Samothrace

The Greeks use words like orgia, mysteria, or teletai to describe these religions, usually translated as mystic rites, mysteries, or initiations.

Some of the most well-known mysteries include the aforementioned mysteries of Eleusis, the mysteries of Samothrace, the cult of the goddess Magna Mater, the cult of Mithras, and of course, the cult of Isis.

The worship of Isis was established in Greece as early as the 300s BCE.

An inscription from Athens mentions Egyptians building a sanctuary for her there.

now bear me well black holster into yon thick array and thou and i will have revenge for thy good lord to-day so spake he and was buckling tighter black holster's band when he was aware of a princely pair that rode at his right hand so like they were no mortal might one from other know white as snow their armour was their steeds were white as snow never on earthly anvil Did such rare armour gleam, And never did such gallant steeds Drink of an earthly stream.

And all who saw them trembled, And pale grew every cheek, And all as the dictator Scarce gathered voice to speak, Say by what name men call you, What city is your home, And wherefore ride ye in such guise Before the ranks of Rome? By many names men call us, In many lands we dwell, Well, Samothracia knows us, Cyrene knows us well.

Our house in grey, Tarentum, is hung each morn with flowers.

High over the masts of Syracuse, our marble portal towers.

So now they get on their boat and now they're headed in a new direction.

Acts 16 11 says, "'We ran a straight course to Samothrace "'and the wind was at our back.'" I love this, they had a tailwind, if you will.

They got there a little faster.

Have you ever felt like the wind was at your back? You're just cruising along in the will of God, everything is really good.

There was a stir of washing and cooking and singing, and the smoke went up from the wood fires in the clear, cool air.

D company officers made their camp under an olive tree, with a view over the blue water to Samothrace and Imbros, and now, in the early cool before the sun had gathered his noonday malignity, it was very pleasant.

At seven o'clock the searching began.

A mile away, on the northern cliffs, the first shell burst, stampeding a number of horses.

In the spring nights it was very cold, and men shivered in their single blanket under the unimaginable stars.

But very early the sun came up, and by five o'clock all the camp were singing, and there were three hours of fresh coolness when it was very good to wash in a canvas bucket and smoke in the sun before the torrid time came on.

And again at seven, when the sun sat perched on the great rock of Samothrace, and Imbros was set in a fleecy marvel of pink and saffron clouds, there were two hours of pure physical content.

But these, I think, were more nearly perfect than the morning because they succeeded the irritable fevers of the day.

So this is actually right after he picks up Dr. Luke.

And it says, From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis.

And from there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony, and the leading city of that district in Macedonia.

As we stayed there several days.

Yeah, and I mean, you also have these pockets of seemingly Semitic-tinged belief all over the Greek-speaking world.

So, for example, on the island of Samothrace, which is quite far from, like, Semitic lands.

It's, like, basically off the coast of Thrace.

They have a tradition of worshipping the Khabaroi.

If you have your Bibles open now, I'm going to start reading at verse 11 down through verse 34.

Verse 11 says, Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace and the next day came to Neapolis.

And from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony.

And we were staying in that city for some days.

Trochaeus, to the audience: What is going to happen, friends? 'Tis the critical hour.

Ah, if there is some initiate of Samothrace among you, 'tis surely the moment to wish this messenger some accident, some sprain or strain.

Tumult, who returns: Alas, alas, thrice again, alas.

War: What is it? Again you come back without it.