Sophia’s Visions, Part 15. Paul, Apollos of Alexandria, the quarrel over Gentiles and the Law, and the slow separation of Christianity from Judaism. A C1 English lesson on the subjunctive and formal structures, with a gamebook.
Alexandria · the 754th year since the founding of Rome · 1 CE
Sophia’s Visions, Part 15 · The subjunctive and formal structures: insist that he be…, it is essential that…, lest… · C1
Think first. Can you belong to a community if you share its beliefs but not its customs? Who decides where the border is?
While you read, listen for strong demands and requirements: He insisted that…, It is essential that…. Notice the form of the verb that follows.
Philo: “A Greek merchant asked me a simple question that day. It was not simple. Read it.”
Nikostratos was a Greek oil merchant who came to the synagogue every Sabbath. He prayed to the God of Israel, gave money to the poor of the Jewish quarter, and knew the psalms better than many Jews. But he had never been circumcised, and he ate whatever his cook put in front of him.
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