History – Page 30 – Gregory Scott Blog

Six Degrees Of The Apostle Paul

It’s a small world and God is sovereign over it.

It’s around 52 A.D. and the Apostle Paul is in Athens waiting for Silas and Timothy.

But instead of holing up in his hotel room and watching pay per view, Paul heads to the local synagogue, and then to the marketplace, to talk about Jesus.

While in the marketplace he runs into some Stoic philosophers. (Acts 17:16-34).

Athens was the heart of Stoicism. In fact, the most famous school of the Stoics, where people came to be trained in the Stoic philosophy, was in Athens near the marketplace. So, it’s likely Paul heard the best arguments the Stoics could muster in Athens. Continue reading “Six Degrees Of The Apostle Paul”

Israel Travel Journal, Epilogue

Wailing Wall, Jerusalem 2010 © Gregory Scott

When I first posted from my trip to Israel, in my last blog post I said, “Time will tell how significant an experience it [the trip] has been for me, as I read the Bible with new understanding.”

I’m now 16 months down the road, and I can tell you the trip was a game-changer. I’ve never read the Bible the same since then.

Before the trip, I was merely imagining how the places I read about in the Bible looked. Now I can see them.

Reading the Bible has become a richer experience because understanding the physical surroundings enables dimensions of insight into what is happening in the text. Continue reading “Israel Travel Journal, Epilogue”

Israel Travel Journal, Day 9

This was our last full day in Israel, and it was a full one.

We said goodbye to Beit Bracha and then headed to the top of the Cliffs of Arbel, which overlook the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Beatitudes and Tiberias.

I now understand how from this vantage point Jesus could have seen the disciples struggling in the storm on the Sea of Galilee. (Mark 6:46-51). As you can see from the photo on the left, one has a clear view of the Sea Galilee from the Cliffs of Arbel.

From the Cliffs of Arbel we went to the ruins of an ancient Jewish synagogue where Jesus likely taught, then to Sepphori (where Jesus likely worked as a carpenter), then to Nazareth. Continue reading “Israel Travel Journal, Day 9”

Israel Travel Journal, Day 8

I began the day watching the sun rise over the Sea of Galilee from our balcony at Beit Bracha. Beautiful.

We headed north today, and our first stop was the ruins at Chorazin, one of the cities Jesus lamented over because, even though He performed miracles there, they did not repent. (Luke 10:13-14).

From there we drove to the northen-most border with Lebanon in the Golan Heights, where we stood on a mount looking across a vast valley to the Lebanese village on the other side. Arie told us a story about the faitfhulness of God from modern history that took place not too far from there. That has been the rhythm of this tour: visit the place, then study. Continue reading “Israel Travel Journal, Day 8”

Israel Travel Journal, Day 7

This was our first full day in Galilee.

We spent the day around the coast of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus did most of His ministry. We started at the Cliffs of Arbel, where historical battles had taken place and through which winds the trail from Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee, a trail Jesus no doubt walked.

As always, though, we were not there to worship a place, kiss the ground, or collect soil for reliquaries, but to understand the place so that we could better understand the Bible.

From there we drove to the Mount of Beatitudes (of Sermon on the Mount fame) (Matthew 5).

It’s a large hill more than it is a mountain, and there is a church on it now. One could see how Jesus, standing on the hill could have spoke to a very large crowd without the use of any amplification. Continue reading “Israel Travel Journal, Day 7”