Acts. Acts 17:16-34 To the Jew, To the Greek ~ Part 2

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1 Acts Acts 17:16-34 To the Jew, To the Greek ~ Part 2 I f I ve we re to talk about Athens, we must talk of her patron, the goddess Athena. Athens was the center of Greek wisdom, and Athena was it s goddess. The Greek goddess Athena is said to be the offspring of Zeus alone, but that was only after the Oceanid Metis became pregnant and Zeus swallowed her. By swallowing the Oceanid and her unborn child, Zeus became pregnant with Athena. Zeus wasn't built to deliver a baby, so he seems to have gestated the baby in his head. The solution to the lack of an opening in Zeus that would serve for the birth canal: Hephaestus (or Prometheus) struck open Zeus' head with an axe to release the goddess Athena. Athena emerged from her father's head fully armed. 1 Or as the poet Homer put it: (ll. 1-16) I begin to sing of Pallas Athene, the glorious goddess, bright-eyed, inventive, unbending of heart, pure virgin, saviour of cities, courageous, Tritogeneia. From his awful head wise Zeus himself bare her arrayed in warlike arms of flashing gold, and awe seized all the gods as they gazed. But Athena sprang quickly from the immortal head and stood before Zeus who holds the aegis, shaking a sharp spear: great Olympus began to reel horribly at the might of the bright-eyed goddess, and earth round about cried fearfully, and the sea was moved and tossed with dark waves, while foam burst forth suddenly: the bright Son of Hyperion stopped his swift-footed horses a long while, until the maiden Pallas Athene had stripped the heavenly armour from her immortal shoulders. And wise Zeus was glad. (ll ) And so hail to you, daughter of Zeus who holds the aegis! Now I will remember you and another song as well. 2 And to the Uttermost Parts of the Earth IV Paul and the Gospel to the Gentiles Chapters 12:25-28:31 A. Paul s Missionary Journeys Chapters 12:25-21:16 3. Second Missionary Journey: Chapters 15:36-18:22 g. Athens Verses Introduction: And so we move from the Holy Land and a people who, though many rejected Him, were the chosen people of the one true God. Instead we move to one of the leading cities of the Greek and Roman cultures, Athens. But this is an Athens in its twilight years. So before moving on to Paul s message on Mars Hill, let us stop outside the city and consider it from Paul s perspective, because here he felt the vast loneliness of the city press upon him. This was the university city of the ancient world, filled with all the cynicism and snobbery of such a city. It was a diadem studded with magnificent

2 sculptures and works of art. The acropolis, with its magnificent square of deified heroes, looked down upon the intellectual capital of mankind. Everywhere there were objects that expressed the Athenian love of beauty and the hopeless quest of Greece after God. West of the Acropolis and rising above the busy market place of the Agora was Mars Hill, where sat the judicial body of the Areopagus. Art, literature, oratory, and religion were the stuff of which Athens was made. This was the native home of Socrates and Plato, the adopted home of Aristotle, Epicurus, and Zeno. Here was the cradle of democracy. Out of respect for her illustrious past, the Romans left Athens along, a free city, at liberty as an ally of Rome to pursue her own goals. With time on his hands, Paul wandered here and there throughout fabulous Athens a city that rated, along with Jerusalem and Rome, as one of the principal cities of mankind. 3 g. Athens: Verses 17-18a: Remember that Paul had fled Berea quickly so he had left Silas and Timothy behind. We don t know how much time had passed, but Paul wandered the city and was overwhelmed in his heart by its beauty and its emptiness. He may have been speaking of Athens when he stated: the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God (1 Corinthians 10:20). So he went back to the familiar. He went to the synagogue and there he once again presented the message of the Messiah to the Jews and proselytized Gentiles. Paul also went to the market place and there he witnessed to any who would come to hear him speak of the Yehwah, the God over all, and His Messiah, the source of salvation. Now while Paul was awaiting them at Athens, his spirit was grieved and roused to anger as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned and argued in the synagogue with the Jews and those who worshiped there, and in the marketplace [where assemblies are held] day after day with any who chanced to be there (Acts 17:16 17 AMP). Paul, in his marketplace ministry, also ran into two of the philosophic groups of the day. These were the Epicureans and Stoics. First EPICUREANISM (E p ˆï cuœ reœ a n ˆïsm) School of philosophy which emerged in Athens about 300 B.C. The school of thought was founded by Epicurus who was born in 341 B.C. on the Greek island of Samos. Epicurus founded his school (The Garden) in Athens. Around him he gathered his students and refined his philosophy. Epicurean thought had a significant impact on the Hellenistic world and later on Rome. Paul met Epicureans as he preached about Jesus and the resurrection in Athens (Acts 17:18). Epicurean philosophy centered on the search for happiness. Pleasure is the beginning and fulfillment of a happy life. Often today, Epicurus ideas are distorted. Many think he proposed a life of sensual pleasure and gluttony. This concept is far from his philosophy and his own lifestyle. To Epicurus, happiness could only be achieved through tranquility and a life of contemplation. The goal of Epicureanism was to acquire a trouble-free state of mind, to avoid the pains of the body, and especially mental anguish. Epicureans sought seclusion from worldly temptations. Epicurus taught that a man should not become involved in politics or affairs of the state. These activities simply served to distract one from the life of contemplation. He believed in gods, but he thought that they were totally unconcerned with the lives or troubles of mortals. 4 3 Phillips, John, Exploring Acts, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI, 2001, p Poulton, Gary, Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN, ) 286 (

