Greek Thought & Hebrew Thought in Scripture

Here Eric W. King looks at how the Greek and Hebrew thought of the time of Jesus Christ helped shape the Human way of understanding God. He also explains his use in teaching the Scriptures of the phrases Fallen Matrix & Divine Matrix. Even today we see the reality of how both Greek & Jewish cultures still affect us. Please read this and watch our Bible lectures. We have received great responses from many Christians throughout the years regarding our approach to Biblical teaching. Thank you.

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I wish to share with you something I believe to be extremely important. I have learned throughout my years of studying the Bible many things and continue to do so and my excitement leads me to share. This information is surprisingly not realized or known by most Christians. The Bible student can really begin to understand this subject by doing a thorough study of the epistle of Hebrews.

My pastor and Patriarch, Richard Cripe (of Groveland Christian Fellowship) who in my opinion still teaches what I call original Ancient Antiochene Theology when it comes to true Dispensational Theology and Soteriology recently took all of us through the epistle of Hebrews. Some major points that he brought out in the epistle were as follows:

1-The finality of true revelation through Jesus Christ (Sola Scriptura).

2-The fact of the superiority of Jesus Christ over the angels and Moses.

3-Jesus Christ brings us into a new and complete priesthood (Solus Christus).

4-Our rest is not in “day keeping” or “rule following” but is complete in Jesus Christ (Sola Fide).

5-Through Jesus Christ we come into the presence of God the Father (Soli Deo Gloria).

6-All “shadows” and “types” are fulfilled in Jesus Christ who takes us into “pure reality”.

7-The necessity of Christian progress and the finality of OT Jewish law through Jesus Christ.

….and much, much more.

In addition to all of these awesome facts I wish to give some historical insight of the epistle of Hebrews that is fascinating too. We have been blessed with a complete Christian Library of information which I refer to as our “Ancient Antiochene Library” (which in my opinion contains much more accurate knowledge than even the Vatican Library, though much, much smaller than the Vatican Library…of course).

The ancient Alexandrian School of Theology became much influenced by Greek Platonic Thought and that of his student Philo. They had quite a library of ancient parchments there in Alexandria including a lot of pagan wittings and mythos from the Far East. Clement of Alexandria used these writings in producing some of his theological conclusions in the Alexandrian School. He also used a “midrish” (extreme allegorical) approach in his interpretations.

Many of his successors in Alexandria did the same including the chief allegorist, Origin. This created a lot of problems. For one thing it was plain and simple bad hermeneutics. The ancient Greek philosophers sought a better world of experience. They would say that our material world is a distorted and aberrant reflection of a purer reality which is made of an ethereal or spiritual reality. I have referred to this same idea in stating that the fallen world (our current material reality) is the Fallen Matrix in contrast to the pure reality, the Divine Matrix (or Kingdom of God). This approach speaks more to the deeper intellectual thinker.

The epistle of Hebrews contains this idea. Some theologians have referred to this theme found in the epistle of Hebrews to be the “two-story” schematic.

The Two Realities

What we might call the “two story” theme is mostly Greek in its approach. What makes the epistle of Hebrews extremely interesting is the fact that it mixes the Greek approach with the Hebrew (Jewish) approach in a beautiful unfolding of the human condition and our relationship as Christians with Divine Intelligence (God).

Though predominately the epistle of Hebrews was written as a witness to the Hebrews (Jews) it also contains information which would have strongly affected the Hellenistic Jews. To the Jews it was always taught that a person could never really come into the presence of God, only the High Priest once year on the Day of Atonement. The High Priest once a year would enter the Holy of Hollies for a short period of time to offer prays and blood sacrifice.

Moses stated; “No man can see God and live.” (Exodus 33:22) Manoah once stated; “Surely we shall die, for we have seen God.” The Jewish people also understood that they served a covenantial God, a God who spoke through covenants. They understood that through a priesthood (the Levitical) and animal sacrifice they could stay “right” with God. However, they started to realize that in order for them to continue with God so must the sacrifices which really never satisfied God. So they sought a new priesthood (a better one) and an ultimate sacrifice. This would truly make them right with God.

The Greeks believed that God would never become a human and that only through special knowledge (gnosis) and initiation could one become right with God. Interestingly the Greeks believed that our planet and the kosmos were fake, or shadowy, transient and imperfect. The Greeks view of our world, in that sense, agreed with the Jewish concept of sin and a fallen world (world completely infected with sin). Right away they had grounds to agree.

We could say in our “two story” theme that both Greeks & Jews believed that the lower story, all of what we refer to as physical creation, was aberrant, distorted, a Fallen Matrix from which we must escape. By the new knowledge (gnosis) of Jesus Christ and by hearing the “Gospel” and through accepting the higher sacrifice and priesthood of Jesus Christ one could be “saved” and be brought into proper relationship with Divine Intelligence (The Creator).

Man has this inner knowing that something in our reality is not right. Man has an innate understanding of “good” & “evil”. Man seems to somewhat understand his fallen nature and the reality of a Supreme God. Thus the search to answer these important questions begins and man begins to seek for answers and he or she ultimately finds the answers in the person of Jesus Christ who in fact is God coming to us (incarnate). God Himself must make the way for us; God Himself is the only perfect priest and sacrifice. Finally, God is love and thus He makes the initiative and way for us to be brought into right relationship with Him. Ultimately all of creation will be brought back into its glorious reality. This final restoration begins in the “upper story”, the Divine Matrix.

This two story view of reality is central throughout the epistle of Hebrews. This explanation in Hebrews of a far better reality, above all the shadows and types, is not purely Platonic though some of the author’s explanations are set in Platonic idealism. The author of Hebrews is using language that the Hellenistic Jews could properly grasp and understand. The author of Hebrews is also not being overly allegorical or “midrashic” in his approach especially when he begins to speak about the reality of a literal second coming.

The author of Hebrews simply uses the name Jesus to answer all the questions. Jesus Christ our Lord is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Through Him we have complete atonement, redemption, reconciliation and salvation. Praise God for the good news of Jesus Christ.

Eric William King (February 14^th 2020)

Note: I wish to thank all the saints at GCF and especially Patriarch Elder & Teacher, Don Cripe and Patriarch Pastor & Teacher, Richard Cripe. ~ eric

Eric William King (November 26^th 2019)

*Philosophy or Scripture?

*KNOW CHURCH HISTORY!

Greek influence in Christianity

Above: Here is some interesting insight to Greek philosophy/culture

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Ancient Antiochene Christian Doctrine

This ministry and teachings (TSW - The Shepherds Way) only holds to the earliest church (proper) teachings, before the Great Schism which became the Roman Catholic Church & Greek Orthodox Church. We hold to Christo-tokos not Theo-tokos. We believe in the Divine Trinity and reject the praying to anybody else, body-spirit, other than God through our Lord Jesus Christ. It wasn’t until the Council of Trent in 1545 that the teaching on saintly intercession was officially laid down. We reject this council.

Most of our history stresses the first 451 years of the Christian Church when many of the early heresies were properly dealt with. We welcome you to study with us here and listen to all of our Nugget of Truth online lectures. We hold to and teach the Ancient Antiochene Christian Doctrine.
May God richly bless you. ~ E.W.King

Begin here to understand Antiochene Christianity