An Exercise:
Fill in the Blanks
Who was The Divine Savior of this "Gospel"?
An Ancient Greek Inscription from Asia Minor:
A Decree Acknowledging the Birthday of the Divine Savior of
the World
as the Beginning of a New Era and Establishing it as New Year's Day
"[It is difficult to say] whether the birthday of the most divine ???????? has brought more of joy or of benefit; it would be right for us to consider him equal to the Beginning (arche) of all things, if not indeed by nature, certainly in usefulness; for when everything was falling [into disorder] and tending toward dissolution, he restored it once more and gave to the whole world a new aspect; it might have wished for death, had not ???????? been born, the common good fortune of all. One may therefore rightly view as the Beginning of life and of vitality what has given to the misery of being born an end and a limit. Since for either public and (sic) private advantage no one can begin [an undertaking] on any luckier day than this, which has brought good fortune to all; and since, moreover, the beginning of public office in the cities of [the Province of] Asia falls about this time, evidently a mark of divine intention in order to show honor to ????????; and since, moreover, it is most difficult to make any equivalent return for his extraordinary acts of beneficence, unless we conceive of some new kind of thanksgiving; and since all men will more gladly celebrate the birthday since there already exists an occasion for it in the inauguration of new officials: it is my wish that all the cities unanimously adopt the birthday of ???????? as the new beginning of the year, and that on it they shall all enter at the "beginning," i.e., nine days before the Kalends of October.
Decree of the Hellenes in Asia
Upon Motion of the High Priest Apollonios,
Son of Menophilos, from Azanoi:
Whereas the Providence [Pronoia] which has regulated our whole existence, and which has shown such care and liberality, has brought our life to the climax of perfection in giving to us ???????? whom it [Providence] filled with virtue for the welfare of men, and who, being sent to us and our decendants as a Savior [Soter], has put an end to war and has set all things in order; and [whereas,] having become manifest [phaneis], ???????? has fulfilled all the hopes of earlier times . . . , not only in surpassing all the benefactors [euergetai] who preceded him but also in leaving to his successors no hope of surpassing him; and whereas, finally the birthday of the god ???????? has been the beginning of good news [evangelion] concerning him [therefore, let a new era begin from his birth, and let his birthday mark the beginning of the new year]."