It's interesting that the nude olympics started about 800 years before Christ and existed for about 400 years after. Yet, there's NOTHING in the Bible condemning them at all. Paul obviously knew about them, as he talks about us running like a runner stripped for action.
Last night, the History channel showed naked folks in their hour program on the olympics. They only had loin-clothed guys in action where they couldn't always be sure of either showing the back side or the actor be in a position to cover his penis. Penises are clearly shown in drawings of the olympics that they showed.
You're right that it's a curious omission. Hadn't thought about it.
The men's Olympic Games were part of a huge worship celebration offered to Zeus primarily, though other gods and goddesses were well represented on the grounds. Olympia was a huge religious complex sacred to many dieties.
The men's games were held every four years. The women's games, dedicated to Hera (goddess of love and marraige), were also held every four years, so there was a large religious festival featuring athletic contests every two years. Men competed nude, but women apparently wore a thin garment. Only men and unmarried women could attend the men's games; married women were prohibited. Men attended the women's games.
But why didn't Paul mention the games?
All of the letters that we have were written to Christians, who would not have attended the games. They were not primarily athletic contests. Their primary character was worship of idols, which is dealt with multiple times. So I think Paul just didn't name the games, but he did condemn the practice.
It's always worthwhile also to keep in mind that there is no reason to think that we have today every letter that Paul or others in the Bible wrote. I'm not aware of any Biblical scholar who doesn't assume that there were probably other letters that have been lost. If the ones that we do have were written at times when active preparations for the games weren't going on, then there may not have been much reason to talk about them to Christian readers.
Paul also talks about us being like soldiers in training and he always condemned idolitry. He knew some Christians were atheletes and some were soldiers and everyone could relate to those two ideas. If he never condemned the idolitry practiced at the Olympics specifically it's because he already addressed the issue overall. As far as the nudity goes, if sexual impurity was going on then he also had discussed that issue in his letters.
I agree that they're could've been way more letters written. I just want to clarify my position that if there were other letters written, none would contradict the Epistles we have now. (Just trying to avoid opening a door for cults to come in and say, "There are more holy texts...")
