The Judgment Seat of Christ and how many scholars get it wrong

[Dennis1209]

On 11/5/2024 at 1:22 PM, EddieM said:

You have probably heard that the Judgment seat of Christ takes its meaning from the Olympic Games. The scholars say that the Judges would sit on a raised platform and hand out rewards for the winners of the contests. I checked 30 commentaries by noted and not so noted scholars to find out just exactly where the idea of the raised platform and the judge who hands out rewards to the winners in the Olympics. In all 30 commentaries not one cited an original Greek usage of this. They all said it refers to the Olympic games, but not one scholar was able to cite such a usage.

Each scholar cited another scholar to support such a view. So, I decided I was going to get to the bottom of this. I finally traced its first usage (I think) by a guy named L. Sale-Harrison in 1938. His book is called The Judgment Seat of Christ. I was so excited because I was finally going to see where this Olympic game usage was located in earlier Greek history. Well, unfortunately, Sale-Harrison does not cite any work that supports the idea that the Judgment Seat of Christ was used in relation to the Olympic games. He just simply states it without any support!!

This is why I take commentaries as helpful tools but may not be at all correct. Watch how many times scholars cite other scholars without demonstrating where the original source is from. This is just lazy scholarship.

So, if you are going to teach on the Judgment Seat of Christ as related to the Olympic games, be careful with citing another author.

You have done your due diligence (Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.) You are digging into the meat and potatoes of Bible study.

You are correct that scholarship is seldom original, quoting others. Scholarship requires citations to avoid plagiarism and peer review of previous theological work.

I would like to share my thoughts. Many only associate the Judgment Seat (Bema) with the apostle Paul:

Paul, a prominent figure in early Christianity, frequently used metaphors drawn from athletic games in his writings[1]. These games, which included events like running, wrestling, discus, and javelin throwing, were important public events in ancient Greek and Roman culture[2]. Paul often compared the Christian life to running a race and fighting, as seen in his letters to various early Christian communities[2]. Paul visiting Olympic games specifically, they do indicate that games were widespread throughout the Roman Empire during Paul's time, with major provincial cities hosting games in honor of the emperor[2]. King Herod, who ruled before Paul's time, made significant contributions to the Olympic Games and established similar events in cities like Caesarea and Jerusalem[1][2].

[1] Henry Wansbrough, Introducing the New Testament (London; New Delhi; New York; Sydney: Bloomsbury, 2015), 384.
[2] Dennis Gaertner, “Games,” in Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, ed. David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000), 482.

Bema Seat βῆμα, ατος, τό (s. βαίνω; Hom. Hymns, Pind.+; ins, pap, LXX, TestSol; TestAbr A 13 p. 92, 21 [Stone p. 32]; Joseph., Just.)

            orig. movement by raising a step, ‘step’; then

                        ③       a dais or platform that required steps to ascend, tribunal (Thu. 2, 34, 8; Epict. 4, 10, 21; Jos., Bell. 2, 172; 2 Esdr 18:4; 2 Macc 13:26).

            •           A magistrate would address an assembly from a chair placed on the structure.

            •           Esp. judicial bench (Isocr., Ep. 8, 7; Ps.-Demosth. 48, 31; POxy 237 V, 13; PTebt 316, 11; PAmh 80, 7 al. S. καθίζω 3 and s. Reisch in Pauly-W. III 264; Preisigke, Fachwörter) Mt 27:19; J 19:13; Ac 18:12, 16f; 25:6, 10, 17;

            •           also God’s judgment seat (SibOr 2, 218; 8, 222 and 242) Ro 14:10 and Christ 14:10 v.l.; 2 Cor 5:10; Pol 6:2.

            •           —Ac 12:21, 23 D of the throne-like speaker’s platform (Appian, Liby. 115 §546; Arrian, Anab. 7, 8, 3; 7, 11, 1; Jos., Ant. 4, 209; 7, 370) of Herod Agrippa I. In mng. 2 בֵּימָה is a loanw. in rabb.—DELG s.v. βαίνω p. 157. ^[1]

(370) When David had ordered all these offices after the manner before mentioned, he called the rulers of the Hebrews, and their heads of tribes, and the officers over the several divisions, and those that were appointed over every work and every possession; and standing upon a high pulpit, he said to the multitude as follows:—^[1]

[^1] Flavius Josephus and William Whiston, The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1987), 209.

The Bema has a long tradition from the OT to the Grecian and Roman empires, even today with the Olympics. Less the seat and throne, it is a raised platform with steps. It carries the sense of a temporary traveling judgment seat for judgment and/or rewards. It is not permanent or fixed at a specific location.

 

 

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^[1] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 175.

[EddieM]

1 hour ago, Dennis1209 said:

The Bema has a long tradition from the OT to the Grecian and Roman empires, even today with the Olympics. Less the seat and throne, it is a raised platform with steps. It carries the sense of a temporary traveling judgment seat for judgment and/or rewards. It is not permanent or fixed at a specific location.

@Dennis1209, Thank you for this post. Here is my thinking. It wouldn't surprise me if we found an ancient Greek document where the word Bema is used of a platform where judges sat to reward contestants in the athletic games. It just seems like it would. But, you are right that Paul used the athletic games several times, so I am hoping one day that a bema document will be found and then, but only then, can we say that Bema is used in the Olympic games.

I even call the Judgment Seat of Christ the Rewards Ceremony. I guess I am that optimistic.