A friend and I went to see 300
Certainly, it was not uncommon for ancient near eastern monarchs to attribute divine status to themselves - an act which is inherently Satanic. But I could not help noticing how similar his speeches were to the enticements of Old Nick himself.
"Hey, I don't ask for much. You can keep your lands. You will receive wealth beyond your wildest imaginings. You're a victor. You can be the warlord of all Greece. Only bow to me and all this can be yours."
Not so different from the Tempter's attempted seduction of Jesus, eh? This is the Enemy's tactic. He presents himself as your greatest ally. He's really on your side after all. He only wants what is best for you. "Jesus, you're hungry. Make yourself a sandwich."
For a nice write up on the film 300, see Pr. Petersen's blog here.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Devil in the Details
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3 comments:
To be at risk of stretching an analogy, the hopelessly outnumbered greeks (Spartans, etc) in the real battle fought in a circle while completely surrounded. I thought that was a fitting metaphor for a Christian's life on earth- always outnumbered and fighting. Due to God's great mercy, we are never on the losing side though. We still hold the field.
Check out the comments by Ephraim Lytle, assistant professor of hellenistic history at the University of Toronto - http://www.thestar.com/article/190493
Lytle concludes:
"No mention is made in 300 of the fact that at the same time a vastly outnumbered fleet led by Athenians was holding off the Persians in the straits adjacent to Thermopylae, or that Athenians would soon save all of Greece by destroying the Persian fleet at Salamis. This would wreck 300's vision, in which Greek ideals are selectively embodied in their only worthy champions, the Spartans."
Carl,
Yes, and didn't Leonidas make a disparaging remark about the uselessness of the Athenians, that
they were culture vultures, or something to that effect?
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