My Big Fat Greek What?
surge conference, 2023
Hebrews and Greeks have opposing views of nearly all aspects of life. They have opposing perspectives and opposing ways they process information. Big fat Greek thinking influences our study of Scripture.
My Big Fat Greek Mindset
The book, My Big Fat Greek Mindset, explores these opposing views and offer solutions. This book helps us to organize biblical knowledge according to the Bible, not according to our culture.
It is available at the Shop Tab at www.vmoody.com or the Shop Tab at covenantfootsteps.com.
The phrase, My Big Fat Greek Mindset, refers to the influence of the ancient Greek civilization on the modern Western world.
Rabbi Paul and Greek Thinking
Paul encountered the spirit of Greek thinking in his travels, Acts 17:21.
The Greeks practiced Gnothi Seauton – Know Thyself. The Greek idea involved self-knowledge, self-mastery, and personal achievement.
Alexander the Great Spread Greek Thinking
A big fat Greek mindset started in Greece. But, it did not remain in Greece, thanks to the conqueror Alexander the Great. Even Israel surrendered to Alexander in the 4th century BC, and named all their male babies “Alexander” for an entire year.
The Parthenon in Athens magnifies human achievement. Grooves in the columns, for instance, reflect human muscle tissue challenging the laws of gravity.
Greek Architecture in America
A duplicate Parthenon sits in Nashville, TN.
The Supreme Court building in Washington, DC mimics classical Greek architecture for a reason. America’s Founding Fathers were inspired by the architecture of democratic Athens and republican Rome.
The Jefferson Memorial resembles a Greek temple. This is apropos because Thomas Jefferson adored ancient Greece.
Human Thought Over Nature?
The Wall Street Journal reported in April 1912 that the Titanic could not sink because human thought can neutralize the forces of nature. The Titanic was named for the Titans, the Greek gods who ruled nature.
In 2023, the Titan submersible, also named for the Titan gods, imploded near the Titanic wreckage. Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate, believed his submersible would survive by the strength of his thinking.
A Hebrew explorer would not have launched an uncertified submersible. For the Hebrews, the sea is a type of chaos. Mayim, the Hebrew word for water, means danger, violence, and chaos.
The Hebrew view of water stems from Noah’s Flood which ended nearly all life on earth. This view also stems from the Red Sea crossing when water engulfed Egyptian soldiers in Exodus. For Hebrews, the sea symbolizes both destruction and new birth.
Greek Thinking in America
American democracy, theater, sports, science, math, and reading all follow their origins in ancient Greece. America’s Founding Fathers passed a big fat Greek thinking down to us.
Greek thinking is:
Left brain thinking
Analytical and logical
Influences our study of Scripture
The Bible is a right brain book, based on verbs and actions.
Comparisons Between Greek and Hebrew Thinking
Greeks: Human observation and learning is truth.
Hebrews: God’s word is truth.
Greeks: The gods are distant, abstract, and impersonal.
Hebrews: God is nearby, concrete, and relational.
Greeks: Physical and spiritual realms are separate.
Hebrews: Physical and spiritual realms are an integrated whole.
Greeks: The world is a place of exile and suffering.
Hebrews: The world is a place of stewardship and blessing.
Greeks: Salvation is by knowledge alone.
Hebrews: Salvation is by emunah, trust or faith alone.
Hebraisms
A Hebraism is a Hebrew expression or idiom in the Bible. Examples of Hebraisms are:
His nostrils part the waters, Exodus 15:8
Trees clap their hands, Isaiah 55:12
Smoke in the nostrils, Psalm 18:18
A good eye is generosity, a bad eye stinginess, Matthew 6:22-23
Heap burning coals on the head, Romans 12:20
Benefits of Hebrew Thinking
Hebrew thinking takes us back to Scripture’s full message.
Hebrew thinking helps us trust in God’s wisdom over human knowledge.
Hebrew thinking reveals His presence and love, rather than His absence and indifference.
How to Develop Hebrew Thinking
Study the Bible in its original language, or use accurate translations, concordances, and commentaries which respect the Hebrew context.
Embrace both the spiritual and the physical aspects of life as gifts from God.
Trust in His sovereignty above human reasoning.
