Introductory remarks:
"In Thessalonica the Jews bring Paul's host Jason, before the rulers saying, they teach that Jesus is king rather than Caesar. The synagogue in Berea accepts Paul and Silas, but Jews from Thessalonica cause trouble, so Paul takes a ship to Athens. He sends for Timotheus and Silas. On Mar's Hill Paul teaches of the unknown God and the resurrection of the dead, and some people believe" (A Survey of Acts - Brenda).
This chapter may be outlined as follows: the uproar in Thessalonica vv. 1-9; the Apostles at Beroea vv. 10-15; Paul at Athens vv. 16-34.
The Uproar in Thessalonica
Verse 1, "Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews."
LGT "And having journeyed through Amphipolis and Apollonia they came into Thessalonica where was a synagogue of the Jews."
Paul and Silas hurry through Amphipolis and Apollonia, probably because there was not a synagogue in either of these cities. They came to Thessalonica where was a synagogue, "this was a great commercial city, still an important city called Salonika, of 70,000 population. It was originally called Therma, at the head of the Thermaic Gulf. Cassander renamed it Thessalonica after his wife, the sister of Alexander the Great. It was the capital of the second of the four divisions of Macedonia and finally the capital of the whole province. It shared with Corinth and Ephesus the commerce of the Aegean. One synagogue shows that even in this commercial city the Jews were not very numerous. As a political center it ranked with Antioch in Syria and Caesarea in Palestine. It was a strategic center for the spread of the gospel as Paul later said for it sounded (echoed) forth from Thessalonica throughout Macedonia and Achaia (1 Thess. 1:8)" (Robertson).
Verse 2, "And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures."
LGT "And according to the custom with Paul he went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures."
Paul spent three Sabbaths, as his custom was, that is, to go to the Jew first and then to the Greeks, reasoning with the Jews, using the Old Testament Scriptures as a springboard to point them to Christ. He taught them that Christ was prophesied of old and that He is now preaching Christ and Christ crucified, that all that had been prophesied of Him as their Messiah, has come to pass, and that they needed to accept Him as their personal Savior, which we will see in the next verse.
Verse 3, "Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ."
LGT "Opening and setting forth that it was necessary that the Christ to have suffered and to have risen from among the dead and that this is the Christ, the Jesus, whom I announce to you."
Paul taught them that this Christ, whom the Jews crucified, has arisen and it is this Jesus whom he came to teach them about. It is necessary not only to teach about the cross, but is also necessary to teach about His resurrection; for Christ is now in His session seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven; without the resurrection being taught, there is no salvation being taught, for we fellowship with a living Word. The entire religion of the Jews concerning the Messiah was fulfilled in this Christ Jesus.
Verse 4, "And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few."
LGT "And some of them were convinced to believe, and joined themselves to Paul and Silas, and of the worshipping Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women, not a few."
This first phrase that many of the Jews were convinced to believe, they aligned themselves with Paul and Silas against the leading rabbis, so this was a very bold stand for them. Also many of the Greeks who worshipped God, that is, they were not admitted as Jews but were proselytes at the gate, believed. When Luke says that also those who believed of the chief women, not a few, he means that a great number of these very prosperous women believed.
Vincent notes on these chief women:
"The position of women in Macedonia seems to have been exceptional. Popular prejudice, and the verdict of Grecian wisdom in its best age, asserted her natural inferiority. The Athenian law provided that everything which a man might do by the counsel request of a woman should be null in law. She was little better than a slave. To educate her was to advertise her as a harlot. Her companions were principally children and slaves. In Macedonia, however, monuments were erected by public bodies; and of male proper names are found, in Macedonia inscriptions, formed on the mother's name instead of the father's. Macedonian women were permitted to hold property, and were treated as mistresses of the house. These facts are borne out by the account of Paul's labors in Macedonia. In Thessalonica, Beroea, and Philippi we note additions of women of rank to the church; and their prominence in church affairs is indicated by Paul's special appeal to two ladies in the church at Philippi to reconcile their differences, which had caused disturbances in the church, and by his commending them to his colleagues as women who had labored with him in the Lord (Phil. 4:2,3)."
Verse 5, "But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people."
LGT "But the disobeying Jews, were filled with jealousy, and having taken to [them] certain evil men of the market-loungers, and having collected a crowd, roused the city in chaos, and having assaulted the house of Jason, they sought to bring them out to the people."
