Theatre
The theater was anciently in the open air; semicircular; the seats in tiers above one another the stage on a level with the lowest seats. Besides the performance of dramas, public meetings were often in the theater, as being large enough almost to receive "the whole city" (Act 19:29); so at Ephesus the theater was the scene of the tumultuous meeting excited by Demetrius. The remains of this theater still attest its vast size and convenient position.
(See EPHESUS; DIANA) In 1Co 4:9 "spectacle" is literally, "theatrical spectacle," a spectacle in which the world above and below is the theater, and angels and men the spectators. Heb 10:33, "made a "gazing stock" (theatrizomenoi) by afflictions"; as criminals often were exhibited to amuse the populace in the amphitheater, and "set forth last" in the show to fight with wild beasts (Tertullian, de Pudicitia, 14): Heb 12:1. In the theater Herod Agrippa I (Act 12:21-23; Josephus, Ant.
19:8, section 2) gave audience to the Tyrian envoys, and was struck dead by God.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia on Theatre
Theatre the'-a-ter (Ac 19:29,31). ⇒See a list of verses on THEATER in the Bible. See GAMES. ⇒See the definition of theatre in the KJV Dictionary ⇒See also the McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible on Theatre
At the disturbance re- corded in .\c 19-"'- we are told that the crowd rushed to the theatre, and that it was there tliat the somewhat tumultuous meeting, afterwards de- scribed, took place. We also learn from .loscphus (Ant. XIX. viii. 2) that it was in the theatre at Civsarea that the events described in Ac 12*'''' took place. For general descriptions of the Greek and Roman theatre, reference must be made to the ordinary Dictionaries of Antiquities. The theatre at Ephesus was on the slope of Mt. Coressus, and was famous as being one of the largest, if not the largest, in the ancient world. A description of the remains with a plan may be found in Woods, Discoveries at Ephesus, ch. iv. p. 68. A large number of inscrip- tions also were found on the site, which have been published in full in Hicks' Greek Inscriptions in the British Museum. These are specially important as illustrating the very varied part the Greek theatre played in public life, as the place not only of • The Church daj-s for Thaddtcus (Judoa of James) are in the Greek Church 19 June and 21 Aug., in the Latin 28 Oct. (…
Smith's Bible Dictionary on Theatre
For the explanation of the biblical allusions, two or three points only require notice. The Greek term, like the corresponding English term, denotes the place where dramatic performances are exhibited, and also the scene itself or spectacle which is witnessed there. It occurs in the first or local sense in (Acts 19:29) The other sense of the term “theatre” occurs in (1 Corinthians 4:9)
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Easton, M.G. (1893) Easton's Bible Dictionary. 3rd edn. Thomas Nelson. [Public Domain]
- Nave, O.J. (1897) Nave's Topical Bible. Topical Bible Publishing Co.. [Public Domain]
- Hastings, J. (ed.) (1909) A Dictionary of the Bible. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Smith, W. (ed.) (1884) Smith's Bible Dictionary. London: John Murray. [Public Domain]
- Fausset, A.R. (1878) Fausset's Bible Dictionary. [Public Domain]A Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopaedia