THE

Ophilus

By Tess Wahlmeier

May 6th, 2016

Introduction

This piece is meant to resemble an epic poem, written in dactylic hexameter. The author,

Ophilium, is an apprentice of Virgil. Ophilium regards poetry as a device used to explain the

unexplainable, which allows people to abandon all use of logic and science because they can rely

on art to explain the world. This poem is written as Ophilium looks back on his life of poetry

after meeting St. Paul, who had studied Greek philosophers and brought Ophilium the truth, not

only of logic and natural reasoning, but of the good news. St. Luke, who never met Ophilium

but read his work (as a fellow disciple of Paul), responded to this piece (theoretically) by writing

a work of his own, addressed to Ophilium, which begins as follows:

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Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among

us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have

handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to

write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize

the certainty of the teachings you have received.

Luke 1:1-4

This epic poem serves as an example of the kinds of people and situations that St. Luke was

addressing when he, Divinely inspired, wrote the Gospel. There are many parts in this story

which the Gospel of Luke (theoretically) refers to or clarifies. This poem is not legitimately

inspired by God, and is not meant to be taken as true; nor is it a challenge of the legitimacy of the

Gospel or Divine Inspiration. It is merely a literary example of what St. Luke could have been

addressing when he, Divinely inspired, wrote the Gospel.

Sing to me not1, unfair muse of the land where my people are keeping2.

I know the tricks of your unjust trade and the secrets of Virgil,

Him whom I sat with in my puerile days as the ancient did croon.

Ineffable, the truth held in eyes such as mine which now see pure,

But I shall tell you the tale which dear Calliope3 could not:

That of my knowledge of heroes and gods never known by their true names.

1 Most Ancient Epics begin with invoking one of the nine muses, or in the case of The
Aeneid, with making distinction that a person is singing instead of a museVirgil, The Aeneid,
trans. Robert Fagles (London: Penguin Books, Ltd. 2006), Book One, verse one

2 The speaker could be referring to either Greece or Rome, since Calliope is known
in both Greek and Roman mythology as the muse of heros poetry
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This tale, I heard neer as a boy, learning of what poems are made4.

Listen, Ophilium, master instructed. The people are hungry.

Crying, they yearn for a way of explaining natures first order.

Reason cannot so reveal the great mystery known only to high gods,

Those so above us that minds cannot grasp5, but ideas6 can just glimpse.

Poetry quiets the souls of its mark, though the facts be not quite true7.

So began my duplicitous life and the making of cowards8

Fearful of truth and of science, who justify matters by mere Fate

Blind by intention and stupid by choice, they confuse art for wisdom.

3 Although the author doesnt believe in the Greek and Roman gods, he alludes to a muse in
order to reach an audience which would understand and identify with her, much like
Boethius did when he spoke of ApolloBoethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, trans. Richard
Green ( Mansfield Centre: Martino Publishing, 2011), 27

4 Ophilium, a young boy learning poetry at the feet of Virgil, who wrote The Aeneid
circa 19 B.C., never heard of Judaism or Christianity in his youth. The only religion
he knew of was what Virgil used to explain the world through poetry.

5 Virgils explanation for everything unknown is that there is knowledge too lofty for
humans to reach.

6 This use of ideas is similar to that of Platos terminology, referring not to a spark
of the mind, but rather to an abstract state of being, similar to that of a form.Plato, Phaedo,
trans. G.M.A. Grube (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2002), 100b

7 In this line, Virgil reveals poetry to be a scheme of justifying natural causes so that
citizens have some way of explaining the world.

8 By living the life of a poet and explaining nature, not through science or reason,
but through analogous tales, Ophilium made cowards of people who couldnt reason
with their own minds and relied on his poetry in order to understand the world.
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Cities struck down by the storm offered sacrifice up to the Vultures,

Praying to water and wind, who had wreaked such havoc in their minds

(No other source could they fathom as cause for a common disaster).

Lo, let me tell you, the wind is not ruled by the might of Joves strong hand.

Mountains resist him. Despite the mad fury he breathes9, they stand still.

I know of One who can say to the mountain, move! and it obeys.10

I know a Woman more radiant than Venus, more pure than Minerva.11

9 Although Aeolus is lord of the winds, this section references Jupiter because he
was the mightiest of all the gods, and even he couldnt move the mountain with his
breath.