The Jewish religious leaders were filled with jealousy at the preaching of Paul and Silas, because they were making so many converts. They took unto themselves evil men of the market loungers; the market place was always a great hangout for those of the baser sort, or good for nothings, to lounge around with nothing to do. "So the Jewish preachers gather to themselves a choice collection of these market-loungers or loafers or wharf rats . . . where the rabbis could tell men their duties and pay them in advance. Instance Hyde Park in London with all the curious gatherings every day, Sunday afternoons in particular" (Robertson). They roused the city in chaos, this combination of rabbis and rabble, assaulting the house of Jason, rushing at Jason because he was Paul's host. They rushed Jason's house searching for Paul and Silas in order to have a lynching party. "Nothing but their blood could quench the thirst of their persecutors [the rabbis]; but having no just cause for the spilling of it, they are willing to have others to bear the odium [hatred] of it" (Matthew Poole).
Verse 6, "And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also."
LGT "But not having found them, they dragged Jason and certain brethren before the city magistrates crying out, Those who have set in confusion the habitable world, these are come here also."
The phrase those who have set in confusion the habitable world is referring to the Roman Empire. They could not find Paul and Silas so they grab some of the brethren there and drag them out to the city magistrates. They were accusing the brethren of starting a revolution.
McGee notes:
"When Christianity penetrated that old Roman Empire it was a revolution. It had a tremendous effect. Today we don't see much revolution except in the wrong direction. It's too bad we can't have a great revolution of turning back to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Word of God. Our country is a country filled with hypocrisy. We pretend that we are a Christian nation. We pretend that our leaders are Christian, that all the politicians are Christians, that everyone is a Christian. Friend, we are one of the most pagan nations this world has ever known. Christianity today is mostly a pretense. We need to recognize that we need to get back to the Word of God and to the living Christ. How important that is!"
To add a note of my own to McGee's note; today (2008) we are coming up to the election for the president of these United States. Listening to the newscasters, they find nothing wrong with nominating a Mormon as president or vice president. This shows just how ignorant our leaders are. If a man is so ignorant as to buy into that false cult of Mormonism, how in God's name is he capable of running our country? I have not heard one word from any of the men or woman running for office that has made any definitive statement regarding their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We are in the last days; and if not, we are going to self-destruct.
Verse 7, "Whom Jason hath received: and those all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus."
LGT "Whom Jason has received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king - Jesus."
Jason is charged with harboring a criminal. "The charge at Philippi was that of introducing new customs; but as Thessalonica was not a colony, that charge could have no force there. The accusation substituted is that of treason against the emperor; that of which Jesus was accused before Pilate. 'The law of treason, by which the ancient legislators of the republic had sought to protect popular liberty from the encroachments of tyranny, . . was gradually concentrated upon the emperor alone, the sole impersonation of the sovereign people. The definition of the crime itself was loose and elastic, such as equally became the jealousy of a licentious republic or of a despotic usurper' (Merivale, 'History of the Romans under the Empire')" (Vincent).
Verse 8, "And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things."
LGT "And they troubled the crowd and the city magistrates, hearing these things."
Here they were charging them with starting a revolution with the crowd, and treason with the city officials.
Verse 9, "And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go."
LGT "And having taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go."
Jason posted a security bond, so they let them go. The charge was serious but the evidence was thin, so they let them go. Jason posted this bond assuring the magistrates that Paul and Silas would not start a revolution or insurrection against the Roman Empire.
The Apostles at Berea
Verse 10, "And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews."
LGT "But the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night into Berea; who, having arrived, went into the synagogue of the Jews."
The brethren in Thessalonica sent Paul and Silas away because of their being in danger, but not until the church was deeply rooted in doctrine. When they reached Berea they sought out a synagogue, as was Paul's custom, to take the gospel to the Jew first and then to the Greek. "Berea is on the eastern slopes of the Olympian range, and commands an extensive view of the plain which is watered by the Haliacmon and Axius. It has many natural advantages, and is now considered one of the most agreeable towns in Rumili. Plane-trees spread a grateful shade over its gardens. Streams of water are in every street. Its ancient name is said to have been derived from the abundance of its waters; and the name still survives in the modern Veria, or Kara-Verria. It is situated on the left of the Haliacmon, about 5 miles from the point where the river breaks through an immense rocky ravine from the mountains to the plains. A few insignificant ruins of the Greek and Roman periods may yet be noticed. It still boasts of eighteen or twenty thousand inhabitants, and is placed in the second rank of the cities of European Turkey" (Life and Epistles of St. Paul).
