come to inspect the watch, we perceive that the watch must have had a maker"!
William Paley (July 1743 – 25 May 1805) an English Anglican clergyman, Christian apologist, philosopher states in his work, Natural Theology or Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity, that living organisms are even more complicated than watches, "in a degree which exceeds all computation."
"The marks of design are too strong to be got over. Design must have had a designer. That designer must have been a person. That person is GOD".
- William Paley
"For every house is built by someone, but God is the Builder of everything."
Hebrews 3:4 (NIV)

True Life Story of an ex-Atheist, Ian McCormack's Near Death Experience (NDE)

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