3 And then there s the STOICISM Boasting a galaxy of distinguished exponents, both Greek and Roman e.g., Zeno, Cleanthes, Seneca, Cicero, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius Stoicism was a system of pantheistic monism. It held that fire is the ultimate substance with God, the active principle of the cosmos, permeating everything as a sort of soul. Nature, it taught, is a hierarchical unity controlled by the universal Logos, an impersonal reason at once immanent and divine. As participant in the Logos, man is also participant in deity. Indeed, the true essence of humanity is nous or mind, the capacity to understand the rational order veiled by phenomena. As a logos-being, man can perceive and assent to the determinism that makes all events necessary and therefore reduces evil to mere appearance. By assenting to this determinism indifferently called fate or providence man is able to live in harmony with nature. Hence the Stoic ethic is egocentrically negative. Nothing lies within man s power except imagination, desire, and emotion; thus by cultivating not only detachment from the world outside him but also mastery over his reactions to the world s impingement on himself, the philosopher achieves freedom, happiness, and self-sufficiency. Stoicism was aristocratic and austere, rigorously excluding pity, denying pardon, and suppressing genuine feeling. Sin was simply an error of judgment, easily rectified by a change of opinion. 5 Verses 18b-21: Apparently these men didn t quite know what to make of Paul. Some couldn t make head nor tale out of what he was saying. To them Paul was simply babbling. Some of the others actually did understand his words. They thought he was teaching about foreign deities. Clearly nobody actually understood his teaching at this point. But they did want to hear further what he had to teach. So they all adjourned to the AREOPAGUS is the hill of Ares (Ares being the Greek god of war). The Court of the Areopagus was a long-established body with extensive authority over the civil and religious life of Athens. In Paul s day, it exercised jurisdiction especially in matters of religion and morality. In speaking before the group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers (v. 18), Paul would have addressed them either on the hill of Ares (i.e., Mars Hill), located below the acropolis, or southwest of the acropolis in the northwest corner of the Agora, where at the time of Paul the group held its ordinary meetings in the Royal Colonnade. 6 (Keep in mind that Ares is the Greek god of war. He is called Mars in the Roman pantheon of gods.) The Athenians were as a people fairly philosophical and therefore they were open to new ideas, enjoyed being challenged and having a good debate. Verses 22-31: Paul uses here one effective way of presenting the Gospel. He starts with the audience where they are, not where they aren t. In other words, he gives recognition to their religiosity as a positive. They had covered all their bases. Keep in mind there were approximately thirty-six gods in the Roman pantheon. The Greeks were a bit more serious. They had between Of course how serious any were at this point about the reality of the gods is up for grabs. Paul had noticed one interesting inscription it was to the Unknown God. Apparently the Athenians didn t want to miss anyone. This was Paul s starting place. He was about to introduce them to the God who was unknown to them, but who actually was the one true God. This sounds familiar doesn t it? As Jesus said to the Samaritan woman 5 Douglas, J. D. and Merrill C. Tenney, editors, NIV Bible Dictionary, The Zondervan Corporation, Dennis, Lane T. and Wayne Grudem, eds., English Standard Version (ESV) Study Bible, Crossway Bibles, Wheaton, IL, ) 287 (

4 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews (John 4:22). Paul identifies the characteristics of this God. 1. God is the creator of all things. Not just the earth, but all of creation was from Him. This is what God the LORD says he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it (Isaiah 42:5). 2. God doesn t not live in temples, which apparently some of the Greek/Roman gods did. Consequently, He doesn t need the kind of temple service Paul would have observed in Athens. I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me. I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it (Psalm 50:8-12). 3. God is the source of everything mankind has including life, material possessions and the world we live in. By pointing out all these attributes Paul, without saying it, is making it clear that none of the other gods are needed and nor even real. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (James 1:5, 17). 4. Again speaking of creation and more, Paul notes that all humanity came from one man, Adam, and that it was God who proposed and disposed of national boundaries and the length of existence of the nations themselves. Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another? (Malachi 2:10). He makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them (Job 12:23). 5. And what was the purpose of all this? It was that man would seek after God and discover that He was near, reaching out to His creation. For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth (Deuteronomy 4:7; Psalms 145:18). ) 288 (