Verse 11, "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."
LGT "And these were more gracious than those in Thessalonica, who received the Word with all willingness, daily examining the Scriptures if these things had it thus."
These Bereans listened willingly to Paul and Silas, but they were not satisfied with just listening, they opened the Scriptures and examined them to see that they were expounding them rightly. As Paul was teaching they had their Bibles open. Robertson says, "Paul's preaching made Bible students out of them." I would like to draw your attention to the phrase, daily examining the Scriptures; if we don't study the Word of God on a daily basis; if we don't feed on the spiritual food God had given us; if we don't come to the Word of God daily, to be fed by the Holy Spirit, we will get skinny and eventually die of starvation. We cannot expect to grow in grace if we eat a meal once a week; we must be like the Bereans and feed on the Word of God daily.
Verse 12, "Therefore many of them believed; also of honorable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few."
LGT "Many indeed from among them believed, and of the honorable Grecian women, and men not a few."
Luke again uses the diminutive not a few, and so he means a great multitude of these Greek women and men of rank believed. The Greeks believed much more readily than did the Jews. These women and men came to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ by listening to Paul and Silas and then examining the Scriptures; for the Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword, converting the soul.
Verse 13, "But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people."
LGT "But when the Jews from Thessalonica knew that the Word of God was announced by Paul in Berea, they came also there stirring up the crowds."
These opposing Jews hound the steps of Paul and Silas the same as they hounded Christ all the way to the cross. These are the same Jews who made the charge of treason against Paul and Silas in Thessalonica. It is not recorded how long Paul stayed in Berea, but it was long enough to establish a church there.
Verse 14, "And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still."
LGT "And immediately then the brethren sent Paul away to go as far as the sea: but both Silas and Timotheus remained there."
Timothy once again joins Silas and they remain in Berea, probably as a smoke screen to help Paul escape; the Jews were not interested in them, they only wanted Paul's blood. Paul had spent only six months in Macedonia but the Holy Spirit had accomplished much from his labors in Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea. Paul sailed from there to Athens.
Verse 15, "And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed."
LGT "But those conducting Paul brought him unto Athens, and having received a command to Silas and Timotheus, in order that as quickly as possible they should come to him, they departed."
Paul sends a command by the ones who brought him safe to Athens to have Silas and Timothy join him as soon as possible. "Athens was the Greece of Greece, or the eye of Greece; as Greece was accounted the eye of the world; and yet, with all its learning, did not attain to saving knowledge, until Paul came and preached it. Satan's malice still causes the gospel to spread" (Matthew Poole).
Paul at Athens
Verse 16, "Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry."
LGT "But Paul waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was painfully excited in him, seeing the city being full of idols."
Paul's spirit was pained at the sight of so many statues he calls idols; and rightly so, even though "Renan ridicules Paul's ignorance in taking these statues for idols, but Paul knew paganism better than Renan. The superstition of this center of Greek culture was depressing to Paul. One has only to recall how superstitious cults today flourish in the atmosphere of Boston and Los Angeles to understand conditions in Athens. Pausanias says that Athens had more images than all the rest of Greece put together. Pliny states that in the time of Nero Athens had over 30,000 public statues besides countless private ones in the homes. Petronius sneers that it was easier to find a god than a man in Athens. Every gateway or porch had its protecting god. They lined the street from the Piraeus and caught the eye at every place of prominence on wall or in the agora (market place)" (Robertson).
Verse 17, "Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him."
LGT "He reasoned therefore in the synagogue with the Jews and those who worshipped, and in the market-place every day, with those who met with [him]."
In the synagogue Paul reasoned with the religious Jews who came to worship God. In the market place he would meet with anyone who might engage in discussion with him. The market place was a favorite spot for the philosophers and rhetoricians to air their views.
Verse 18, "Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and Stoics, encountered him, And some said, What will this babbler say? Other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection."
LGT "But some of the Epicureans and the Stoics, philosophers, encountered him, and some said, What may this chatterer desire to say? He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign demons, because he announced the glad tidings of Jesus and the resurrection."
These philosophers were always ready for an argument, and so they frequented the marketplace for this purpose (Robertson).
