Thursday, August 26, 2004
Why the original Olympics were banned
With the attention this week on the Olympic Games, it's not widely known that the original Games, along with other festivals, were banned in a.d. 393 by Roman emperor Theodosius for being "too pagan." Under the emperor's direction, fanatical Christians closed and later tore down ancient wonders of the world, most notably the Temple of Zeus built in Olympia and the Temple of Serapis in Alexandria.
Why did Theodosius do something which today would be savagely criticised? He apparently had some very good reasons. The Games incorporated events which would definitely not be viewer-friendly today. Christianity Today has an interesting article reviewing this little-known item of history.
With the attention this week on the Olympic Games, it's not widely known that the original Games, along with other festivals, were banned in a.d. 393 by Roman emperor Theodosius for being "too pagan." Under the emperor's direction, fanatical Christians closed and later tore down ancient wonders of the world, most notably the Temple of Zeus built in Olympia and the Temple of Serapis in Alexandria.
Why did Theodosius do something which today would be savagely criticised? He apparently had some very good reasons. The Games incorporated events which would definitely not be viewer-friendly today. Christianity Today has an interesting article reviewing this little-known item of history.
