Spoke 1

Genesis, Isaiah, Romans

One Language

And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

Spoke 1, Cycle 1
(Genesis 11)

The divine preparation for the proclamation of the Gospel has long been recognized by Christian historians. Here is how Earle Cairns states it in his classic Christianity through the Centuries  (pg. 38)

The universal gospel was in need of a universal language if it was to make maximum impact on the world. Just as English has become the universal language in the modern world and just as Latin ws such in the medieval scholarly world, so Greek had becom the universal tongue in the ancient world.

Note that the word translated as "one" in the verse above is the fundamental Aleph KeyWord (Echad).

The universal language of the Greeks was but one part of the universal Roman Empire, which was used of God - without their knowledge nor consent - to accomplish His purpose of bringing salvation to the world. Returning again to Cairns we read (pg. 35):

The Romans, as no other people up to their time, developed a sense of the unity of mankind under a universal law. This sense of the solidarity of man within the empiore created an environment favorable to the reception of a gospel that proclaimed the unity of the human race in the fact that all men are under the penalty of sin and in the fact that all are offered a salvation that makes them part of a universal organism, the Christian church, Christ's body.

Roman Roads

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Spoke 1, Cycle 2
(Isaiah 40.3f)

The Roman Roads were to commerce and travel what the Greek language was to communication. They united the entire Roman Empire and opened the way for the swift messengers of the Gospel. Here is how Cairns put (pg. 36, emphasis mine):

The Romans developed an excellent system of roads radiating out from the golden milestone in the Roman forum to all parts of the empire. The main roads were built of concrete to serrve for ages. They went straight over hill and dale to the farthest point of the empire. A study of the journeys of Paul indicates that he made great use of the excellent road system to get from stategic center to staregic center of the Roman Empire. Roman roads and strategic cities located on these roads were an indespensable aid in the realization of Paul's mission.

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