The Historical And Cultural Context Of The Book Of Philemon

The ancient civilizations of the Ancient Egypt, as well as the great Mesopotamia, are the world’s greatest civilization as recorded by history. The civilization was highly facilitated by rivers which cut across their land. The Euphrates, Nile, as well as Tigris, constantly moving along the river banks which in turn resulted in the adjoining land is extremely fertile (Backman). This led to flourishment and development of Ur and Eriku cities in Mesopotamia as well as the city of Thebes in Egypt (Backman). The Nile was very significant in Ancient Egypt as it made invasion by enemies impossible due to its marshy deltas (Backman). On the other hand, Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia differed fundamentally in many aspects more specifically in how their societies were structured, cultural orientation, religion, technological experiences, literature, and art among other things (Backman). This paper will center on examining these differences as well as similarities between these two regions as well as what they communicate concerning the circumstances that people from these two regions faced.

The “Tale of Philomene and Tereus” is an epic poem, written by John Gower, that is heavily based on a greek mythology. It focuses on the story of Philomene and how she is continuously raped by her sister’s husband who later became very angry at her for exposing his secret to his wife, Progne. This story begins in a the castle of Pandion, the king of the land.

The religion of Greece in early times was polytheistic. The religion was incorporated into every aspect of the culture including art, and literature. This was the religion that was practiced during the "Golden Age" of Greece. The gods of Hellenistic Greece existed in every form and fashion. There were gods for everything in life like government, sex, month of birth, trade, and human traits (i.e. wisdom, love, war, birth, rain, etc.)

As the Greek and Roman empires ascended immensely throughout the western world, new ideas changed the way the Mediterranean Society handled things, which were spread across the globe. “The rise of the series of city-states of classical Greece began in the ninth century B.C.E. and during the late sixth century B.C.E, Rome’s development as a republic began as Etruscan society declined”(Bentley et al, 2008 p.132, 145). The development of these empires encouraged cultural circulation, blending the culture of the two empires into the land it conquered. As Greece and Rome gained more territory within the Mediterranean society, they began to progress toward a more civilized order of humanity. How were they alike? How were they different? How did

The Book of Philippians is a letter of appreciation of and gratitude for the fellowship and support received from the church in Philippi written by the Apostle Paul while he was still imprisoned in Rome. In verses 12-14 he reminds them that he had not committed any crime deserving of imprisonment, but he was in prison solely because he was a follower of Jesus Christ and had been sharing the Gospel throughout Rome. He wanted them to understand that even though there was a possibility of him losing his life that they should not be frightened by this because ultimately this circumstance served to further the advancement of the gospel.

The Hellenic Age and the Hellenistic Age are the two main periods in Greek history. The Hellenic Age is significantly different from the Hellenistic Age. The Hellenic period saw the rising and falling of the polis while Hellenistic period was plagued by warfare among the remaining dynasties. Despite the differences between the Hellenic and Hellenistic periods, the one thing that remained consistent in both periods was the Greeks' ability to not only advance science and philosophy but to strive for excellence in everything that they undertook including their ability to deemphasize the role of the gods in their lives.

The Aegean Sea, containing more than 2,000 islands was heavily relied on for trade, which in turn brought prosperity to the Byzantine Empire. Trade became their main source of income with trade traveling as far as Spain and Egypt. “Commercial sea trading became their main source of income and, in time, they colonized the various islands of the Aegean archipelago and produced various commodities such as figs, grapes, wine, raisins, honey, wheat, assorted vegetables, and herbs” (Mark 3). This sea played a role in development of Greek culture because it provided transportation for trade. This led to job specialization with occupations such as fishermen and shipbuilders. Because of its location, the earliest civilization in Europe appeared on the coasts and islands of the Aegean Sea.

After having steered his ship alone for nine days and nights, Odysseus explains to the Phaeacians, “‘On the tenth [day] our own land hove into sight at last—we were so close...a sudden squall...swept us back to sea, wailing, in tears, far from our own native land...my spirit churning—should I leap over the side and drown at once or grit my teeth and bear it, stay among the living? I bore it all, held firm, clinging tight to the decks…,’” (10.33-59). Through the crew’s “‘wailing’” and “‘tears’” and Odysseus’s nearly drowning himself from “spirit-churning” sorrow for home, his love for Ithaca is revealed. Odysseus anchors himself firmly in his ship, for his love of his “‘native land’” is a greater reward than death is pain. Odysseus’s decision to stay alive for the sake of returning home causes the reader to ponder what magnitude of love and value would cause someone to willingly destroy himself from pain of being denied it. When Odysseus, a hero with a driving purpose, “‘grit[s] his teeth’” and “‘bear[s]’” the struggle of staying alive, the reader is reminded of his own moments of weakness when he’s had to suffer and fight, and for what cause. If those fortunate enough to have opportunities to influence those around them cannot recognize their values and purposes, their good intentions are unable to yield results. Giving dedication to things greater than the modern superficialness of portraying ourselves as we want to be seen is what, when unified with the intensity of others, has the ability to create organized and beautiful results in a world with many goals, but trouble prioritizing and executing them. Odysseus would not have been a hero to his people and all who followed him if it were not for the

