The upper section of the Marble Stadium of Athens, added in the second century AD, is part of the stadium that housed the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and serves as the endpoint of the classical marathon every year. The stadium’s lower-level dates back to the fourth century BC.
Near the area of the Marble Stadium of Athens is a statue of the American president who recognized the independence of Israel and signed the Marshall Plan for the reconstruction of Europe.
Remember Theodosius who began persecuting Christians in 64 AD, the emperor who killed the Thessalonians and whose actions are often compared to those of Nero. Theodosius’ persecution lasted for almost 250 years and came to an end under Emperor Constantine in 313 AD with the Constantinian Decree, the Edict of Milan. Theodosius and his army committed many atrocities and acts of destruction in the name of Jesus Christ, but Theodosius cannot be identified with Christians.
Eighty years later, another emperor, Theodosius I, ruled from 379 to 395 AD. He stated, “Constantine was involved a lot with Christian matters, but I am a Christian,” and he decided to Christianize the Empire by force. Theodosius is the one who made turned Christianity into a state institution. In his effort to force a state church, he started a severe persecutions against non-Christians for the first time in history.
Theodosius was a dictator, A terrible and contradictory person. In his efforts to make the church a state institution, he adorned the church with imperial power, cloth and authority. He forced independent church communities (each having their own character and unique from each other) to form unions under the observation of a state officer called a metropolitan bishop. The church communities that decided not to participate in these unions were labeled heretics, regardless of their beliefs. So, after Theodosius, the church was no longer persecuted by the state; instead, the state church persecuted the real church. This marked a new period in church history.
A very old and good book called “The Pilgrim Church” discusses the history of the true church after Theodosius. The book is rare and published by Oxford Press. Most Protestant histories focus on the first century and then skip to the 16th century, missing the 14 centuries in between. You might be able to find it on the internet because it’s very old.
You see a modern statue of a marathon runner, known as Dromeas, or The Runner. The statue is made of glass and iron, and captures the essence of the speed of a marathon runner. We are actually at the last part of the classical marathon track.
On the right of the runner is the Hilton Hotel, where we might stay next time 🙂
Across the road from Dromeas is a white marble building, The Music Hall, famous for the acoustics of its various theaters inside. Next to it, you can find the American Embassy for Cyprus. It’s also a marble building with a lot of glass, and you can see the flag.