Ancient Literature and History--week of 11/28-12/2

We are going to study Lycurgus and the Spartans this week. You need to read pages 9-41 in Plutarch (note: it is OK to skip the introduction, pages 3-8) Answer the questions below--note the numbers refer to the divisions foound in the chapter and therefore tell you where to find the answers.

LYCURGUS (probably lived during 800’s B.C. if he lived at all—World Book); paired with the Roman Numa
#1—What was the olympic truce? (answer found in footnote)
#3—What were the circumstances of the birth of Charilaus?
* What was the response of Charilaus’ mother to this?
*What was the response of Lycurgus?
*Why did Lycurgus leave Sparta?
#4—What 3 places did he almost certainly visit & what did he get from each?
#5—What was Lycurgus’ goal in returning to Sparta?
#5-10—What 5 reforms (These chapters number 3 but I see 3 different ones discussed under the 2nd one) were instituted? What was the intent of these?
#11—Who was Alcander? What was his crime? What does Plutarch say was his punishment? What form of arms control was initiated after this incident?
#13—Why did Lycurgus not want his laws written down?
*What is a rhetra?
*Which 3 rhetras are discussed in this chapter? #14—What did he consider the most important field for legislators? Education
#14-15—Do these chapters make the Spartans appear to be a moral people?
#16—*Who determined if a baby would live or die?
*describe the education & training of young men.
#17-18—*What additional evidence of their immorality is found in this chapter? *Why were they ordered to steal?
#19—What did Plutarch mean when he wrote that Lycurgus did the opposite with speech as he did with coinage? Do you agree?
#20—What is an apophthegm (Webster’s spells it apothegm)? Which is your favorite one from this chapter?
=apothegm (ap’ a them’)
#21—Why were they interested in poetry & song?
*Who or what were the Muses?
#22--Which was more rigorous for the Spartans: training or war?
*What did Lycurgus say about long hair?
*Why did the Spartans not slaughter men who were retreating?
#24—How could the citizens of Sparta survive without doing manual labor?
*Who were the helots?
#25—Who never went to the city square and why? Why did older men not spend much time at the city square? Where did they spend more time? What do you know about this place?
*Why did Lycurgus set up a statuette of Laughter?
*State concisely the result of Lycurgus’ reforms.
#26—What was the method of replacing an elder who died?
#27—Does anything in this chapter remind you of Deut. 6:6-9?
*Why were Spartans not allowed to travel out of Sparta freely? Why were foreigners not allowed to visit?
#28—What was the krypteia? What did it do?
NOTE: is truth to statement: “There is no one more free than a free man in Lacedaemon, and no one more of a slave than a slave there.”
*Does Plutarch think Lycurgus was responsible for the krypteia?
#29—How did Lycurgus die & why?
*Did he succeed in his goal?
#30—Who was responsible for money pouring into Sparta (14 generations after Lycurgus)?
*What do you know about him?
End up discussion with last sentence of introduction: Lycurgus is not just history, but a statement of the value of the simple, disciplined, communitarian life against the individualist pursuit of pleasure. (Actually discuss whole paragraph & difference between a chronicler & a historian.)

Revelation Assignment week of Nov.28-Dec.2

Questions on #12—Beware of Balaam’s Trick!

1. What is Rev. 2:8-17 about?
2. What is Numbers 25:1-18 about?
3. What was the identifying phrase Christ used in addressing the church in Smyrna?
4. What is the significance of this?
5. What were the commendations & condemnations to the church at Smyrna?
6. What was the identifying phrase Christ used in addressing the church at Pergamum?
7. What is the significance of this?
8. What is commendation of Pergamum?
9. What is condemnation of Pergamum?
10. Who were the Nicolaitans?
11. What was Balaam’s sin?
12. What are some lessons of Balaam for us?
13. What is promise given to those who overcome? (Need to listen to this again)
14. Anything else you want to discuss?
15. Any application?
16. What Psalm did PS end with and why?

Further Discussion (No need to write anything down about this):
1. If Ephesus had public testimony they would also be suffering persecution.
2. “7” churches indicates each letter is for every church in every time
3. Balaam=one who swallows people
Nicolaitans=victory over people
Therefore mean essentially same thing
4. Story of Balaam (Numbers 22-24):
(a) nations were afraid of Israel;
(b) Balak king of Moab hired Balaam to curse Israel
(c) every time Balaam tried to curse Israel, a blessing came out
Balaam like Ahithophel—God was sovereign over his words, made him say
what he wanted him to say
(d) Numbers 24:25 seems to be end of effort; Balaam went home
(e) Numbers 25:1-18---given sweet success as a discipline for his persistent
attempts to earn wages; since he couldn’t curse Israelites he led them into sin
so that they would curse themselves; Balaam not mentioned in this passage
but Numbers 31:16 tells us Balaam counseled them to sin at Balaam. (ate meat
sacrificed to idols and immorality)
Balaam’s end: Numbers 31:16; Joshua 13:22
5. Two-edged=diastoma (two mouths; or 2 edges)

Ancient Literature & History 11/14-11/18

Ancient Greek History Questions

This week I want you to use a world history book and read the chapter(s) on ancient Greece. In our Bob Jones World History book it is chapter 2 and 22 pages long. If you don’t have access to a world history book, let me know. As you read answer the following questions.

