Israel to Athens Parthenon

It’s hard to overstate how important the rise of the Greek empire is to the New Testament.  During the 400 years between the end of the Old Testament and the first words of Matthew’s  Gospel, the world changed dramatically. In Athens, a revolution of thought and culture took  place. When Alexander began a military campaign, he took the Greek language, mindset, and  architecture with him. This spread of “Hellenism” made its way into Israel. Cities of the  Decapolis, including Bet She’an, Hippos, Gadara, and Gerasa (all very close to where Jesus  preached), were an open effort to influence local residents to adopt Greek customs. One of the  unseen impacts of Hellenism was the use of the Greek language to write the New Testament. For  the first time in history, many nations could read something written in another nation. This video  features drone footage of the Parthenon in Athens, one of the most famous structures in history.  It was built in the 5th century BC, just as Jews were trying to rebuild a way of life in Jerusalem  after the exile. The building was a temple to Athena and the city treasury during the New  Testament era. By the time Jesus lived, many buildings in Israel reflected the influence of Greek  architecture. Hellenism also created an openness to new ideas throughout the region. This may  have made it easier for some Gentiles to consider — and accept — the Gospel.