Thebes, Greece is related to early church tradition which says that Luke the evangelist (who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts) was martyred in Thebes. Today there is a small Byzantine church in Thebes, where Luke’s grave is pointed out.
Thebes is also famous for 2 kings, Hercules, 2 generals and a poet.
King Cadmus, according to legend, invented the first phonetic alphabet (a change from the syllabic alphabet) and likely Jewish and other Eastern alphabets that are still syllabic, to the phonetic alphabet -the alphabet that the western world uses today.
The other King was the tragic King Oedipus. King Oedipus did all that He thought was possible to avoid his destiny, but, in the end, nobody can escape his destiny.
This story was brought to the classical theater in Athens by the author Sophocles.
So, we have another place that is related to the tragic story of Oedipus and his family. I remind you of Oedipus Rex, Antigone, and Oedipus at Colonus.
Thebes is considered to be the hometown of Hercules.
Also, two famous generals, Pelopidas, and Epaminondas, who were (for the first time in their history) defeated at Sparta and pushed Sparta back to its own city.
Thebes is also known for the famous ancient Greek poet, Pindar.
The City of Thebes is still in the same ancient location and preserves its ancient name, Thebes. Excavations in the middle of the city have brought to light ancient tablets, dating back to the late bronze age – which is the second part of second millennium BC between 16th and 12th century BC.
In Athens, The Moody Symphonic Band unloaded their instruments from the bus, set up the stage and played their first concert in Greece. A bit of jet lag set in just before the concert, but jet lag did not stop them!
Concert at First Greek Evangelical Church Athens Amalias Avenue (off Lysikratous Street) Plaka, Athens
The evening ended with a drive back to The Greek Bible Institute. We were welcomed with dinner, grateful and ready for a good night sleep, lodging in Koropi, Greece at the Cosmovision Center.
We woke up refreshed, ate a hearty breakfast, packed our suitcases, and counted musical instruments as they were loaded into the bus.
We drove toward Volos, Greece.
The Moody Symphonic Band looked forward to playing a concert in Volos, Greece.