10 (Matthew 17:20) This epic was theoretically written between the time of Christs
death (circa 34 A.D.), but before 84 A.D. when the Gospel of Luke was written. By
this point, Ophilium has encountered Paul, who has taught him of Christ and
brought him the gospel, which is how he would know the story of the mustard seed.
Later (theoretically), when St. Luke (also a disciple of Paul) writes his Gospel (to
Theophilus), he again references the mustard seed parable in Luke 17:6, using a
mulberry tree as an example instead of a mountain, giving Theophilus another
analogy with the same element the mustard seed which emphasizes that the
parable is not about the work being done (i.e. the mountain moving or tree being
uprooted), but rather about the movement and growth of faith (i.e. a tiny mustard
seed growing into a gigantic tree).

11 Mary is depicted here, not as radiating beauty, but radiating love because of the
agape love she showed from the very beginning in Luke 1:38, which far exceeds the
erotic love Venus is known for. She is shown as being more pure than Minerva (the
virgin goddess, in Roman mythology) because in her perpetual virginity she did,
indeed, bear a son who is God. Ophilium never met Mary, since she assumed
before he encountered Paul, so St. Luke gives a thorough introduction of her and
continues mentioning her throughout his Gospel, in order to educate Ophilium on
the Mother of God.
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I know a hero who conquered the race12, while he carried no swift sword.

He carried only a tree, and he killed none apart from himself.

How did I come to be neighbor to these unsung heroes and maidens?

Philippi13 was my home before Virgils apprentice I became.

Years after his slow passing, I set for the sands of my homeland

Tired of rhythm and folly, desperate for warmth of a family

Id hardly lain eyes on, wondering if they would remember me thus.

Lydia, my dear sister, I found by the guidance of Hermes.14

Into her house, she did welcome and lead me, while telling of good news.15

Jesus, the God and the Son of man had come down from the Heavens

Mightier than all Romans and Greeks put together, he still reigns.

12 By using the word, race, Ophilium doesnt confine salvation to a particular

ethnicity of people, but rather lets people insert their own ethnicity for his generalizer of
race. The word also has a double meaning of that like a chariot race, a popular form of
entertainment for early Romans.pbs.org, The Roman Empire in the First Century, 2006. Web.
This also refers to the second letter of Timothy (companion of Paul) who wrote, I
have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7

13 Philippi was a Roman colony in Macedonia, present day Greece, which was
visited by Paul in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 16:12).

14 Hermes, Roman god of travelers

15 In Acts 16:11-15, Paul and Timothy meet a woman in Philippi named Lydia, who
listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying.
She and her whole household were baptized, and Paul and Timothy stayed with her
for a while. It is this Lydia who is the sister of Ophilium, and she is the first one to
proclaim to him good news, the Gospel.
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Paul was the messenger, as was Timothy, first his companion.

Probing, I asked her to tell me of what she had learned from these tutors16.

Speechless, she told me to hear for myself when the two went to Athens.

Roman by custom but Greek through my blood, I thought Athens a second

Home, though I nary set foot on the soil. Surprise was my herald,

Iconically17 clad. A most fearsome and brutal depiction

Caught my eye, that of Mars18 god of war and fertility, greater

Among Romans, but dreaded by Greeks, this strange image was vexing.

More of the same kind19 hung on the walls, decorated the doorways,

Graced every building and temple in sight. It was these amiss idols

16 Ophilium doesnt really empathize with women, as shown by his skepticism

towards his own sister. The Gospel of Luke shows many scenarios of mercy being
granted to women, i.e. the sinful woman washing Jesus feet (Lk 8: 36-50). Perhaps
this is why Luke focused so much on the forgiveness of sinners, including women
to show Ophilium Gods mercy towards all

17 Here, Ophiliums surprise is being personified he is greeted with surprise

because of the idols and icons in Athens which are cloaked with gods who he
recognizes from Roman culture but who are still different from the gods he knows.

