On the slope of Mount Parnassus the temple of Apollo sits with a mysterious aura just longing to confess its ancient secrets. In the centuries leading up to the time of Christ, this sanctuary at Delphi, Greece was alive with the sounds of sacred activity and toxic induced religious utterances emanating from the famed and respected oracles called sybils. Today, only the chatter of curious visitors and an occasional eerie sound of the wind can be heard swirling through the six standing columns near the temple’s main entrance. That occasional hissing sound, if you use your imagination, almost sounds like the hiss of a snake and serves to remind us of Delphi’s storied past and its connection to an event described at Philippi in the book of Acts.
While several stories exist about the origins of Delphi, legend says a giant serpent-dragon named Python, born to the earth goddess Gaia, once guarded a sacred area known for receiving prophesies. At this location the Greek god Apollo is said to have slain the serpent and taken control of the site. To commemorate his victory, a temple was erected in his honor, the Pythian games were established, and the oracles inherited the name Pythia. These oracles were always women, and it was professed that they became the human mistresses of Apollo endowed with the ability to be a conduit for revealing prophecies and uttering proverbial statements.
In Greek society, priestesses at Delphi called oracles (also known as sybils) were highly prized for their alleged attempts to divine the future. Writers like Herodotus, Strabo, and Plutarch, each gave accounts of various famous people of history coming to Delphi to consult the oracle. Through these ancient historians we learn that Croesus King of Lydia and Alexander the Great came here hoping to gain insights into the future. Even King Leonidas of the Spartans stopped here for advice before making his famous stand against the Persians at Thermopylae. This battle was of course popularized by Warner Bros. in their 2006 film called 300.
According to Strabo (c. 64 B.C.–25 A.D.), the oracle would prophesy while under the influence of a vapor rising from the temple’s inner court which “inspired a divine state of possession” (Geography 9.3.5). While under the influence of what was probably some sort of petrochemical gas released when rock masses were heated by an active geological fault, the oracle would utter an unintelligible message (see Archaeology Odyssey Nov/Dec 2002). While in her trance like state, and rambling in response to questions posed by worshippers, other priest acting as interpreters would deliver the message. Greek and Roman historians preserved a number of these supposed prophecies, most of which are vague and ambiguous, thus allowing for a favorable view of the oracle regardless of the outcome. Many of the prophecies were anecdotal and were passed down as proverbs.
Interestingly, there is an important link between the oracles of Delphi and the bible. For Greeks, one of the most influential voices of their heritage for making decisions and divining the will of the gods was a Pythia. The word “pythia” is actually found in the Greek New Testament and is used to describe the slave girl encountered by Paul and Silas at Philippi (Acts 16:16). Often translated as “divination,” the text probably should read as follows: “And it came to pass in our going on to prayer, a certain maid, having a spirit of python, did meet us, who brought much employment to her master’s by soothsaying” (Young’s Literal Translation).
In either case, the exorcism was a clear polemic against the so-called gods of the Roman-Greco world and their oracles; a world that had a long history associated with respect for prophetesses like those at Delphi.
Near the end of the New Testament period, the location of Delphi had lessened in its importance, but a belief in the power of the Pythia was still prevalent throughout the Greco-Roman world. To have a Pythia from the historic site of Delphi which resided in your city, whether in reality or in name, would have been highly prized. Therefore, we should not be surprised that the owners of the slave girl in Philippi were said to be acquiring “much gain” from her alleged divining of the future (Acts 16:16). Because of both her witness and popularity, Paul may have allowed her to continue “for many days” with her pronouncements about he and Silas being “servants of the Most High God, who proclaim the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17). However, his patience reached its end, and Paul became “greatly annoyed” with the spirit that had possessed her (Acts 16:18).