Castiglione was a humanist diplomat and author of the Renaissance born on December 6th, 1478 in Casatico, Italy. He was born of a noble family, and at 16, he went to Milan to explore humanist studies at the school of Giorgio Merula and Demetrius Chalcondyles. 5 years later, Baldassare returned home and served in Francesco Gonzaga’s court of Mantua. Following the death of his father, Castiglione transferred to the court of Urbino, a city that served as a bastion for humanist, Renaissance intellectuals and artistry. In this court is when he wrote his pastoral drama Tirsi as well as served as Urbino’s ambassador to Rome. In 1521, Pope Leo X gave Baldassare an ecclesiastical position where he was posted in Spain to report on the intentions of Emperor Charles V, with whom he created a friendly relationship.

In the Roman empire, the rise of Christianity spread and caused alarm. The ascent of Christianity started two or three years in the wake of killing Jesus Christ. After Jesus became alive once again, he sent aides to his kin. The Holy Spirit was sent by God to help us and to demonstrate what is good and bad. Amid that time, the Romans set up the roadways between the real urban areas for exchange merchandise. Subsequently, it was less demanding to spread the gospel between close-by nations and the ship exchanges moved Christianity to the opposite side of the world. The significant ocean was the Mediterranean Sea, which associated Lower Egypt with Rome.

In ancient Greece, Greek mythology was passed through each generation and is an important part of daily life. It was believed that the powerful gods and goddesses were responsible for everything, such as weather, emotions, agriculture, entertainment, and the creation man and Earth. Myths are traditional stories that teach lessons that have been retold many times. which had created multiple versions of each myth. By comparing any two versions, many similarities and differences can be found. There are many similarities and differences between the versions of Phaethon’s myth.

Phaedrus, an aristocrat, takes the stage first at the symposium. He explains that Erōs is one of the primordial gods, and that the love between a boy and a lover is the greatest love that exists. The lover is meant to guide the boy, and the two must lead each other to examine themselves and feel ashamed. “...[The boy] is especially ashamed before his lover when he is caught in something shameful” (Sym. 178E). Phaedrus later adds that “...Love is...the most powerful in helping men gain virtue and blessedness…” (Sym. 180B). Alcibiades is the perfect example of shame when he speaks about Socrates. He says that “Socrates is the only man in the world who has made [him] feel shame…” (Sym. 216B). Alcibiades adds that Socrates traps him and tells

Philoctetes is a play in which the audience follows the moral journey of Neoptolemus as he faces a moral dilemma concerning a plot to steal Philoctetes’ bow and arrows. Meanwhile, the play also focuses on Philoctetes hardships and agony due to desertion on the island of Lemnos. These two characters form a father-son relationship that becomes indelible in both Greek mythology and modern culture. Sophocles uses Neoptolemus’ resistance to befriend Philoctetes, Neoptolemus’ promise to Philoctetes and Neoptolemus’ betrayal of Philoctetes to create conflicts within their relationship establishes Neoptolemus’ journey into becoming a man thus conveying the central idea that overcoming moral dilemma allows moral maturity.

8. The church at Laodicea was condemned for being “lukewarm” (3:15). How does this detail likely reflect an aspect of the culture, etc. of this city in the first century?

“Then she considered of the sending of Odysseus, the great-hearted. She gave him a great axe, fitted to his grasp, an axe of bronze double-edged, and with a goodly handle of olive wood fastened well. Next she gave him a polished adze, and she led the way to the border of the isle where tall trees grew, alder and poplar, and pine that reacheth unto heaven, seasoned long since and sere, that might lightly float for him. Now after she had shown him where the tall trees grew, Calypso, the fair goddess, departed homeward. And he set to cutting timber, and his work went busily. Twenty trees in all he felled, and then trimmed them with the axe of bronze, and deftly smoothed them, and over them made straight the line. Meanwhile Calypso, the fair goddess,