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Acts 17:17–21
“They took [Paul] and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, ‘May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean’” (vv. 19–20).
Provoked in spirit by the many idols in Athens (Acts 17:16), Paul did not sit idly by without responding to the false religion of the city. Today’s passage reveals that he took action, seeking to bring the gospel to the people of Athens.
The Apostle did not limit himself to reaching the pagan idolaters, for we see in Acts 17:17 that he also spent time in the synagogue, reasoning with the Jews and the gentiles who believed in the God of Israel (“the devout persons”). The same verse describes his ministry in the marketplace, talking to anyone who came his way. Most likely he did this as he engaged in the trade of tentmaking to support himself, as Luke says he did in the city of Corinth (see 18:1–3).
In the marketplace, Paul spoke to people with many different religious and philosophical ideas, including Stoic and Epicurean philosophers (17:18). Stoics followed the ideas of an ancient thinker named Zeno, and they believed in a “world soul” that animates all things. In some ways, they were similar to pantheists, who believe that God or the gods are identical with the created world. Epicureans adhered to the thought of Epicurus, and they took a more agnostic approach to metaphysics. They did not outright deny the existence of God or of many gods, but they did not think anyone could know whether deity existed in any form. Epicureans prized the pursuit of pleasure, while Stoics emphasized their moral duty to themselves and to others.
The religious beliefs of the Stoics and the Epicureans stood in opposition to key truths of the biblical religion that Paul proclaimed, truths such as the distinction between the Creator and His creation and that the creation testifies clearly to God’s existence (e.g., see Gen. 1–2; Ps. 19). Perhaps they took some interest in Paul’s message because it was so different from theirs. Particularly unique to Paul’s preaching was what the Apostle said about Jesus and the resurrection, claims so unknown to the Athenians that they supposed Paul to be talking about “foreign divinities” (Acts 17:18).
Intrigued by Paul’s preaching, several Athenians took him to the Areopagus, a place in Athens where philosophy and religion were discussed, often before prominent men in the city. At the Areopagus, people would spend endless hours talking about new ideas, saying many words without necessarily committing themselves to a particular view (vv. 19–21). Paul would soon confront them with the truth and call for a decision.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
It can be easy to be silent about the gospel because we think people will take no interest in what we have to say about the Lord Jesus Christ and the truth of the resurrection. While not everyone will stick around to listen to the gospel, some individuals may linger to hear something of the truth from us, just as the Athenians paid some attention to Paul.
For further study
- Isaiah 45:5
- Daniel 4
- Acts 23:6
- Romans 1:18–20
The bible in a year
- Psalms 65–67
- Romans 2