Acts 17:18-25 Bible Teaching

Exploration of Philosophies in Acts 17

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Acts 17.18-25 March 5th 2017 Milk

Okay so we left off last week learning about the Philosophies of Man – especially those of the Epicureans and the Stoics. Why?

Verse 18. Paul is visiting Athens and verse 18 says:

Ac 17:18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, 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.
19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? 20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.
21 (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.)

Paul in Athens

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. 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. 24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

Alright, back to verse 18

“Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, 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.” These men who have chosen to be Epicureans and Stoics have chosen to (the King James says, “encounter him.”

Encounter with Epicureans and Stoics

Now there are a lot of words that could be used here from the Greek to suggest this was an aggressive confrontation but none of them were used – which is probably why the King James put encounter instead of accuse or accost. The encounter could have had aggressive elements to it but it probably means they approached Paul to converse intensely with him, to investigate what he was all about.

Some of them apparently encountered Paul with the a condescending attitude and use a name on him that is only found here in all of the Bible – they called him a spermalogos. What sort of horrible thing is a spermalogos? Well, sperma means seed and logos means word and so what they were literally calling him was someone who plants seeds with words. If you ask me that a pretty good definition of Paul.

However the word best describes beggars who after a harvest would go in and glean the field of the remaining seeds or even birds that would do the same. Bottom line, it described the poor, needy, and vile. Others saw him as

“He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.”

The Perception of Strange Gods

Apparently some of them caught wind of Paul’s central message – Jesus Christ and the resurrection and to this this was the message of a “strange gods.”

Interestingly, the word used for gods (lower case g) is not theos or even kurios but is da-hee-ah-meon (which could be a demon god or a good god, or a geni – some being superior to human-beings but inferior to their Greek deities). It appears they did not assign the teachings of Paul at this point to any heavenly deity but to some type of weird being.

The Greeks, as we will see, had numerous gods, and they were under the impression that people from other lands also had different (foreign, strange) gods – and that Paul was introducing the people to one or some of them.

What’s sort of intriguing is that the way the Greek reads: “because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection” (kahee anastaysis) they apparently believed that the resurrection was a god itself. The Greeks had altars dedicated to Shame, and Famine, and Desire and in all probability they thought "the resurrection," or the Anastasis, was a separate goddess who ruled over the resurrection. This would be right in harmony with the way they thought about the world around them. This is perhaps why the comment was that He was setting forth “strange gods (plural) – Jesus, and the Anastasis, or resurrection.

Paul's Encounter at Mars Hill

Took him, and brought him unto (Are-eye-os Pagos,) saying, “May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?

The word translated took is the same for seized so it appears that this was an act of aggression – could be wrong on this, but the language most often means this. And “Are-eye-os pagas?” Also known as Mars Hill which was a rocky hill in Athens where they had an open court where the Athenian tribunals.

This hill was renowned for offering up distinguished decisions on matters of justice and moral correctness and a tremendous amount of confidence was had in whatever opinions descended from Mar’s Hill. If we take the historical import of Mar’s Hill, add in that Paul was seized and taken there, and the fact that it was during this time used as the highest court in the land, we know that what was happening was of major importance – to both Paul and the Athenians.

The Inquiry

What was said to Paul as he stood there before them? “May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? (verse 20) For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.” On the other hand, the way this is written (even in the Greek) it seems to suggest that this was a very civil engagement and no charges were filed, it was just a time for Paul to lay out the particulars of his religion and god. Some believe Paul was making a request to be able to preach Jesus in Athens and this was a formal hearing where he was allowed to explain this new god. For this reason there does not seem to be any witnessed or charges. Quite frankly, what they actually say to Paul is remarkable – they wanted to know exactly what Paul believed and taught!

Athens: A Hub of Philosophical Inquiry

We might liken the Jews response to “this new god of Paul’s” to a backwooded community that feared anything new and the Greeks to the open forums we might find at the University, open, but once the case for Christ is made, not too receptive as a whole. (Verse 21 explains why these Athenians were so open) –

21 (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.)

Whether this is literally true is doubtful as I’m sure there were some Athenians who did more than either telling or hearing something new. But this certainly seems to have been the predominant activity of people (especially men) in that culture. And just as there are cultures that revolve around the pub, the coal mine, the factory, in Athens the central concern was its schools of philosophy. With some certainty Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Pythagoras, Euclid, Ptolemy, Zoroaster all had schools. Plus may more speculatively. So it goes without saying that the city was one giant think tank, with most of its citizens meeting 2nd Timothy 3:7 as “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Until now.

I do want to say something, however, in the face of these Greeks and their interest in philosophy. They were seeking. And as long as people are willing to seek they are also able to find. Stop seeking and the finding stops too. This is not to suggest that we do not come upon truths along the way – we do and we will. But we have to be open to new ways of understanding the truths we’ve received because if we aren’t we stop a forward progress that I am convinced God wants all of us to possess.

So while we all (as Christians) come to understand Jesus as Lord and Savior, and this is never lost, the knowledge becomes more incomprehensible as we retain it, it becomes more important than perhaps when we first believed, and it becomes the cornerstone of the foundation of faith upon which we build. This caused Paul to write:

Ephesians 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ,

Maturity in Faith

It’s what caused the writer of Hebrews to say:

Hebrews 6:1 “Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 with instruction about water baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.”

The Saints at Corinth were not prepared “to leave the elementary doctrines and move on to perfection” because they were still engaged with infighting and strife with one another. They were therefore not prepared for the meat of the Word. This is one of the key indicators that a person or a group of believers have matured – they can handle differences among themselves. The Saints at Corinth couldn’t and this caused Paul to say to them

1st Corinthians 3:1 But I, brethren, could not address you as spiritual men, but as men of the flesh, as babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not ready for it; and even yet you are not ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving like ordinary men?

The Immaturity of Division

As advanced as these Athenians were intellectually, they were by all means men of the flesh, and lived for strife and division. In the faith, it’s not a sign of spiritual maturity to dogmatically divide over points of doctrine and opinion but a sign of milk drinkers, an indication that the basics of the faith need to take deeper root in the heart before a person can move on. Anyway, these Athenians loved to talk and not just talk but they especially loved to dialogue over “the next new thang.” In fact a number of ancient writers bear witness to the Athenian’s curiosity and love of the novel. Demothenes himself said that the most common phrase to be heard is Athens was, “anything new?” And according to Meursius there were over three hundred public places in the city where people – especially the youth – would gather together to converse. Bottom-line: Paul had one heck of an interested audience. (verse 22)

Paul's Message at Mars' Hill

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.” Now, based on the Greek the tone which Paul SEEMS to have with these men was respectful. Unfortunately the King James, using the word, superstitious, makes it sound like he is being a bit mocking. I don’t believe that this is fair or so. Additionally, it is believed that Paul said far much more than what Luke recorded here.

Think about this. He is in a place where the people not only loved to talk but they LOVED learning and hearing new things. Paul was well prepared and could have spent hours teaching them – but all we have are ten full verses – ten! Additionally, Luke was not there (at this time) so he must have received a summary of all Paul said (from Paul himself). But let’s examine what we do have because it is good stuff.

“Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.” The word the King James translated to superstitious is “dice-ee-dahee-mon-es'-ter-os” It is only used here in the entire Bible but superstitious is a bad translation in my estimation. We typically use the word “superstitious” in a negative sense and tie it to mystical powers of spirits and omens and demons and the need to keep them at bay through zealous observances like not “stepping on cracks” or “walking under ladders.” But this terms does not mean superstitious. It simply means a reverence for a god or even a demon.

Paul's Interpretation

Now, classic Greek writers use the term to describe both piety towards “the gods” and “fear and reverence for them” with the latter causing undue fear or excessive dread of their anger and in this sense we could use the word superstitious. But it’s doubtful Paul would have used it in a negative sense – you know, start off his speech with them by insult. I tend to believe that all Paul was saying was "I perceive that you are greatly devoted to your beliefs, your devotion to the gods you recognize.” And he continues, saying (verse 23).

23 “For” (meaning, “I am saying this based on the fact that”.

Paul's Encounter with Athenian Idolatry

". . .) “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.”

“For as I, coming through, and seeing you devotions,” We might think that Paul was saying that as he strolled through Athens he watched devoted people worshipping but the Greek better means that what he means is, “As I traversed your city and beheld your created devotions – your idols, your temples, your statues that represented your beliefs . . .

In fact the Syriac translation of this passage has Paul say, “as I passed by and saw "the temple of your gods," and the Latin Vulgate says, "your images."

The Altar to the Unknown God

“I found an altar.”

Imagine the actual scene. Paul is alone and wandering around in a city steeped in historic traditions of idolatry and philosophy. With his own eyes he is catching a glimpse of this temple, and that altar – he has been taught by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and is in possession of the truth – and all around him are dizzing displays of false gods – and he comes upon an altar with an inscription expertly carved into the façade of some weather worn marble:

“To the unknown God.”

In some ways this edifice has had a place in all of our hearts to some extent or another as God has been unknown to us all. And until we discover Him by the Spirit we are also very much like these Athenians, surrounding ourselves with images of Him, ideals of Him, false representations of Him.

Idolatry in Modern Context

I remember when I was twelve I decorated the outer door of my bedroom – turned it into a shrine of sorts to my false Gods. There was macramé and dangling puka shells cascading around an album of Pink Floyd that I taped to the wood. If I had been able I would have put candles around the thing too. My older sister told my mom it was embarrassing to bring her friends home due to my shrine.

But what I did on my door is done by all of us to some extent or another. In fact there are a lot of people who have been sitting in churches since they were babes who as adults still worship the Unknown God. To them He is angry, vengeful, manipulative, tempermental, vindictive – and keeping score on all of us as a means to keep us out of His presence rather than to let us in. Some very intelligent Christians believe that God is despotic, that He has no care or even any knowledge of those who are not His, that He actually loves only those who He has predestined to be His – the rest, they say, are doomed for an eternity in literal fire – something that is supposed to add to His Glory. In my estimation this is an unknown God.

So there in Athens Paul has discovered an altar dedicated to the same – we might say in his case, this edifice was truly to a completely unknown God.

This altar has been a subject of much debate with Bible expositors. That there even was such an altar in Athens is believed highly probable by the fact that,

“Minutius Felix, a Latin apologist, says the Romans had an oath that said,

"I swear by the unknown God at Athens."

Philostratus, known as “the Athenian,” says,

"And this at Athens, where there are even altars to the unknown gods,"

Military leader from Sparta, Pausanina, (in Attic. chap. 1) says, that “at Athens there are altars of gods which are called the UNKNOWN ones."

Historical Context of the Altar

Finally, and this is really intriguing, according to Greek history, there was a time of great pestilence – nearly 600 years before Christ. None of the known Greek gods were able to put an end to the infestation and they got desperate. Diogenes Laertius, a biographer of Greek Philosophers, says that Epimenides of Crete restrained the pestilence in the following manner:

"Taking white and black sheep, he led them to the Areopagus (Mars Hill), and there permitted them to go where they would, commanding those who followed them to sacrifice to the god to whom these things pertained, (or to the God who had the power to avert the plague without having a name). And from this event there arose throughout the villages of Athens, altars to this same unknown God.”

Now remember, God revealed Himself – even

Unknown God and Paul's Message to the Athenians

His name – the self-existing one – to Moses on behalf of the Nation of Israel. To the Greeks some 600 years before Christ there was no revelation given. Nevertheless, in a time of desperation God heard their cries – even their sacrifices – and saved them. Such a beautiful insight into the heart of God for all people who call out to Him – even those who do not know His name. But coming back to Paul, He was about to be properly introduced.

So . . . “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.” That phrase, “ignorantly worship” in our day, is much more harsh then it would have been then. The word for “unknown” (as in unknown God) is AG-NOST-OS. What does it mean? Unknown. The term translated, “ignorantly” (as in ignorantly worship) is AG-NO-EH-O. What does it mean? Unknown.

“Whom therefore you unknowingly worship.” “Him declare I unto you.” Maybe we can take a page from Paul’s book of sharing God with others here and use his ways too. What a great way to share God with others! Perhaps we ask: “Do you know the only true and living God? No? Well let me declare or describe Him to you!” Pretty powerful words, if you ask me.

Paul's Wise Approach

Now something to note. It would probably been too bold, even an exercise in futility, for a Jew to visit Athens – filled with all of his religious history and ways – and to even think he could instruct an Athenian on almost anything than the Tanak. But Paul being Paul, filled with the Spirit of Wisdom from God and applying his knowledge so well, actually begins by addressing these men on something they admit to be ignorant about – God. And how does Paul choose to describe the True and Living (and to them, the unknown God)? He says at verse 24:

24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

Right off the bat Paul clears a path to the Living God and he does this by wiping away all the humanist notions that they have concocted for themselves, namely, that God is subject to the fates, that he dwells in man-made temples, that as the one who made all things, matter was created (by Him) and was not eternal (as the Epicureans suggested); that there is One God, Lord of Heaven and earth, who created all things, therefore dismissing all the other God’s the Greeks held up. This is a brilliant beginning, sharp as a two edged scalpel and cutting right to the heart.

