--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As the profoundest philosophy of ancient…" description: "\"As the profoundest philosophy of ancient Rome and Greece lighted her taper at Israel's altar, so the sweetest strains of the pagan muse were swept from..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/edward-thomson-33920_altars_as-the-profoundest-philosophy-of-ancient_2262355.jpg" --- # As the profoundest philosophy of ancient Rome and Greece… ![“As the profoundest philosophy of ancient Rome and Greece lighted her taper at Israel's altar, so the sweetest strains of the pagan muse were swept from harps attuned on Zion's hill.” quote by Edward Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/edward-thomson-33920_altars_as-the-profoundest-philosophy-of-ancient_2262355.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/edward-thomson-33920_altars_as-the-profoundest-philosophy-of-ancient_2262355.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/edward-thomson-33920_altars_as-the-profoundest-philosophy-of-ancient_2262355.jpg) > “As the profoundest philosophy of ancient Rome and Greece lighted her taper at Israel's altar, so the sweetest strains of the pagan muse were swept from harps attuned on Zion's hill.” [Edward Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ancient wisdom illuminates modern faith, blending classical philosophy with spiritual devotion. **In simple terms:** Old ideas guide new faith. Key Takeaway Seek timeless wisdom. Themes philosophy faith history Mood reflective thoughtful Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - studying philosophy - interfaith dialogue - personal meditation Key Concepts classical thought spirituality cultural synthesis Questions to Reflect On - How can ancient teachings inform modern belief? - What tensions arise when blending cultures? A Different Perspective Merging traditions may cause conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Altars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altars/) [Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) [Ancient rome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-rome/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Greece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greece/) [Hills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hills/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Muse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muse/) [Pagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pagan/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Rome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rome/) [Zion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zion/) ## Related quotes > [“We’re Marching to Zion Isaac Watts (1674–1748) Come, we that love the Lord, And let our joys be known; Join in a song with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-w-tozer/we-re-marching-to-zion-isaac-watts-1674-1748-come-we-that-love-the/) [A.W. Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-w-tozer/) > [Imagine going to the holy land in Israel, whether you're a Christian or a Jew or a Muslim, and start carving up the mountain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/imagine-going-to-the-holy-land-in-israel-whether-you-re-a-christian/) [Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/) > [Grow as a palm-tree on God's Mount Zion; howbeit shaken with winds, yet the root is fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-rutherford/grow-as-a-palm-tree-on-god-s-mount-zion-howbeit-shaken-with-winds-yet/) [Samuel Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-rutherford/) > [I just look to be myself. I'm not trying to be nobody. I'm just trying to be the first Zion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zion-williamson/i-just-look-to-be-myself-i-m-not-trying-to-be-nobody-i-m-just-trying/) [Zion Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zion-williamson/) > [The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/the-lord-also-shall-roar-out-of-zion-and-utter-his-voice-from/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [American Jewry makes any debate on whether the ‘Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion’ are an authentic document or a forgery irrelevant. American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilad-atzmon/american-jewry-makes-any-debate-on-whether-the-protocols-of-the/) [Gilad Atzmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilad-atzmon/) > [How beautiful it is for a man to die Upon the walls of Zion! to be called Like a watch-worn and weary sentinel, To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-parker-willis/how-beautiful-it-is-for-a-man-to-die-upon-the-walls-of-zion-to-be/) [Nathaniel Parker Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-parker-willis/) > [Look at every Zion society from ancient times to present, and you find at its center love for others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/look-at-every-zion-society-from-ancient-times-to-present-and-you-find/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [“When we join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we board the Good Ship Zion and sail with her wherever she goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/when-we-join-the-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints-we-board/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [“They left their encampment with dirt-covered linen strewn about the abandoned grounds amongst clothes, shoes, children’s toys and other discarded belongings. The handcart wheels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sage-steadman/they-left-their-encampment-with-dirt-covered-linen-strewn-about-the/) [Sage Steadman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sage-steadman/) > [“There, said they, is the Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the innumerable company of angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect. \[Heb.