Epicureans: Disciples of Epicurus, and atheists. They acknowledged God in words, but denied His providence [divine intervention] and superintendence over the world. According to them, the soul was material and annihilated at death. Pleasure was their chief good; and whatever higher sense their founder might have attached to this doctrine, his followers, in the apostles day, were given to gross sensualism [satisfying the flesh].
Stoics: or Pantheists: God was the soul of the world, or the world was God. Everything was governed by fate, to which God Himself was subject. They denied the universal and perpetual immortality of the soul; some supposing that it was swallowed up in deity; others, that it survived only till the final conflagration [inferno]; others, that immortality was restricted to the wise and good. Virtue was its own reward, and vice its own punishment. Pleasure was no good, and pain no evil. The name Stoic was derived from gr. stoa, a porch. Zeno, the founder of the Stoics sect, held his school in the Stoa Poecile, or painted portico [porch], so called because adorned with pictures by the masters" (Vincent).
These philosophers were calling Paul a Babbler or chatterer because he was preaching the gospel of grace. To them, Paul's message made him a proclaimer of foreign demons. McGee notes: "I hear people say today that Paul got his idea from Platonism. They say he didn't really believe in the bodily resurrection but in a platonic idea of a spiritual resurrection. It was more or less the influence of an individual permeating through society. This is the life after death. One still hears that type of thing today. It is found in liberalism, and it is nothing in the world but old Greek philosophy. But these Greeks, philosophers as they were, didn't quite understand Paul (McGee says they didn't understand Paul; I say the refused to understand Paul). I think Paul was a little too deep for them. Philosophy had gone to seed in Athens at this particular time. However, they wanted to hear him" (and I believe this is because the Word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword.)
Verse 19, "And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?"
LGT "And having taken hold of him, they brought [him] to the Mars Hill, saying, Are we able to know what [is] this new teaching, which by thee is spoken?"
The philosophers took hold of Paul and brought him to Mars Hill. Are we able to know was a question prompted by sarcasm or mockery? Paul was not being charged with a crime; they were simply curious to hear him speak. I believe we will see that they have met their match when they begin to match wits with Paul.
"Areopagus: The Hill of Mars; the seat of the ancient and venerable Athenian court, which decided the most solemn questions connected with religion. Socrates was arraigned and condemned here on the charge of innovating on the state religion. It received its name from the legend of the trial of Mars for the murder of the son of Neptune. The judges sat in the open air upon seats hewn out in the rock, on a platform ascended by a flight of stone steps immediately from the market-place. A temple of Mars was on the brow of the edifice, and the sanctuary of the Furies was in a broken cleft of the rock immediately below the judges' seats. The Acropolis rose above it, with the Parthenon and the colossal statue of Athene. It was a scene with which the dread recollections of centuries were associated. Those who withdrew to the Areopagus from the Agora [marketplace] came, as it were, into the presence of the higher power. No place in Athens was so suitable for a discourse upon the mysteries of religion" (Vincent).
Verses 20, 21, "For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)"
LGT "For you bring strange things to our ears: we wish therefore to know what these things may mean. For now all Athenians and the sojourning strangers spent their leisure in nothing else than to tell and to hear something newer."
These philosophers tell Paul that he has brought something shocking to their ears, and they wish to hear more; but what Paul will tell them will soon become offensive because it will not satisfy the itching ears of these fickle pseudo-intellectual Athenians. To hear something newer: "the latest news, or the latest subject of inquiry proposed. This is well known to have been the character of the people of Athens at all times. Many of the ancient writers bear witness to the garrulity [talkative], and curiosity, and intemperate desires of novelty among the Athenians, by which they inquired respecting all things, even those in which they had no interest, whether of a public or private nature" (Barnes). This is all an introduction to Paul's great sermon on Mars' hill.
Verse 22, "Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious."
LGT "And Paul, having stood in [the] midst of Mars' hill, said, Men, Athenians, in all things I behold you are very religious."
Paul stands up with the courage of the Holy Spirit, ready to proclaim the Good News of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone. It is very important how the phrase too superstitious is translated; the revised version has it correctly, as I have also in my LGT, very religious. The Greek word for superstitious is deisidaimon, which is a compound of deido, to fear, and daimon, deity; so according to the correct translation it means that the Athenians were more religious than usual. But even considering this, I believe Paul was very courteous in his approach, for what good would it have done if he would of barnstormed in there and called them a bunch of superstitious goofs. We can learn a lesson in ethics from Paul when dealing with the precious Word of God. "The Athenians had a tremendous reputation for their devotion to religion, full of idols (verse 16)" (Robertson).
