TO THE UNKNOWN GOD
TODAY’S LECTURE
At the Areopagus –
Visiting Professor of Philosophy & Religion
Παῦλος – paulos
πολίτης Ταρσεύς Κιλικία
Citizen of Tarseus in Cilicia
The Hill of Ares or Mars’ Hill, depending on language reference of Greek or Roman for the god of war.
The Apostle Paul is about to make an important speech to the Romans and Hellenists studying in Athens in ~A.D. 50 at the university lecture hall of the day which sits atop a hill facing the crumbling 5th c. B.C. temples of Athena and many idols.
(Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something newer.)
Acts 17:21 LSB
To best understand the 1st century Roman-Hellenist culture of Athens read our two previous posts.
Acts 17:
Visiting Professor Paulus teaches on the topic of an unknown God addressing stoics, epicureans and other religious professors of idolatrous worship graciously.
“Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.
Acts 17:22b ESV
Those claiming Christ in this 21st century A.D. would do well to address unbelievers and idolaters with the same grace as Paul employed in the first century A.D. in the beginning of his apostleship into all the world of the gentiles.
What is Paul’s outline of a logical approach to the proclamation of the GOOD NEWS of JESUS CHRIST?
The Apostle to the Gentiles points toward the incarnation of Christ as a pivotal recent event in the timeline of human history as part of GOD’S timeless plan for mankind.
God who made the world
Therefore,
ACTS 17:23b NKJV – of the Apostle Paul in the Areopagus
the One whom you worship without knowing,
Him I proclaim to you:
The religious men and other men of Athens, as well as religious Romans adding their own iconic monuments to the Athens’ landscape of religious festivals, admittedly could not possibly know every god.
Therefore, Paul begins from their own documented conclusion. They need to hear what I have to proclaim about the TRUE GOD Romans and Greeks do not know.
(And God is NOT just the God of the Hebrews worshiped in Jerusalem.)
Who IS the GOD WHO MADE THE WORLD?
(Certainly not Zeus who was not in the beginning, nor the goddess Athena — but Paul does not even need to state this accepted timeline from mythology which does not worship the very God of creation.)
α – θεός (theos) does not live in temples made by man
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
β – ἀνθρώπινος (anthrōpinos) – mankind, timelines & nations
26 And he made from one man every nation (ethnos) of mankind (anthrōpos) to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way towards him and find him.
Although contemporary twisting of imagery limits such use of an archaic word, I like the more literal translation of this picture of man groping for God, as a blind person reaches near for that which can be touched.
.. in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us
Acts 17:26a NKJV & others
γ – ἐγώ (egō) in Him we live and move and exist
Now our Professor of Theology, Paul of Cilicia, quotes two poets likely studied by the university he addresses -- NOT Hebrew poets such as David or Solomon -- NOT Jesus, whose many teachings have become well-known these past twenty years -- but GREEK or Hellenist poets revered by the university of classical thought in Athens. One is likely from Crete, where earlier along with Barnabas, Paul professed Christ to the gentiles. Paul also quotes a classical Greek poet from the forth century B.C. - source
Paul's introduction of the One God (of the Hebrews) is non-confrontational, providing an outline of God's plan to have all people of all cultures and all nations seek and find the Living God at a time appointed by Him.
Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
Paul could have quoted Jesus here, who quoted David, but instead the Apostle to the Gentiles quotes their own learned teachers.
δ – οὖν – therefore as God’s offspring
The question never-the-less remains the same: WHAT IF GOD created YOU?
(It’s not simply a question of ONLY the FIRST MAN {adam}, therefore the Apostle leaves no room for arguments of philosophers backing him into a creation corner.)
- What if we are SONS (& DAUGHTERS) of the Living God?
- WHAT IF GOD CONSIDERS ME FAMILY?
29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.
Do you think of your own mother or your own father as one of these idolatrous worshiped things? Of course not! YET if you belong to GOD's own family with your LIVING human father and mother as progeny of the LIVING GOD and Creator of all life, how can you worship your loving God like a stone, a man-made myth or self-breathed thoughts?
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked,
ε – θεός νῦν παραγγέλλω – theos is now declaring
but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
30 “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent,
Acts 17:30 CSB
ζ – ἄνθρωπος πανταχοῦ μετανοέω – ALL men everywhere repent
The apostle to the Hellenists and Romans proclaims a STRONG authoritative choice to listeners in the Areopagus: GOD 'winked' (says the King James Version) but now commandeth all men every where to repent!
REPENT, therefore, sons and daughters of the Living God! For YOU are no longer ignorant. And WHY should you REPENT? WHY turn back to the Living God?
η – ἡμέρα κρίνω οἰκουμένη – a day he will judge righteousness
because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed;
Can WE SAVE the earth anymore than WE can save our own FLESH and BLOOD from DEATH and destruction?
But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
2 Peter 3:7 LSB
SO is this professor of the unknown god proclaiming that his teaching must be given authority over all other schools of thought about our gods? WHO IS THIS MAN Paulus of Cilicia claims will JUDGE all of mankind?
Α – πίστις – assurance
and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:12 διὰ τοῦτο ὥσπερ δι᾽ ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου ἡ ἁμαρτία εἰς τὸν κόσμον εἰσῆλθεν καὶ διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁ θάνατος καὶ οὕτως εἰς πάντας ἀνθρώπους ὁ θάνατος διῆλθεν ἐφ᾽ ᾧ πάντες ἥμαρτον & again, Paul’s letter to Roman believers 5:15 ESV
Ω – ἀναστήσας αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν – by raising Him from the dead!
He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
Acts of the Apostles 17:31b CSB
All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Gospel of Luke 10:22 ESV
I and the Father are one.”
Gospel of John 10:30 ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν
παντοκράτωρ – THE ALMIGHTY
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
The Revelation of the risen Jesus Christ to John 1:8 ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος ὁ παντοκράτωρ
CLICK HERE: For more information about Jesus Christ and Inerrant TRUTH: Our reasoned Biblical Faith.
ACTS of the Apostles – To Be Continued…
Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel
