Acts 17:33 - Printer Friendly

Throughout his ministry, Paul has frequently been forced to leave a city where he isn't welcome (Acts 9:23–25; 13:50; 14:5–7, 19; 16:39–40; 17:10, 14), often under hard circumstances. In this case Paul is fortunate to be able to leave on his own.

He was in the Agora, the marketplace in Athens, when Epicurean and Stoic philosophers found him. They called him a "babbler"—someone who picks up parts of different philosophies like a bird picks up different seeds (Acts 17:18). He seemed to them to be talking about two foreign gods: healer and resurrection.

The philosophers aggressively invited him to tell them more at the Areopagus (Acts 17:19). The Areopagus was the court where serious crimes were tried. In fact, 400 years before, Socrates had been tried and convicted of teaching young people to worship a foreign god. The prohibition against teaching foreign gods had been an ancient law in Greece and was now the law in Rome.

Fortunately, perhaps, Paul ends his argument with the statement that the Creator God has resurrected the representative who will judge the dead. The philosophers realize Paul is talking about a literal resurrection of the dead. Since neither school believe in the resurrection of the dead or a final judgment, their determination that Paul is a babbler is confirmed, and they let him go.

A few ask Paul to tell them more, and some believe, but Athens is not mentioned as a significant church in the New Testament. Today, however, there is a bronze plaque in the Areopagus with the text of Acts 17:22–32.

Acts 17:22–34 contains the second of two sermons which Luke records from Paul. The more typical sermon explains to synagogues how Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 13:16–41). Here, however, Paul is speaking to a group of Athenian philosophers. Paul uses lines from classical poets to introduce the Creator God who cannot be represented by an idol. He calls his audience to repent of their idolatry lest they face judgment by the representative God has resurrected. But they don't believe in the resurrection of the dead or final judgment. The majority dismiss Paul as a fool and go on their way.

Acts 17 describes how Paul's ministry travels down the coast of Greece. In Thessalonica, some Jews and God-fearing Gentiles believe while other Jews start a riot (Acts 17:1–9). The Bereans study the veracity of Paul's statements—until the Thessalonian Jews arrive and threaten to start another riot (Acts 17:10–15). Paul flees to Athens where the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers accept Paul's argument when he uses Greek poets to introduce God as the creator of the world, but lose interest when he mentions the resurrection from the dead (Acts 17:16–34).

Acts 17 continues Paul and Silas' travels out of Macedonia and on to Greece. The two have been through modern-day Asia minor where they picked up Timothy in Lystra and Luke in Troas (Acts 16:1–10). They have established a strong church in Philippi but were forced to leave after being falsely imprisoned (Acts 16:11–40). They now skip down the coast to Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. From here, they will spend a considerable amount of time in Corinth before heading back to Judea and Syrian Antioch (Acts 18:1–22).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.