Verse 23, "For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship him declare I unto you."
LGT "For, passing through and beholding the objects of your worship, I found also an altar on which had been inscribed, To an unknown God. Whom therefore not knowing you reverence, Him I announce to you."
Paul uses great skill given him by the Holy Spirit to capture the attention of these philosophers in Athens, without offending them; for they were superior in knowledge, don't you know. The Athenians built an altar to the UNKNOWN GOD, in order 1) not to offend any stranger who might come in and want to worship with them, 2) It would also be for the purpose of not offending the other deities they worshipped, and 3) it showed that at one time in their past they did worship the true God. If one will study the first chapter of the book of Romans he or she will see that Paul taught that they were without excuse because when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened; you see, everyone knows there is a God even by the proof of nature, but the unbeliever shuts out any and all traces of God in his mind in order to worship a false deity; for they then began to worship the creation rather than the creator. Barnes wrote, "Paul was struck with numerous temples, altars, statues, etc., which were reared to the gods, and which indicated the state of the people" and again, "Philopatris, uses this form of an oath: I swear by the unknown God at Athens. We have found out the unknown God at Athens, and worshipped him with our hands stretched up to heaven." All of this ignorance publicly admitted by this altar, gave Paul a perfect opportunity to preach to them his knowledge of this unknown God.
Verse 24, "God that made the world and all the things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands."
LGT "The God who made the world and all things that [are] in it, He being Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in hand made temples."
Paul tells them that the God, the Creator of heaven and earth could never dwell in temples that had been erected by men. This first statement introduces them to the True God their ancestors had once worshipped. Paul may have pointed to the Parthenon as he made this statement. Paul says that, "you are right" in wanting to worship a divine being, however, "you are misguided in how you worship, and who you worship;" I have come to tell you of this God.
Verse 25, "Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath,"
LGT "Nor by hands of men is served, as needing anything, He himself giving to all life and breath in every [respect]."
Paul continues, pointing out to them that God does not need their sacrifices in order to be fed; God is a giving God, not One that needed to be appeased by man; God does not need anything from man; God is the great Provider to mankind, not One who takes from man, for He created man. In these great temples of the Athenians many men were employed with serving their idols with their hands. Now Paul is introducing them to the God who gives life and breath, and all things necessary for continued life.
Verse 26, "And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation."
LGT "And He made from one, all nations of men, to dwell upon the face of the earth, having determined, arranged times and the boundaries of their dwellings."
The word "blood" is not in the original. It was added by the translators for explanation. What Paul is saying is all nations of men are from one original source in the Garden of Eden, and God is the Creator of all mankind. This concept of course runs counter to the Greeks claim of supremacy. Along with the Jews, who considered themselves favored of God. For God arranged times and the boundaries of their dwellings, that is, God set the limits on mankind, and nothing is done by blind fate. "Same idea in Job 12:23. Nations rise and fall, but it is not blind chance or hard fate. Thus there is an interplay between God's will and man's activities, difficult as it is for us to see with our shortened vision" (Robertson). Barnes adds on this phrase, "This [phrase] evidently refers to the dispersion and migration of nations. And it means that God had, in His plan, fixed the times when each country should be settled, and the rise, the prosperity, and the fall of each nation. The different continents and islands have not, therefore, been settled by chance, but by a wise rule, and in accordance with God's arrangement and design."
Verse 27, "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us."
LGT "To seek the God, if perhaps they might feel after Him, and might find Him, yet indeed being not far from each one of us;"
Paul is teaching them that they are all groping after a god, not necessarily the God; the reason I say this is because they are in the dark, and no darkened soul can seek the true God. Paul is there to enlighten those who are willing to hear, or as we read in the Revelation, he that hath an ear to hear, let him hear. The fact that all men are on this earth they have the witness of God's creation if no other witness is offered them, and that is enough for them to decide for or against God (Rom. 1:19,20). God is just as near to the civilized as He is the uncivilized. No one race of mankind has an advantage over another no matter how civilized they may be; we can see that here in these United States there are people who are as far from God as the natives in Zimbabwe or the Alaskan Eskimo. They all have the same opportunity to believe or reject the light they all have.