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/there-said-they-is-the-mount-zion-the-heavenly-jerusalem-the/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [“Those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scotty-smith/those-the-lord-has-rescued-will-return-they-will-enter-zion-with/) [Scotty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scotty-smith/) > [Far be it for me to imagine that Zion contains none but Calvinistic Christians within her walls, or that there are none saved who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/far-be-it-for-me-to-imagine-that-zion-contains-none-but-calvinistic/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [I was ordained one of the standing High Council in Zion, under the hands of President Joseph Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-pratt/i-was-ordained-one-of-the-standing-high-council-in-zion-under-the/) [Orson Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-pratt/) > [I heard the prophet Joseph Smith say the time would come when this nation would so far depart from its original purity, its glory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-r-snow/i-heard-the-prophet-joseph-smith-say-the-time-would-come-when-this/) [Eliza R. Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-r-snow/) ## More by Edward Thomson > [What are the sciences but maps of universal laws, and universal laws but the channels of universal power; and universal power but the outgoings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/what-are-the-sciences-but-maps-of-universal-laws-and-universal-laws/) [Edward Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomson/) > [The world cannot bury Christ. The earth is not deep enough for His tomb, the clouds are not wide enough for His winding-sheet; He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/the-world-cannot-bury-christ-the-earth-is-not-deep-enough-for-his/) [Edward Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomson/) > [In His discourses, His miracles, His parables, His sufferings, His resurrection, He gradually raises the pedestal of His humanity before the world, but under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/in-his-discourses-his-miracles-his-parables-his-sufferings-his/) [Edward Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomson/) > [Give us more and more of real Christianity, and we shall need less of its evidences. Act upon the supposition that Christ is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/give-us-more-and-more-of-real-christianity-and-we-shall-need-less-of/) [Edward Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomson/) > [The longer men sin, the more easily they can; for every act of transgression weakens conscience, stupefies intellect, hardens hearts, adds force to bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/the-longer-men-sin-the-more-easily-they-can-for-every-act-of/) [Edward Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomson/) > [Lincoln did but pour the soul of the nation into the monumental act of universal liberty; and that soul was inspired by the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/lincoln-did-but-pour-the-soul-of-the-nation-into-the-monumental-act/) [Edward Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomson/) > [Go to the family where darkness and suspicion and jealousy and disorder reign, and if they will but receive Christ, mark how light and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/go-to-the-family-where-darkness-and-suspicion-and-jealousy-and/) [Edward Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomson/) > [You may be a dreadful failure. Christ is a divine success. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/you-may-be-a-dreadful-failure-christ-is-a-divine-success-who-shall/) [Edward Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomson/) > [Great trials seem to be a necessary preparation for great duties. It would seem that the more important the enterprise, the more severe the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/great-trials-seem-to-be-a-necessary-preparation-for-great-duties-it/) [Edward Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomson/) > [One has said that Christ excelled all other moralists in this, that He puts the padlock not upon the hand, but upon the heart.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/one-has-said-that-christ-excelled-all-other-moralists-in-this-that-he/) [Edward Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomson/) > [There is in man a conscience which outlives the sensations the sensations, resolutions, and emotions of the hour, and rises above them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/there-is-in-man-a-conscience-which-outlives-the-sensations-the/) [Edward Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomson/) > [The enthronement of Christ over the minds of men is steadily going forward. His kingdom embraces the princes in the realm of mind. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/the-enthronement-of-christ-over-the-minds-of-men-is-steadily-going/) [Edward Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomson/) > [All other great men are valued for their lives; He, above all, for His death, around which mercy and truth, righteousness and peace, God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/all-other-great-men-are-valued-for-their-lives-he-above-all-for-his/) [Edward Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomson/) [Explore all 14 Edward Thomson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomson/) ## More Altars quotes > [There are different kinds of fire; there is false fire. No one knows this better than we do, but we are not such fools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-booth/there-are-different-kinds-of-fire-there-is-false-fire-no-one-knows/) [William Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-booth/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [he cult of productivity has its place, but worshipping at its altar daily robs us of the very capacity for joy and wonder that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-popova/he-cult-of-productivity-has-its-place-but-worshipping-at-its-altar/) [Maria Popova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-popova/) > [This is the sacrifice: the endless possibility that is offered up on the altar of the form...