The Oracles of God

Tuesday, March 13, 2007 breaks clear and sunny, lighting the mountains surrounding Karbala. Our coffee stop is nearly two hours down the road—a sparkling expansive hall with window walls on three sides. Pastries and lattes, even salads beckon us. But what I hear calling me is the ice cream counter. After nearly a week of fasting, I treat myself to a cup of delicious vanilla and one of caramel cream. If I were to apply for the ancient position of "oracle priest" this would be the inspiration of choice for me.

We are soon heading for the most famous of all the oracles of god: Delphee. But first our coach must climb a long series of switchbacks to traverse the ridge of mountains of Pindar. Rising far and high are many snow-laden peaks and cols to our north and west. Mountain villages are supported by the mining of bauxite, which, as you know, provides us with aluminium. There are summer cottages here, too, for many come from neighboring Bulgaria (a hundred miles north) as well a Romania and other European countries.

George explains that in Greece there are four levels of property purchase. 1. the house where you will raise your family and carry on your occupation or profession. 2. A summer cottage on the seashore. 3. A winter cabin for skiing. 4. Purchasing a house for your children when they marry. Since the first house is given you by your parents, you are free from that burden. Then when you are established in life and making good money you can more easily handle 2, 3, and 4. So your kids get a nice house - from you!

Delphi fascinates. Here’s what George told us.

A shepherd, grazing sheep high on the steep slopes here noticed that the animals acted strange every time they went by a certain place. (Psychoactive, I think we would call it now.) Soon people began to come to consult priests as a cult began. This was before the 7th century BC.

There’s no business like show business, they say. And religion here soon found that this was a sacred place. You see, Zeus released two eagles at the creation of the Earth. They flew from opposite directions. Their paths crossed here at Delphi—ergo, the center of the world—its navel (omphalos). A holy place where the gods could speak to men and reveal the future soon found international attention.

Emissaries would come from as far away as distant Greek city states and even Persia and Egypt, hoping to find out whether it would be propitious to go to war, for example. Over time new elements were added. A temple of Apollo was erected with a large statue of the god inside the temple. Only priests were admitted there, so there are no descriptions of that sculpture. Outside, an altar was built where seekers brought their animals for sacrifice. There was such heavy traffic that devotees waited several months before their turn came, except for one city-state (Iona?) that donated a building and went to the head of the line each time.

The priests would come to the altar before the temple and sacrifice the animal, often a bull, and then cut it up and roast it over a fire. If the smoke went up in a straight column it meant the prayer was granted.

Soon city states began to build treasuries to hold the money people from their city donated. This served as a bench mark for the currency, like a gold standard. The one for Athens has been reconstructed. It is about 20 by 15 feet, all marble. Some of the Ionian columns for the temple are still standing over 2000 years later.

The entrance where the worshippers began their ascent to the temple was lined with statues of heroes from the wars. Thebes beat Athens, so they got a dozen statues, then Athens beat another city and got their dozen and so on. There were scores erected along the first 50 paces of the entrance.

The female oracle would chew on leaves and sit over the smoke of the fire until she began to speak in strange tongues. Only the priests could listen and figure out what the message was. The poatrons waited fomr several nobnths for their answer. Meanwhile the Delphic priests had "reporters" out in the far countries gathering inetelligence to help craft their crafty prophecies and waited for thie spies to return with the data they needed. The final message was often ambiguous: the Greeks the Persians will defeat. Or, the king who crosses the Hyla River will destroy a great nation. It the latter case the king crossed only to find it was his great nation that was destroyed.

This oracle was so powerful that no one dared to attack the sacred site. That’s why states built their treasuries there. It was a neutral zone.

Every two years athletes from all Greece would come here to compete. There are ruins of the gymnasium, as well as a large stadium. By the way, the Greek word “gymna” means “naked.” Think of that when you go the gymnasium, (It also explains why deciduous trees are gymnosperms, if I recall.) These contests were held only every two years because it is a great distance from the various states. The Olympic games were every four years because Mount Olympus (Zeus' home is even more remote.

What is incredible is that in 1878 an archeologist came looking for the Delphic Temple. Coming to this remote site, he noticed that the foundation stones of some of the few houses here had inscriptions on them—in full view—that contained the word “Dephi” on every one, as they were records of the various prophecies given to various states. None of the locals paid any attention to these inscriptions! Soon the villagers were moved to other locations and excavations began, recovering these treasures that go back 27 centuries.

Of course the site had been abandoned after Emperor Theodosius, Christian, closed the place down in the late fourth century. In some locations basilicas were built on pagan sites. But this one was simply abandoned and fell to ruin.

We also toured a museum on the grounds where many of the statues are elegantly presented.

With all this excitement, time slipped by. We went for lunch at 3 p.m. I sat out in the sun and peeled two boiled eggs I pocketed at breakfast. We had our Bible study by Pastor Robin Jenkins before heading off on the two hour journey to Athens.

All societies try to find a way to peek into the future. But to the Jews were given the oracles of God and to no other. And mercifully, that God keeps the details to Himself.

It was well after dark when we pulled in to the hotel. The Acropolis was lit up about a mile away. But that story will have to wait until tomorrow.