Language of the victor

​For a society that valued all things masculine, the Romans sure did build a lot of grand temples for their goddesses. It surprised me when I learned that in Asia Minor, where we spent much of our time on our study abroad to Türkiye, that the majority of the cities were built around two prominent deities. Not two gods like Jupiter (Zeus) and Neptune (Poseidon) or Apollo and Ares (Mars), but two goddesses—Artemis (Diana), the maternal goddess of the moon, and Athena (Minerva), goddess of wisdom and warfare. The reason this surprised me is because everything else within the language and culture of the Roman Empire was discernibly masculine. Value was placed on competition and athleticism, with community members vying for the identity of victor in all aspects of life. This language bleeds into our Biblical texts as well, particularly in the New Testament, which was written in the first century Roman Empire and influenced by the culture in which it was steeped. Paul, a Roman citizen and therefore raised within this culture, often used athletic metaphors that are clearly influenced by the Roman gymnasiums, which were formative places for young men in the empire. One of the most striking examples of this language is in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:

“Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air, but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.”

The gymnasiums were huge structures that often included a facade that could rival the nearby temples, with pillars and carvings and giant archway entrances. Inside these gymnasiums, boys and men would receive both mental and physical training in the libraries, bathhouses, pools, and training yards. These structures also became centers of social and political gatherings. In many ways, the gymnasiums and temples had a lot in common as centers for intellectual, social, and political discourse as well as having their distinction as places of physical exercise in the gymnasiums and worship in the temples. The other stark difference between the two is that the gymnasiums were distinctly masculine spaces and the goddess temples were decidedly feminine. I do not believe it to be too much of a stretch to assume that in writing to the Christians embedded in these cultures of goddess worship, Paul would have leaned into the masculine, gymnasium metaphors of discipline and training and condemned the activities common in temple worship—namely those listed in the epistles like Galatians: “sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery…, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” (Galatians 5:19-21). 

This is not because Paul was a misogynist. In fact, Paul highly respected women like Junia, who Paul calls “prominent among the Apostles” (Romans 16:7); Prisca, who Paul notably names ahead of her husband and commends for her house church and for risking her life for him (Romans 16:3-5); and Phoebe, who Paul names as a minister and benefactor (Romans 16:1-2). Instead, Paul uses “victor” language because he had the near impossible task of bringing together a diverse group of people—geographically, religiously, sociopolitically—and setting them apart as followers of the one true God when all around them other idols—or “opponents” (gods and goddesses, political power, wealth, etc.)— competed for their attention. Athleticism and competition were the most appropriate and relatable metaphors Paul had in his arsenal. In addition, it is quite possible that Paul was attempting to create as much distance as possible from metaphors that even hinted at the prevalent, feminine goddess worship so popular in that region.

Therefore, even though this language may feel exclusionary to people who are not athletes and especially people who identity as female, Paul’s message was not intended to exclude people based on gender or physical prowess. Rather, Paul is calling all people—Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28)—to “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us]” (Philippians 3:14). Today, we are also called into this same discipline of focus, self-control, and teamwork that continues to be an important aspect of our athletic culture as well as our religious culture. For the prize we seek is not a worldly prize, not a perishable wreath or tarnishable gold medal, but rather the imperishable promise of eternal life with God (1 Corinthians 9:25).