1. Find a map of ancient Greece on the internet (print a copy for yourself) and locate the following things on it: Ionian Sea, Aegean Sea, Black Sea, Hellespont, Troy, Sparta, Athens, Corinth, Olympia, Peloponesian Peninsula, Thermopylae, Marathon, Salamis, Macedonia, Asia Minor
2. What two civilizations in the Aegean region preceded Homer? Note anything you find interesting about either of these.
3. What was approximate time period of these two civilizations?
4. How was Troy finally defeated in war with Mycenaens?
5. Following the Minoan and Mycenaen civilization came the “Dark Ages” of Aegean history. (about 1150-750 B.C.) What is another name for this period? Why?
6. What was the origin of the Olympics? When and where were they first held?
7. Why were the Greek city-states isolated instead of unified?
8. What is a “polis”? What is an “acropolis"?
9. What are the two representative Greek city-states (other city-states tended to follow the example of one or the other) and how did they differ?
10. What was the origin of the Persian Wars?
11. Tell me about the Battle of Marathon. (date, who led the Persians, location, how the Persians made it to battle scene, type of fighting, winner)
12. Tell me about the Battle of Thermopylae
13.Tell me about the Battle of Salamis Bay.
14.Tell me about the Hellespont Bridge Xerxes built.
15.After the Persian Wars, the Delian League was formed with Athens as the leader. What is this period of history from 460 B.C. to 429 B.C. called?
16.Tell me about the Peloponnesian War.
17. In 338 B.C. Philip II of Macedonia defeated Greece an made the Greeks part of
the Macedonian Empire. What happened in 336 B.C.?
18. What happened from 334-331 B.C.?
19. What happened in 323 B.C.?

NOTE: in 197 B.C. Romans conquered Macedonia for the 1st time
147-146 B.C.—Greece became a Roman colony and the Hellenistic Age
ended
P.S. Next week we will start to read Plutarch. If you want to work on your 50-100 word paper on him this week you can. It will not be officially assigned till next week.

Revelation #11--week of Nov. 14-Nov.18

#11—But I have This Against You

1. What is Rev. 1:19-2:7 about?
2. What is Jer. 2:1-19 about?
3. What is the example that PS gives from the gospel of John of the word & sign going together?
4. What is the pattern of getting the message to the church when heavenly visions are given in Rev. as well as in Ez., Daniel, and Zechariah?
5. After the introduction what three parts does PS divided the letter to the Ephesians into?
6. Which part does he say is the most important?
7. In your own words what is the first commendation (2:2-3)?
8. In your own words what is the condemnation?
9. Jer. 2:13 says that the Israelites have committed 2 evils: forsaking God & going after false gods ( hewing broken cisterns for themselves). Which of these were the Ephesians guilty of?
10.What is the danger of forsaking God even without going after false gods?
11.What is the threat to the church at Ephesus if they don’t repent?
12. What is the 2nd commendation?
13.What were the five examples PS gave of lamps in the right place.
14.What application did you make?
15.Anything else from this message that you would like to discuss?
16.What Psalm did they sing at the end? Why?


Further Comment/Discussion: (Read these comments of mine; if you find something to think about and/or write do it; we will probably go over and discuss.)
1. Remember letters are rooted in the commissioning vision because each letter starts with a phrase of identification from it.
2. Likewise the letters are an introduction to the visions. They are linked together because there were 7 letters and many cycles of the visions have “7” in them. The letters & visions mutually interpret each other. Words & signs are often found together in scripture. E.g. Jesus said “I am the light of the world” and then He healed the man born blind. The word explains the vision and the vision proves the word.
3. The letters are God’s judgment of the church & the visions are God’s judgment of the world. This is another classic distinction seen in the OT most clearly in Ez. Where 4-24 is the judgment of Israel and 25-32 is the judgment of the world. (I’m not sure if Swartz meant that words are used to judge the church & visions to judge the world—I don’t think that this is the case in scripture.)
4. Judgment is always good news for the righteous and bad news for the wicked.
5. How do we know that a prophetic word is about to be spoken? (my note: I don’t
understand significance of this)
In OT prophecy often proceeded by “Thus says the Lord”
In Rev. is phrase, λέγει ὁ (followed by phrase identifying Him)
In Ez. Phrase is: λέγει κύριος
PS says He identifies Himself as lamplighter. (I don’t understand where this comes from--do you?). He holds stars & walks among the lampstands. This phrase is used because he talks to the Ephesians about being light bearers. All churches in this world are a mixed bag. The good doesn’t negate the bad and vice versa.
6. Many verses listed relating to breach of contract: Prov. 5:18, Is. 54:6, Mal. 2:14, Micah 6:2f, etc.
7. Forsake: #5800—means to leave, to abandon, to forsake, to loose: can mean going to a new location or to separate oneself from a person

