Hold the Line

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” – Ephesians 6:13 When we study military history, we see that much of strategy happens in the mind, and actual fighting is less common than we might think. In ancient times, the Greeks used a tactic called the phalanx. Citizen soldiers, known as hoplites, would stand close together in a tight line, forming a solid wall with their shields and spears. This wall was so strong that when enemy soldiers attacked, they would bounce off and be easily defeated. The Roman soldiers improved on this with a tactic called the tortoise. They formed long rows, standing close together and holding their shields above and in front, making it hard for enemies to get through. There are stories of

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” – Ephesians 6:13 Interestingly, when we study military history, one of the most important things we learn is that a great deal of strategy is mental and that not a lot of time is spent in face-to-face combat. This was very much true in the days of ancient warfare, and there was a Greek tactic called the phalanx in which citizen soldiers, known as hoplites, would line up and form a wall of shields and spears. Because the troops stood so closely, they were impenetrable, and when crazy enemy armies attacked, their soldiers would bounce off the wall of men, fall down, and get speared. The Roman legionaries took this a step further and created something called the