It has been said that if a person can believe the very first four words of Genesis

“In the beginning, God . . .”

They can accept everything else the Bible has to say. I appreciate this. It makes some real sense. In a way, Paul was setting this principle up before these articulate men. The idea is that if (or since) the unknown God is Lord over heaven and earth it would be ridiculous to believe that he

had to be confined to a temple made by Man or that He was dependent on man for anything. In an effort to capture (and therefore try and utilize and understand) God human beings have long tried to put Him in a box – in this case, an architectural edifice where their brand of God will live.

True Worship Beyond Temples

Prior to Jesus sacrifice God related to the COI by and through blood sacrifices through temples made with hands, but this was never to be a long-standing practice. Just temporary, and prototypical. But since Christ this approach ended once and for all because God is a spirit and those who seek Him must worship Him from the heart, in Spirit, and in truth.

This cause Luke to say in Acts 7:48

Acts 7:48-50 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?”

Paul reiterates these words here to the men of Athens some ten chapters later.

Then to the second point, “that this God was dependent on man for anything” lets read our last verse for

Understanding Paul’s Message in Acts 17:25

Today, we examine verse 25 where Paul says this God…

25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

This first line, "neither is worshipped with men's hands," is somewhat unfortunate for our clarity. The Greek word translated as worship is typically proscuneao and means to bow down, right? But that’s not the word here—it’s “THERAP-YOO-O” (where we get therapy) and means to serve or heal. In fact, in the seven times it is used in the New Testament, six of those times, it is translated to heal or healed. So what Paul is actually saying is:

(v) 24 "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is He healed with men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things."

Misconceptions About Worship

It was customary among the Greeks (and other nations) to approach their gods with the attitude that they needed to be fed (so they brought them food) or pacified (so they would be gently coddled, like spoiled toddlers). Therefore, there was a need for constant material sacrifices, which required the work of human hands.

In some ways—some—we get a similar impression of God prior to the advent of His Son. In my estimation, this was God’s way to show the Nation of Israel—and all who would follow Christ thereafter—that to approach God by and through the law was an impossibility and endless chore.

But Paul here is bringing to the Athenians the true picture of God—which is admittedly depicted in the Old Testament, by the way, that God is good, He is loving, He is kind, but He is also the one true God, maker of all things in heaven and earth and as such He is all-powerful, and is not going to have one cubit added to His “stature” by the efforts and approaches of Man.

God’s Incomparable Power

Let your temple fall. Let your unblemished animals run free. Bury your idols in the dirt where they belong—the True and living God is on the scene—don’t allow yourself (even for a New York minute) to think you control Him—or that you even have the ability to question Him.

I have to go back to Job when we hit topics like this—it is so very impressive to me and my heart. Job, the man, has been through a living hell on earth. Lost all of his children, lost all of His wealth, lost all of his health, and was only left with a wife who spent her time mocking him for maintaining his integrity and to just, “curse God and die.”

That’s a lot to endure, isn’t it?

And I know I’ve made the point before, but it is so applicable to us in this day and age, but at the end of the book—Job actually has a chance to hear God—the True and Living God, creator of ALL things—beg Job for his forgiveness, and try to get Job to forgive Him?

Not even. Instead, we read the following (which I am going to abbreviate for time's sake)

Job 38:1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, 2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. 4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

Job 38:12 ¶ Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;

Job 38:16 Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth? 17 Have the gates of deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God. been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death? 18 Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.

22 Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,

31 Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? 32 Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? 33 Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth? 34 Canst thou…

Understanding God's Wisdom and Power

Lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee? 35 Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are? 36 Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart? 37 Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,

41 Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.

God's Questions to Job

In chapter 40 God continues and asks Job:

2 Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.

Job's Humble Response

Now listen to Job’s response:

3 Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
4 Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.
5 Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.

God's Reply to Job

And then hear how the One and only almighty God replies to Job’s humble response:

7 Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
8 Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?
9 Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
10 Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.
11 Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.
12 Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.
13 Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret.
14 And Then will I also confess unto thee that you have the power to save yourself.”

And this is the point. No one can save themselves – ever. Only He who created us can save us. And Paul is standing here in Athens to convince these Greeks of this very thing.

Let’s continue next week at verse 26.