18 http://www.diffen.com/difference/Greek_Gods_vs_Roman_Gods The Romans

regarded Mars as one of the highest gods, second only to Jupiter. In Greek culture, however,
Ares was very unpopular and was feared by most. Thus, it is surprising and unsettle for
Ophilium to see a recognizable god portrayed in such a strange way. differencebetween.net,
Difference Between Greek Gods and Roman Gods. 2016. Web.

19 Not more images of Ares, but rather more images and statues of gods that were
strange in Roman eyes.
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that first brought up the question in me: Which ones were the true gods?

Blood pulled me one way, and life pulled the other, but reason could give no

Answer, nor reconcile the great differences found in these here flawed.

Lydias words kept on echoing in my ear, and I wondered

Whether she spoke about men or of gods20. Her sure vigor could not be

Gleaned from an empty verse, that I knew, so I pondered this knowledge -

That of a woman I knew not, telling of a god I could not know21.

Suddenly, all that I knew was Unknown, and to this I built my altar.

***

Paul was much shorter than I had imagined; not built like a hero,

Aged like the oracle, nor refined like the poet. He was plain,

Foreign within his own homeland22, like I, but he knew of the people.

Supple, the crowd that had gathered to hear him, but he spoke to only

I, it seemed. Seeing my altar, proclaiming what I was beginning

20When she said that her God was more powerful than all Greeks and Romans
combined

21 Ophiliums knowledge is not really knowledge at all, but rather understanding

that there is so much unknown.

22 Though Paul was Greek, the apparent difference in his lifestyle (since Christ
entered) versus that of the Greeks made him seem like a foreigner
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To grasp23, although I still do not understand all that there is to know by Him24.

Paul spoke directly to my heart at the time, which was poetry25

Stirring, he called me to break from the chrysalis26, burst from the gray mold

Fashioned for me since my birth. He brought me new life27 like Id neer seen.

How could I ever attempt to be solemn again? I said, Take me!

Bind me to that which is Truth!28 and he did29. We set sail for my dear land

after weeks full of travel and trial; for Paul, too, was destined30
23 Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said: You Athenians, I see that in
every respect you are very religious. For as walked around looking carefully at your
shrines, I even discovered an altar inscribed, To an Unknown God. What therefore
you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you. (Acts 16:22-24)

24 This is another reason that Luke (inspired by God) wrote his Gospel Ophilium
was thirsty to learn more.

25 For In him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your poets
have said, For we too are his offspring. (Acts 16:27)

26 God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he demands that all people
everywhere repent. (Acts 17: 30) Ophilium hears this as a call to break free from
the monotonous ignorance of the things that shaped him as a boy: false poetry and
false gods

27 By this, Ophilium means that Paul brought him news of the resurrection, and in
doing so, gave him an avenue to both eternal life and a reason to keep living on
earth, as well.

28 This is a contemporary allusion to the song, Come Thou Font of Every Blessing,
in which the lyrics say, Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

29 But some did join him, and became believers . . . (Acts 17: 34)

30 Acts 27 recounts the travels of Paul and his companions on their way to Rome.
They went through storms, and many men lost hope, but in Paul gave them courage
by telling of an angel of God who had visited him in the night and said, Do not be
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As our Aeneas31, to reach Rome. Here32, I stand singing the True Word,

Stories Ive lived, and of people Ive known, all in verse so that you might

Know, in your own way33, God who is goodness and beauty and truth34.

Amen.

afraid, Paul. You are destined to stand before Caesar; and behold, for your sake,
God has granted safety to all who are sailing with you. (Acts 27:24)

31 The journeys of Aeneas and Paul are actually quite similar. Both underwent
shipwreck and storms on their journeys to the same city.

32 Here, as in Rome. After all of the struggles, Paul and his companions made it to
Rome, where Ophilium is now preaching the Gospel this poem is only his
introduction.

33 Poetry was the medium through which the greatest amount of people were
reached in Roman times, because all could understand and listen to it, even if they
had no education. It was a huge part of Roman culture, which is why Ophilium uses
poetry to teach of the One True God, even though he discredits it many times.

34 The transcendentals, grasped at in Boethius Consolation of Philosophy, which

argue indirectly for monotheism. Sincere there can only be one highest good, that
Good must be God, and there must be nothing above it nor anything that can
compete with it similarly with beauty and truth.