Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

THEATER

An outdoor structure for dramatic performances or spectacles (Gk. théatron, a “place for seeing”). Although theaters are not prominent in the Bible, the word occurs twice in connection with a mob riot in Ephesus, where people rushed into the theater, dragging Paul’s companions with them (Acts 19:29-31). The word is also used metaphorically to describe a spectacle; thus Paul sees the apostles becoming “a spectacle to the world, to angels and to mortals” (1 Cor. 4:9; cf. Heb. 10:33). Similarly the Stoics made metaphorical use of the spectacle (Epictetus Discourses 2.19, 25; 3.22, 59).

While its origins are obscure, theater can be traced back at least to 600 b.c., when the Greeks offered choral performances of singing and dancing in honor of the god Dionysus. Later they held annual dramatic contests in Athens which included choric readings and spoken exchanges between the chorus leader and an answering partner. Gradually drama developed into two well-defined forms, tragedies and comedies. The 5th century was the most creative period in ancient drama, producing works of enduring artistic influence such as Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus Rex and Aristophanes’ comedy The Clouds. In the Hellenistic age both types of drama were widely produced and performed before large audiences. Eventually “new comedy” evolved as a form of social satire without the use of the chorus. Menander (d. 292) was probably the best-known comic dramatist of the time. His comedy Thais is quoted by Paul in 1 Cor. 15:33.

Hellenistic theaters were generally constructed on natural slopes. The auditorium usually consisted of a semicircular cavity cut in the side of a hill. The seats were arranged concentrically in an ascending pattern, divided into several sections by gangways, and cut from rock, stone, marble, or wood. The chorus was located in the orchestra, the circular space in front of the stage at ground level. The stage and scene were built on the diameter, and often appeared like the face of a temple. Several rows of specially carved, ornamented seats in the front were kept for priests and public officials.

Roman theaters frequently were complete buildings, and often had roofed stages and partially roofed auditoriums. Theaters were recognized centers for public meetings (Acts 19:24-41); here decrees were recorded, benefactors crowned, and edicts proclaimed. The theater at Ephesus accommodated more than 24 thousand people.

Drama held an important place in the cultural life of the Hellenistic world, and every city has its own theater. There are impressive ruins of Greek and Roman theaters in such Pauline cities as Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, Miletus, and Philippi. Similarly, archaeology has unearthed theaters in Caesarea, Damascus, Gadara, Jerusalem, Philadelphia, and Scythopolis. Several theaters built by Herod the Great are mentioned in Josephus (Ant. 15.8.1; 9.6; 17.8.2; BJ 1.21.8). Some have suggested that the book of Revelation is to be understood against the background of Hellenistic drama.

Allison A. Trites

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

THEATER

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)