Life in the Roman world of Nero and StPaul . ^ in the thoroughly Greek orthoroughly Oriental part of the empire was theamphitheatre absent. WTiere there was no fixedbuilding of stone or wood, a temporary structurewas erected and a company of gladiators would per-form in the place at the expense of some local officeror of some wealthy citizen with social ambitions.\Vhatever may be thought of the Greeks in other re-spects, they felt no liking, but only an openly expressedrepulsion, for the barbarous exhibitions of bloodshedin which the Roman revelled. Outside Jerusaleman amphitheatre was built b
Life in the Roman world of Nero and StPaul . ^ in the thoroughly Greek orthoroughly Oriental part of the empire was theamphitheatre absent. WTiere there was no fixedbuilding of stone or wood, a temporary structurewas erected and a company of gladiators would per-form in the place at the expense of some local officeror of some wealthy citizen with social ambitions.\Vhatever may be thought of the Greeks in other re-spects, they felt no liking, but only an openly expressedrepulsion, for the barbarous exhibitions of bloodshedin which the Roman revelled. Outside Jerusaleman amphitheatre was built by the romanizing Herod,but it was done to the horror of all orthodox 282 LIFE IN THE ROMAN WORLD chap, xv The performances were of two main kinds ; fightsbetween men and beasts — occasionally^ between twokinds of wild beast — and fights between men and was no make-believe about these combats;they meant at least serious wounds, even when theydid not mean death. Those who fought with beastsmight in some cases be volunteers; in general theywere captives or condemned criminals, and it perhapshardly needs pointing out that, when St. Paul says hehad fought with beasts at Ephesus, he is merelyspeaking in metaphor adapted to the times. It wasnot intended that the criminal should escape death,but only that he should be able to make a fight forhis life. Meanwhile the gladiators who fought withmen and not with beasts were in the position of pro-fessionals, who might be slaves, condemned brigands,mutineers, prisoners of war, or volunteers. Thepicture drawn bj^ Byron, although the so-calledDying Gladiator which inspired him is in reality nogladiator b
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