Ancient Greek race at the Panathenaic Games, illustrated on a Greek vase. Like the Isthmian Games of Corinth, the Panathenaic Games continued into early Christian times.[1]
The metaphor of running a race "with perseverance" appears in Hebrews 12:1,[5] and related metaphors appear in Philippians 2:16,[6]Galatians 2:2,[7] and Galatians 5:7.[8] In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul writes "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."[9]
In 1 Corinthians 9:24–26,[10] written to the city that hosted the Isthmian Games,[11] the metaphor is extended from running to other games, such as boxing,[12] to make the point that winning a prize requires discipline, self-control, and coordinated activity.[13] In 2 Timothy 2:5[14] the same point is made.[15] These athletic metaphors are also echoed in later Christian writing.[16]
^Hebrews 12:1, NIV (BibleGateway): "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."