Paul's Speach to the Athenians--Acts 17

The Nature of God, Paul’s Evangelical Journey and Message to the Athenians

Paul was rushed out of Berea in Acts 17:13-15 and into Athens to await the arrival of Timothy and Silas. Athens, at this time was still free and had a university but it was living mostly on its reputation as an intellectual epicenter of the world. While Paul was in Athens, he was disturbed to find idols in the city and began to speak against the idolatry that went on in the city. He started speaking in the synagogue and then went into the marketplace and other places where the people gathered. While he was speaking, Stoic and Epicurean Philosophers confronted him about the new ideas that he brought into Athens. The Stoics placed a high emphasis on reason, obedience to duty, and self-sufficiency and had pantheistic views of deity; whereas the Epicureans were materialistic, hedonistic agnostics. They brought Paul to Mars’ Hill, in other versions it is referred to as the Areopagus, a bare marble hill next to the Acropolis in Athens. During the pre-classical period, the Areopagus served as a council of elders or the legislature of the city-state. After 462 BC most of their power was stripped and it served mainly as a murder tribunal. According to Greek mythology it was on this hill that Ares (the Roman god Mars) was tried for the murder of Alirrothios, Poseidon’s son.  Other myths say it was the site of Ostres’ trial for killing his stepmother, Clytemnestra and her lover, Aegisthus. Therefore, the message I see being conveyed was that the Greek gods were on trial. Numerous Greek gods were brought into the story including Dionysius, the person who was presiding over the ceremony and was one of the converts. Dionysius shared his name with a Greek god (also called Bacchus, the god of the grape harvest and wine). During the Maccabean period, a festival was held in Dionysius’s honor that the Jews were forced to participate in when the Athenians took over (2 Maccabees 6:1-5). Later, the Athenians pulled out of Jerusalem, gave the temple back to the Jews, and gave them equality. At this time Antiochus, an Athenian leader, converted to Judaism (2 Maccabees 9:12-18).These stories have some subtle connections with each other through the name Dionysius as well as an Athenian leaders conversion. Ultimately, it was one more Greek god that was brought into the story as a god that was foolishness to follow.

Turning to the speech in Acts 17:22-31, Paul began by stating that the Athenians were “very religious” according to the English Standard Version (ESV) but the American King James Version (AKJV) translated it “too superstitious” which exposed the controversy in interpreting the text. The term used has a positive and negative connotation as shown in the different ways that it was interpreted in the ESV and the AKJV. On the one hand, Paul might have been trying to engage his audience through complimenting them about their theological commitments. However, on the other hand, the writer was trying to expose the irony of being committed to theology but not knowing the true God, a notion that was picked up in verse twenty-three’s notion of an “unknown god”. In this sense the author was echoing John’s gospel when he said “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22, ESV). However, in another sense, Paul used the artifacts that were familiar to the Athenians to contextualize the message to them such that his message might communicate with them. There was also a mystical sense to the notion of an ‘unknown god’ in that the Christian God can be unknowable. Consider the ineffability of God; these notions were particularly prevalent in Medieval Philosophy particularly in the via-negativa or the apophatic way. Overall, this notion that God sits behind “clouds and thick darkness” (Psalms 97:2) connoting the mystery of God that could parallel an ‘unknown god’. However, there was no direct link between the true God and the unknown god to go too far into speculation.

In the next several verses, Paul was able to become all things to all people while remaining true to the Judaic teachings. Paul seemed to know quite a bit about Greek culture when he gave the speech on Mars’ Hill and he used that knowledge in order that he might reason with the people. However, he was very selective about what information he chose to use such that he remained faithful to the Old Testament prophets and the testimonies of the apostles.

Paul began his proclamation to the Athenians with the creation. The God that he was proclaiming to the Athenians was the Creator of everything. Theologically Paul was true to his roots on this point with the Genesis account of creation confirming this statement (c.f. Gen. 1:1, Isa. 42:5, Ac. 14:15). As the creator of all things it would therefore follow that He is also Lord and ruler over all things (c.f. Dt. 10:14, Ps. 115:16). Since God has then made all things and rules all things he cannot live in temples made by man after the creation (c.f. Acts 7:48). If God wanted a temple to live in He could speak it and it would be, he doesn’t require man to build it for Him. This point is explicitly stated in verse twenty-five that God was not served by humans, and is seen in Psalms 50:8-12. God was not served by man but instead served man by providing mankind with life and everything (c.f. Gn. 2:7, Jb 33:4, Jb. 27:3, Za. 12:1). Jesus came not to be served but to serve, helping those in need. As John Piper argued, “Everything that exists owes its existence to Him. Therefore, God’s zeal to seek His own glory and to be praised by men cannot be owing to His need to shore up some weakness or compensate for some deficiency” (John Piper, Desiring God, 46). God is self-sufficient and omnipotent, such a God not served by humanity but for His namesake serves the needs of His people. 

