Story-telling and riddles were a common diversion of the ancient Hebrews, as thev are of the Arabs to this day (Jg 14'2, Ezk 17-, 1 fC 10'). Feasts and wedding-parties were enlivened by such amuse- ments. Samson's riddle (Jg 14'=), with his wager that the guests will not be able to answ er it willdn a week, is a specimen of the kind of thing that was common. As to games of chance and o/skilt, thcJcwa seem not to have known them till they learned them from the Greeks. The soldiers who, perhaps by means of the dice, cast lots for the seamless robe of Jesus, were Roman soldiers. There was a game among the ancient Greeks (see Liddell and Scott under KoXXa/Sifw), in which one person covered his eyes and guessed which of his companions struck hira j and a similar game among the ancient Egyptians (Wilkinson, ii. 59), in which a man knell wiili his face to the ground and had to miess w !io struck him on the back. Wa.'i this the idea of the insult oll'ered, when the men that held Jesus blindfolded Him, and struck Ilim on the face and blasphemously asked Hun, ' Prophesy, w ho is it tliat smote theo t ' (Lk 22").
In NT, especially in the Acts and in the Epistles of St. Paul, the allusions are almost exclusively to tlie games and athletic contests of ancient Greece. Wo do read in the Epistle of St. James of 'the crown of life which the Lord hath ])ronused to them that love him' (Ja 1"=), but the allusion can be explained from Jewish ideas without relerence to Greek L-ames. In the Epistle to the Hebrews (12'-=) we have the imagery of the assembly (W^oi fiapTi'poii'),o{ the contest (d7u>F), of the race {Tpixufitf), of the training {6yKoy airoOiiitvot Tdtra), of the absorbed and eager racers (a(popwrr(i), all most vividly set before us. It is in connexion with St. Paul, however, that these allusions are most frequent and distinct. Where\er the great
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GAKDKX
apostle travelled amon^ the cities of the Greeks, at Corinth, at Ephesus, at Athens, the athletic contests in whicli all the kindreds of the Grecian people took such pride met his eye, and furnished tiini with his aptest and most eti'ective illustrations of the Christian life. The gj'mnasium or place of training, and the stadium or racecourse, were con- spicuous and familiar in e\ ery considerable city.
The foot-race occupies the largest place in the imagery of the apostle, as it was the contest whicli of all the Grecian games aroused the deepest interest and the keenest excitement. In his addresses reported in the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul alludes to the foot-race, — describing John the Baptist as 'fulfilling his course' (opi/ios, Ac 13^), and speaking of himself as counting not even life dear unto him that he may iinish his course (Sphjios) with joy (Ac 20-*). In his Epistles the image occurs again and again. In his very first Epistles lie asks the prayers of the Thessalonians tliat the word of ' tlie Lord may run (-rpixv) ^"d be glorified ' (2 Th 3' RV). In his last, when the crown is full in view, he writes to Timothj-, saying, ' I have fought the good fight (rbv Ka\bv ayCiva) ; I have finished the course ' {riv ipoixov) (2 Ti 4'- *). His whole career as an apostle and as a follower of Christ, and that of his converts, is a race ; he is anxious ' lest by any means he should run, or had run, in vain' (Gal 2-) ; he hopes to rejoice 'in the day of Christ that he had not run in vain ' (Ph 2'°) ; ' ye did run well,' is his remonstrance to the Galatians ; ' who hath hindered you, that ye should not obey the truth ? ' (Gal 5').
In the Epistles to the Philippians and the Cor- inthians his employment of the imagery of the games reaches its hignest point : ' Not as though I had alreidy attained, either were already perfect ; but this one tiling I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth (eireKTcvbtuvoi) unto those things which are before, I press (Sim/cu) toward the mark (ctkojtAi'), for the prize {^pa^aop) of the high calling (ttjs ifoi xXiyo-ews) of God in Christ Jesus' (Ph 3'^-") ; ' Know ye not that they which run in a race (ol iv (TTadl<j>Tp(xoi'T€i) run all, but one obtaineth the prize ? So run, that ye may obtain. And e\ery man that striveth in the games (ttSs i d7ui'if(5/ici'os) is temperate in all things {ijKpaTeveTat TrdnTa). Now they do it that they mav obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible (ipBaprbv (TTi<pavov . . . d^ffapTof). I therefore so run, as not uncertainly ; so fight I [tvktcvu, passing from the racer to the boxer), as not beating the air : but I burtet (uTTujridj'M) my body, and bring it into bond- age {SovXayuyw) ; lest by any means, after that I have preached to others (icTjpi'Jas, having summoned otiiers to the contest), I ra3-self should be rejected (dSuKi/ios, driven in disgrace from the games as not having contended in accordance with the rules) ' (1 Co 9-'''" RV). The imagery in these passages is unusually full and rich. The strenuous, exciting, and definite purpose of the racer, the self-control imposed during the period of training, with the punishment of the body to make it more fit, the prize, the crown, the reward of the victor, the call to the contest, and the proclamation of the con- ditions, the chance of final disgrace if these are not properly observed (compare 2 Ti 2"), are all set forth with a vividness that must have brought home powerfullj' and impressively, to those who were familiar with the Isthmian and Olympian games, the lessons of Christian instruction which the apostle wished to convey.