Odyssey Analysis

This is my current stand--everyone's input in class was helpful in arriving at this. If you don't agree comment. Or you can comment and say how brilliant it is.

Protagonist: Odysseus
Antagonist: Poseidon
Inciting Incident: putting out Polyphemus's eye (and Odysseus taking credit for it by giving his
name
Conflict: Poseidon trying to keep Odysseus from going home
Climax: Reuniting with Penelope after killing the suitors
Denouement: Odysseus making self known to Laertes; Athena ordering Ithacans to live at
peace
Thesis: Proverbs 16:18--Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
(After defeating Polyphemus, Odysseus proclaimed his name to Polyphemus 5:558-562.
After defeating suitors, he wisely tells Eurycleia not to lift a cry of triumph and that it's
unholy to glory over the bodies of the dead. 22:430-444

Ancient Literature week of 11/7/05--11/11/05

Read Chapter 3 in Part 4 of Hamilton's "Mythology" If you have any disagreements with what she says write them down. I haven't read it yet, so I don't know if there are any.
I don't have the list of discussion questions for this week's class finished yet. I'll try to post them later today. Just take a look at them and think about them a little.

Discussion Questions for 11/9/05 and 11/16/05--take a look a see what you think
1. Who are the protagonist and antagonist? What are the inciting incident, climax, denouement, and thesis?
2. What are the similarities between Telemachus and Odysseus?
3. What are the similarities between Odysseus and Eumaeus?
4. Leithart makes the following divisions in the Odyssey. What do you think of them?
Books 1-4: The Image of His Father
Books 5-8: Hidden Hero
Books 9-12: In No Man's Land
Books 13-18: His Own Did Not Receive Him
Books 20-24: Apocalypse
5. What if anything does Odysseus have in common with Christ?
6. How does Odysseus differ from Christ?
7. What does Odysseus have in common with Hercules
8. How are the Sirens like Satan in the Garden of Eden?
9. Do you see any similarities between Odysseus' crew and the suitors?
10.What is the significance of lines 340-342 (in my translation) in Book 24?
"I come from Roamer-Town, my home's a famous place,
my father's Unsparing, son of old King Pain,
and my name's Man of Strife....."
11. Do you see a relationship between Rev. 19 and Book 22 & 23 on Odyssey?
12. Many scholars think that Penelope recognized in Book 19 or at least by Book 21. Others disagree. Do you think she recognized him before he identified himself?
13. What themes do you see in this book?
14. This book contains several return (nostoi) stories. Can you name them?
15. Can you think of any parallels between the Iliad and the Odyssey?
16. Can you think of any differences between the Iliad and the Odyssey?
17. How else do Achilles and Odysseus differ?
18. What is the significance of olive trees in the Odysseey?
We don't need to discuss these in order and we might not discuss them all so if you are especially
interested in one or more let me know.

Revelation Week of 11/7/05 to 11/11/05

#10—The Light of the World!

1.What is Rev. 1:1-20 about?
2.What is Zechariah 4:1-14 about?
3.Again Swartz talks of the introductions to Rev. Which two did he discuss in tape #9.
4.What new introduction does he talk about?
5.What are the phrases that are repeated (1)in the intro to each letter
&
(2) in the intro to the visions?
6. What is Rev. 1:9-20?
7a. What do we find out about John, the author?

7b. What did tape #8 tell us was the content of John’s writing?
8. What is the 2-fold Biblical proof that Christ is in His glory?
9. What is the 3-fold vision of Christ in His glory?

10. Why was the kingdom given to Christ?
11.What are some of the Words of Christ (& their significance) in His glory in Rev. 1:17b-20?
12.What does this vision tell us about Christ in His Church?
13.What does the imagery of the lampstands and the stars tell us?
14. Is there anything else in this passage that you would like to discuss?
15. Any application?
16. What Psalm did they sing at the end? Why?
Psalm 18I