Verse 28, "For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of our own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."
LGT "For by Him we live and move and are [exist]: as also some of the poets among you have said, For of Him we are also offspring."
Paul is saying that all mankind are God's offspring; he is not saying that God is the Father of all mankind; God is the Father of His own believing children; but He is the God of all mankind. There is no way anyone could arrive at the damnable heresy being taught by those sweet preachers that have adopted the teachings of Norman Vincent Peale of "the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man" from this passage. Regarding their poets McGee notes, "One of the poets he quoted was Arastus who lived about 270 B.C. He was a Stoic from Cilicia. He began a poem with an invocation to Zeus in which he said that 'we too are his offspring.' Cleanthes was another poet who lived about 300 B.C. He also wrote a hymn to Zeus and speaks of the fact that 'we are his offspring.' Paul means, of course, that we are God's creatures."
Verse 29, "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device."
LGT "Therefore being offspring's of God, we ought not to think to gold, or to silver, or to stone, a graven thing of art and imagination of man, to be like that which [is] divine."
Paul says that the logical conclusion then, even from their own poets, is that man should not go outside divine revelation to find the divine God. Man's imagination can only lead to destruction of body and soul. Paul has now successfully presented to them the God, the Creator of all mankind, and that He is the One and Only Deity, and that they should not worship any manmade god; they should turn from their idols.
Verse 30, "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent."
LGT "Indeed therefore, the times of this ignorance God having overlooked, now charges men everywhere to repent."
This phrase God winked at in no way refers to God allowing their sins; what Paul is saying is that God has overlooked them, that is, He gave then a stay of execution. God did not bring judgment down on these idolaters for His own time will come; here is the time for repentance, since Jesus Christ has already paid the price for all their sins. God gave the heathen ample time to realize that their man made gods were impotent. Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.
Verse 31, "Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained; wherefore he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."
LGT "Inasmuch as He set a day in which He is about to judge the habitable world in righteousness, by a Man whom He appointed; having given proof to all [in] having raised Him from among [the] dead."
Paul continues that God has set a day in which He will righteously judge the world, and that it will be through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Man, whom He has appointed. Paul relates that Christ, by His resurrection from the dead, will one day judge the whole world, and that this resurrection gives all believers assurance that He will do this; all believers were judged when Christ died for our sins, and the resurrection from the dead is our assurance that it is so. Paul knew this to be a fact because he had seen the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus. This preaching of the resurrection gave an opportunity to the crowd to object.
Verse 32, "And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter."
LGT "And having heard a resurrection of [the] dead, some began mocking, and some said, We will hear thee again concerning this."
The reason some of them mocked is because they were Platonists; the teaching of Plato was against any resurrection, and to the Greeks as a whole, this preaching was foolishness. "In this remarkable speech of Paul are to be noted: his prudence [care] and tact in not needlessly offending his hearers; his courtesy and spirit of conciliation [pacification] in recognizing their piety toward their gods; his wisdom and readiness in the use of the inscription to the unknown God, and in citing their own poets; his meeting the radical errors of every class of his hearers, while seeming to dwell only on points of agreement; his lofty views of the nature of God and the great principle of the unity of the human race; his boldness in proclaiming Jesus and the resurrection among those to whom these truths were foolishness; the wonderful terseness [abruptness] and condensation [strengthening] of the whole, and the rapid but powerful and assured movement of the thought" (Vincent).
Verse 33, "So Paul departed from among them."
LGT "And thus Paul went out from [the] midst of them."
Some of Paul's critics say that Paul was a failure in Athens, when he met the philosopher's head on; however, the next verse will prove the success of the Holy Spirit.
Verse 34, "Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them."
LGT "But some men joining them selves to him believed: among whom also [was] Dionysius, the Areopagite, and a woman, by name Damaris, and others with them."
No true teaching of the Word of God has ever, nor will ever fail. Whenever the Word of God is taught, there will be some who will receive it. Paul may have considered his debate with philosophers a failure, however, the preaching of Christ and Christ crucified has never failed. Dionysius the Areopagite was one of the twelve judges in the court who made Athens famous; Damaris was an aristocratic woman, and others were added to the band of believers. Paul did not return to Athens, but his message will never be forgotten.
The next chapter will continue Paul's second missionary journey.
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