God’s omnipotence was again displayed in verse twenty-six. From Adam and Eve the “one man” that God created, God has made all nations (c.f. Gen. 3:20), that they might live on the “face of the earth”. This language was also used in the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:8) and with reference to the final judgment (Luke 21:35) therefore having a judgment connection with it which was more directly stated in verse thirty-one. The verse argued that God controls time in the form of the change of the seasons as well as how much time people and institutions were given (c.f. Job 12:23, 14:5). God controlled boundaries of empires and what ground was habitable (c.f. Dt 32:8, Ps 74:17). The reason God did these things or the purpose for God’s intimate control in the affairs of mankind, verse twenty-seven argued was the hope that some might seek Him (c.f. Acts 15:17). In other words, for His namesake, for His glory God has an intimate connection with creation as displayed in the omnipresence connoted in the last portion of verse twenty-seven (c.f. Dt. 4:7, Jr. 23:23-24, Ps. 145:18). Part of the seeking process, Paul argued was that man might “feel their way towards Him”. The imagery connoted here (c.f. Dt. 28:29; Jb 5:14; 12:25; Is. 59:10) is like a blind man or walking in the darkness implying that the Athenians were spiritually blind (or living in darkness) to that which was right in front of them. Ultimately, unless God saturated Himself upon them overcoming the blindness they faced, everything that was preached was foolishness to them. However, this imagery also has a mystical sense to it as well, using the Psalm analogy of God being behind clouds and thick darkness noted earlier. Even Job had troubles finding God (Job 23:3, 8-9).

Paul again showed his knowledge of the Greek culture in verse twenty-eight. The first quote that Paul used was likely from Epimenides of Crete but potentially came from Minos of Crete when he was addressing his father Zeus after the Cretans claimed to have buried Zeus in one of their tombs. Minos of Crete in this work stated, “they fashioned a tomb for thee, O holy and high-the Cretans, always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies! But thou art not dead; thou art risen and alive for ever, for in thee we live and move and have our being.” Being risen from the dead seemed to have some connection to the resurrected Christ if this was the actual source of the quote. The second quote comes from a work by Aratus entitled “Phainomena.” This work was primarily about astronomy but the context of the quote seems to have some connection with verse twenty-six particularly with control of time and created things. Ultimately, what Paul did with these quotes was bring more gods into the discussion to indict them also as foolish to serve for the reasons he had and laid out and also to use them as examples to provide a glimpse at the true God.

“From Zeus let us begin; him do we mortals never leave unnamed; full of Zeus are all the streets and all the market-places of men; full is the sea and the havens thereof; always we all have need of Zeus. For we are also his offspring; and he in his kindness unto men giveth favourable signs and wakeneth the people to work, reminding them of livelihood. He tells what time the soil is best for the labour of the ox and for the mattock, and what time the seasons are favourable both for the planting of trees and for casting all manner of seeds. For himself it was who set the signs in heaven, and marked out the constellations, and for the year devised what stars chiefly should give to men right signs of the seasons, to the end that all things might grow unfailingly. Wherefore him do men ever worship first and last. Hail, O Father, mighty marvel, mighty blessing unto men. Hail to thee and to the Elder Race! Hail, ye Muses, right kindly, every one! But for me, too, in answer to my prayer direct all my lay, even as is meet, to tell the stars.” (Callimachus, Hymns and Epigrams. Lycophron. Aratus. Translated by Mair, A. W. & G. R. Loeb Classical Library Volume 129. London: William Heinemann, 1921. emphasis added)

Paul took this notion of being God’s offspring which can also be found in Luke’s genealogy (Luke 3:38) to argue that if man was like God than God was not like other created things like gold and silver as mentioned in verse twenty-nine. Isaiah also meditated on what to compare with God (c.f. Is. 40:18-19, 25; 46:5) concluding that nothing could compare with God. There was also a shift from a catophatic discourse on the nature of God to an apophatic discourse in this verse. Ultimately, Paul was using the logic and reason of the Greeks, as well as things in Greek culture to contextualize his message to show that the true God was self-sufficient (has no need for man to serve them), omnipotent, omniscient, personal, and was like mankind (not like gold or silver) unlike the Greek gods.