Paul’s annoyance with the spirit of the Pythia (Acts 16:18) is indeed perplexing, but it may have resulted from one of the following reasons. First, her pronouncements about the “Most High God” and “a way of salvation” (the definite article does not appear in Greek) may have been intended to promote Apollo whom the Pythia served. Because Apollo was considered to be one of the chief or “high” gods in the region, did the Pythia believe that the source of Paul's preaching at Philippi was from Apollo? If so, because of her popularity, its conceivable that Paul would tolerate her for a short period in order to gain an audience for his sermons among those who had respected and honored her work as an oracle.
Or second, did she in fact possess a demonic spirit, similar to the man of Mark 5:1-20 who was actually uttering truth? If so, perhaps some at Philippi were becoming confused about the real identify of this Most-High God, and were likewise becoming more interested in the Pythia than in the message of the gospel. This would, therefore, have greatly disturbed Paul leading to the exorcism of this demonic spirit and the demonstration of the power and authority of Jesus (Acts 16:18). In either case, the exorcism was a clear polemic against the so-called gods of the Roman-Greco world and their oracles; a world that had a long history associated with respect for prophetesses like those at Delphi.
It is easy to see that the cultural fascination and significance given to prophecy and oracular utterances could have easily spilled over into the life of the church, creating division and chaos.
Finally, because oracles were honored and revered, it is worth considering the impact this might have had on the church in other places besides Philippi. Corinth, for example, was located just across the Corinthian gulf some 42 miles southeast of Delphi, and the city had undoubtedly been influenced by the lore surrounding the Pythia. If so, converts from Corinth may have been influenced as well, and it is easy to see why the gifts of the Holy Spirit regarding prophecy and tongue speaking had become corrupted and misused. Could it also be that because the Pythia were always female that Paul forbad the women in the church to speak (1 Corinthians 14:34-35) because he was concerned that some might connect the women disciples at Corinth to pagan practices? This might explain why Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:34 used a Greek word that means to “to stop speaking” (BDAG), whereas in 1 Timothy 2:12 the word he uses in relationship to women in the spiritual public setting means quietness (cf. 1 Timothy 2:8).
At Corinth, I can easily see that the cultural fascination and significance given to prophecy and oracular utterances could have easily spilled over into the life of the church, creating division and chaos. This is exactly what was happening as revealed in 1 Corinthians 14. It may very well be the case that pagan theology had entered the church, and therefore had to be removed. If a “pythia” like influence that had once been associated with the worship of Apollo had entered the church, then it had to be denounced and exercised.
Because there were deceivers who had gone out into the world (2 John 1:7) the spirits of these false oracles needed to be put to the test (1 John 4:1). Paul revealed that the intent and content of the prophetic message, along with the controlled and intelligible behavior of the prophet, stood juxtaposed to the false utterances and behavior of the oracles of paganism. A vivid contrast existed between a false oracle like those of Delphi who could not control the alleged spirit and who spoke with and “indistinct sound” (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:8-9; 32-33), versus a true prophet of God who could (1 Corinthians 14:19).
The discoveries at Delphi are a clear reminder that just as the early church was faced with the problems of syncretism, the church today must likewise be on guard about cultural influences that might affect our view of scripture and practice within God's family. What we read in the book of Acts and in the letters to the Corinthians, when examined against the historical and cultural backdrop of what occurred in Delphi, is just one more example of the powerful connection between faith and fact. What we learn from the historical and cultural context of the world in which the Bible was written should be carefully considered and analyzed while seeking to understand and apply the sacred and timeless truths to our present age.
By John W. Moore
Sources
Arndt, William et al. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature 2000: 896.
Fairbanks, A. (1906). Herodotus and the Oracle at Delphi. The Classical Journal, 1(2), 37–48. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3287085
Jelle Zeilinga de Boer and John R. Hale; "The Oracle of Delphi—Was She Really Stoned?" Archaeology Odyssey, November/December 2002.
Lloyd-Jones, H. (1976). The Delphic Oracle. Greece & Rome, 23(1), 60–73. http://www.jstor.org/stable/642917
Strabo. (19171932). The geography of Strabo. London : New York :W. Heinemann ; G.P. Putnam's Sons,
Young, Robert. Youngs Literal Translation. Bellingham, WA, 1997.
Comments