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-buber/this-is-the-sacrifice-the-endless-possibility-that-is-offered-up-on/) [Martin Buber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-buber/) > [When a buddha is painted, not only a clay altar or lump of earth is used, but the thirty-two marks, a blade of grass,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/when-a-buddha-is-painted-not-only-a-clay-altar-or-lump-of-earth-is/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Go not to the temple to put flowers upon the feet of God, first fill your own house with the fragrance of love. Go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/go-not-to-the-temple-to-put-flowers-upon-the-feet-of-god-first-fill/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [And in any preaching you do, admonish the people concerning repentance, and that nobody can be saved except he who receives the most holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-of-assisi/and-in-any-preaching-you-do-admonish-the-people-concerning-repentance/) [Francis of Assisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-of-assisi/) > [Yes, thou art ever present, power divine; not circumscribed by time, nor fixed by space, confined to altars, nor to temples bound. In wealth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/yes-thou-art-ever-present-power-divine-not-circumscribed-by-time-nor/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [The revolting details of childbirth had been hidden from me with such care that I was as surprised as I was horrified, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-curchod/the-revolting-details-of-childbirth-had-been-hidden-from-me-with-such/) [Suzanne Curchod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-curchod/) > [Heroism, self-denial, and magnanimity, in all instances where they do not spring from a principle of religion, are but splendid altars on which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/heroism-self-denial-and-magnanimity-in-all-instances-where-they-do/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [It is by far the most elegant worship, hardly excepting the Greek mythology. What with incense, pictures, statues, altars, shrines, relics, and the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/it-is-by-far-the-most-elegant-worship-hardly-excepting-the-greek/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [For me it's really tough because you have to go to that place where you really, really don't want to go to or revisit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-chestnut/for-me-it-s-really-tough-because-you-have-to-go-to-that-place-where/) [Morris Chestnut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-chestnut/) > [For piety lies not in being often seen turning a veiled head to stones, nor in approaching every altar, nor in lying prostratebefore the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/for-piety-lies-not-in-being-often-seen-turning-a-veiled-head-to/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [It is when we are in misery that we revere the gods; the prosperous seldom approach the altar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silius-italicus/it-is-when-we-are-in-misery-that-we-revere-the-gods-the-prosperous/) [Silius Italicus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silius-italicus/) > [Pope Gelasius in his ninth letter (chap. 26) to the bishops of Lucania condemned the evil practice which had been introduced of women serving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xiv/pope-gelasius-in-his-ninth-letter-chap-26-to-the-bishops-of-lucania/) [Pope Benedict XIV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xiv/) [Browse all 329 Altars quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altars/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As the profoundest philosophy of ancient Rome and Greece lighted her taper at Israel's altar, so the sweetest strains of the pagan muse were swept from harps attuned on Zion's hill.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Thomson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/as-the-profoundest-philosophy-of-ancient-rome-and-greece-lighted-her/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Altars" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/as-the-profoundest-philosophy-of-ancient-rome-and-greece-lighted-her/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/edward-thomson-33920_altars_as-the-profoundest-philosophy-of-ancient_2262355.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/edward-thomson-33920_altars_as-the-profoundest-philosophy-of-ancient_2262355.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/edward-thomson-33920_altars_as-the-profoundest-philosophy-of-ancient_2262355.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As the profoundest philosophy of ancient Rome and Greece lighted her taper at Israel's altar, so the…” — Edward Thomson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Edward Thomson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thomson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As the profoundest philosophy of ancient...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/as-the-profoundest-philosophy-of-ancient-rome-and-greece-lighted-her/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thomson/as-the-profoundest-philosophy-of-ancient-rome-and-greece-lighted-her/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```