Paul then shifted to the heart of his message in verses thirty and thirty-one. Up until that point, the Greeks were ignorant about the true God. As Acts: 14:16 argued, “In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways” but now they were no longer ignorant, now the Good News has been brought to them. Something had happened to allow the message to be brought to them. The Christ had come and opened up the gate for even the Greeks to come into the Way if only they can repent. This repentance is contrasted by the judgment of verse thirty-one. In a sense, it had characteristics of a fire and brimstone message either repent or face the judgment of God. As Isaiah (Isaiah 2:12) and numerous New Testament writers as well (c.f. Mt. 12:36; Rm. 2:16; I Cor. 3:13; II Pet. 2:9; I Jn. 4:17) had foretold there is coming a day when God will judge the world. The Christ has been appointed to judge the world (Acts 10:42) in righteousness (c.f. Ps. 9:8, 96:13, 98:9; I Pt. 2:23, Rm. 3:6) because he has risen from the dead (Acts 2:24). The problem was that such a notion of a bodily resurrection from the dead was foolishness to the Greeks. While some wanted to learn more about this topic and others were even converted to the faith, many quickly dismissed this message. This effect showed the saturated phenomenology that was involved in conversion.

Overall, the speech provided us with insight into contextualizing the Good News into a pagan culture. He complimented their theological efforts, used things that they were familiar with and advocated a theology that they could agree with to a large extent. However, never did he compromise on anything. All of his points could be demonstrated through scripture. At the same time, he challenged their line of thinking through showing the disparities between the true God and the idols that they had been worshiping.  He tried to reason with them that idol worship was foolishness and that they should turn from their ways because the Lord’s judgment was now upon them through the resurrected Messiah. In this way, this speech acted as a guide for evangelism in a pagan culture.

Secondly, there is coming a day when all of mankind will be judged. Therefore, one must repent from their sins and turn away from their wicked ways as seen in the example of Dionysius who became the second bishop in Athens. Even for us today, we need to be ready for judgment day by repenting of our sins and allowing God to fill us with Himself and become Lord of our lives.

From the passage are several implications pertaining to the nature of God. The first is our complete irrelevance in the work of a self-sufficient and almighty God who works all things for His glory. We see a vision of a God that is self-sufficient, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient and righteous in all His ways. Since the primary message was about the nature of God and His self-sufficiency it would seem to indicate that Luke was looking to emphasize that this is not the apostles work to spread the Good News, in fact, God doesn’t even need the apostles or any of creation but is already all in all. God in His grace has incorporated those whom He has called into the fold. The apostles are merely witnesses and beneficiaries of the resurrection. To use another quote from John Piper, “While there is a sense in which God has no need for creation at all (Acts 17:25) and is profoundly fulfilled and happy in the eternal fellowship of the Trinity, yet there is in joy an urge to increase by expanding itself to others who, if necessary must first be created and redeemed. This divine urge is God’s desire for compounded joy that comes from having others share the very joy He has in Himself” (John Piper, Desiring God, 124).

Finally, the nature of God as seen in these verses implies the truth of saturated phenomenology. Even though what Paul was saying was true and to a large extent came out of their poets and thinkers as well, such thinking was foolishness to them. Notions of an incarnation, the resurrection of the dead, among others was completely backwards to the dominant philosophies. The only way for this to be overcome was for them to be saturated in the phenomenon of God. God must ultimately be the one that poured Himself out upon them. Again, it became evident that it was all about God and His continual work to make His glory known.

“God’s insistence that we ask Him to give us help so that he gets glory (Psalm 50:15 forces on us the startling fact that we must beware of serving God and take special care to let Him serve us lest we rob Him of His glory. This sounds very strange. Most of us think serving God is totally positive thing; we have not considered that serving God may be an insult to Him…Evidently, there is a way to serve God that would belittle Him as needy of our service. “The Son of Man came not to be served” (Mark 10:45). He aims to be the servant. He aims to get the glory as Giver.” (John Piper, Desiring God, 168)

Bibliography

“American King James Version”. True Grace Ministries. 1999.

“English Standard Version.” Illinois: Good News Publishers. 2001.

Hayes, Holly. “Areopogus (Mars’ Hill), Athens.” Sacred Destination. June 25, 2009. <http://www.sacred-destinations.com/greece/athens-areopagus-mars-hill>

Mair, A. W. & G. R. Loeb. Callimachus, Hymns and Epigrams. Lycophron. Aratus. Classical Library Volume 129. London: William Heinemann, 1921. <http://www.theoi.com/Text/AratusPhaenomena.html>

Marshall, I Howard, “Acts”. Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1999

Piper, John. “Desiring God, Meditations of a Christian Hedonist.” Colorado: Multnomah Books.  1996.