Sunday, October 13, 2013

Tomb of Mausolus

What precisely lead to the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus being declared an ancient wonder baffles me, but it is believed that the construction was so beautiful and unique that it became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. In 353 BC Mausolus died, leaving Artemisia (his wife and sister) to rule alone. As a tribute to him, she decided to build him a tomb so famous that Mausolus's name is now the known name for all stately tombs, in the word mausoleum.

The fact that these two were related and married speaks to the depravity of this ancient lifestyle. How the mausoleum came to be destroyed is unknown, but it was again believed to be the result of an earthquake.

Have we not see this pattern in scripture before? I think we have. Moses returns from the Mt Sinai to find his people worshipping a golden calf! These actions so enraged God that He caused a great earthquake to swallow up many of the Israelites.

I ask myself why in today's world, human beings can commit atrocities that make us sick to the stomach? I think it is simply because we do not remember that our God is a God of justice and righteousness! If there is anything we should take from this tale is that we must always consider the consequences of our actions and behaviour.

No comments:

Post a Comment