5 In this small statement we see Paul s education because to support his position that God is nearby he quotes one of the Greek poets. The EVS notes: Instead of the OT, Paul quoted some statements from pagan Greek writers who would be familiar to his audience. Though he quotes them with approval, this does not imply that he approves of other things that these writers said or wrote. The first quotation (in him we live ) appears to be from a hymn to Zeus by Epimenides of Crete (c. 600 B.C.); the words are found just two lines later than the quotation Paul takes from the same poem in Titus 1:12. The second quotation here is from the poem Phainomena by the Stoic poet Aratus (c B.C.). 7 Even one of their own prophets has said, Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons (Titus 1:12). This does make a good argument for know your audience. If you are going to reach out to someone in the cults it does help to have some knowledge of what they believe so you can start out there. Can you give an example? Paul concludes his message by addressing the whole Greek concept of gods. As God s creation his audience was not to fall into the trap of confusing idols with God. God had been patient with them because they functioned out of ignorance. But, now He was offering them truth and so they would be held accountable. Judgment was coming and therefore they needed to make a decision of God because no decision was the same as rejection. And the proof of all this was the resurrection. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3 4). Verses 32-34: There are three reactions to Paul s words, ridicule regarding the resurrection; desire to hear more; and in the case of Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others, acceptance of the message of salvation. I do want to note one point here made by Fernando in closing this analysis of the passage. There are many who consider this effort in Athens a failure and therefore an example to avoid rather than to follow. They claim that in his effort to be relevant to the philosophical Athenians, Paul compromised the gospel and did not present a clear-cut Christian message.26 Especially missing was the cross. These scholars claim that this is why he wrote regarding his ministry in Corinth (his next stop on this journey): I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Cor. 2:1 2). They also assert that the low number of converts indicates the error of Paul s strategy at Athens. I maintain, however, that the record of Paul s ministry in Athens suggests that it was not one of compromise but of forthright confrontation with idolatry. Though the cross is missing in this summary report of his talk, the death of Christ must have been mentioned for him to mention the resurrection, and there is nothing to say that this was not clearly presented during his reasoning with the people of Athens prior to this event. It could also be that Paul was hoping to talk about the cross (which was foolishness to Gentiles, 1 Cor. 1:23) after presenting the victory of the resurrection; but he could not get to that point because of the response of his audience. 8 7 Ibid. 8 Fernando, Ajith, NIV Application Commentary, The, Acts, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1998, p ) 289 (

6 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:1-2). Conclusion: As I was reading Phillips in preparation for the opening hook I found the whole situation very sad. Athens reminded me of San Francisco. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is a city of culture, cuisine, and curiosities. But like Athens it is also a city of arrogance, evil, and ignorance. But unlike Athens, San Francisco has always had access to truth. Athens is a prime example of the difference between the world s wisdom and God s. As Paul himself notes: Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart. Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:17 31). And so we are greatly blessed because we too have opportunities of offer God s foolishness to the worldly wise. Let us never confuse the two. Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. ) 290 (

7 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and merciful. He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations. The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name! The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! ~ Psalm 111 ) 291 (

8 Acts Acts 17:16-34 To the Jew, To the Greek ~ Part 2 And to the Uttermost Parts of the Earth IV Paul and the Gospel to the Gentiles Chapters 12:25-28:31 A. Paul s Missionary Journeys Chapters 12:25-21:16 3. Second Missionary Journey: Chapters 15:36-18:22 g. Athens Verses Introduction: g. Athens: Verses 17-18a: (1 Corinthians 10:20; Acts 17:16 17 AMP) EPICUREANISM STOICISM Verses 18b-21:

9 AREOPAGUS Verses 22-31: (John 4:22; Titus 1:12; 1 Corinthians 15:3 4) 1. ~ (Isaiah 42:5) 2. ~ (Psalm 50:8-12) 3. ~ (James 1:5, 17) 4. ~ (Malachi 2:10; Job 12:23) 5. ~ (Deuteronomy 4:7; Psalms 145:18) ) 2 (

10 Verses 32-34: (1 Corinthians 2:1-2) Conclusion: (1 Corinthians 1:17 31; Psalm 111) Personal Application: Keeping in mind that Paul spoke to people where they were, look for an opportunity to witness this week. And depend on the Spirit to give you the wisdom to speak as He directs. Prayer for the Week: Lord, open my eyes to opportunities to speak on Mars Hill for You. In Jesus name, amen. ) 3 (