Acts 17 is the seventeenth chapter of the
Acts of the Apostles in the
New Testament of the
ChristianBible. It records the second missionary journey of
Paul, together with
Silas and
Timothy. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that
Luke composed this book as well as the
Gospel of Luke.[1]
The second missionary journey of Paul took place in c. AD 49.[6]
Distances
The distance from
Philippi to
Amphipolis is about 33 miles (53 km) by Via Egnatia (which length was over 500 miles (800 km) from
Hellespont to
Dyrrhachium[7]) and further on this road from Amphipholis to
Apollonia in the district of Mydonia is about 30 miles (48 km), then 37 miles (60 km) from Apollonia to
Thessalonica,[8] as noted in
Antonine Itinerary.[9] From Thessalonica to Berea (modern
Veria) is about 80 kilometres (50 mi) westward.[10] Paul then traveled to 'the sea', which would have been at least 42 km at the nearest point, and then south to
Athens, approximately 300 km (most likely by sea, though it is possible that he walked the coastal road instead). The journey 'by night' from Thessalonica to Berea (
Acts 17:10) presumably took more than one night.
In Thessalonica (17:1–9)
Paul, Silas and Timothy continued the travel westward from
Philippi on Via Egnatia, passing several cities before arriving at
Thessalonica, which has a 'well-established Jewish community with a
synagogue' (verse 1), where Paul visited for three successive sabbaths speaking about the gospel (verse 2).[11] After an initial success among synagogue members extending to the receptive Gentile adherents (verse 4), an outbreak of 'jealousy' (or 'fundamentalist zeal': zelosantes, verse 5) occurred within 'the Jews', who took the city mob to launch an attack on Paul and Silas.[10] When Paul and Silas could not be found, the mob took a man named "Jason", as one of Paul's followers, to the civic authorities (called politarchs in verse 6; a title attested in inscriptional evidence for Thessalonica[12] with a charge of disturbance (verses 6–7)[10] that Paul's teaching of "the Kingdom" (cf.
Acts 28:31) was 'inherently incompatible with the personal oaths of loyalty to the emperor' as 'demanded of all inhabitants of the empire'.[13]
In Berea (17:10–15)
Paul's mission was initially dependent on 'the networks of the Jewish diaspora', that very time he arrived in an unfamiliar city, Paul first visited a synagogue to preach the gospel among the Jewish people. The Jews in Berea were noted as "more noble" (Greek: eugenesteroi, v. 11:
NRSV: "more receptive"), as they were willing to give a 'careful and open-minded examination' (Greek: anakrinontes, v. 11) of Paul's teaching, before many of them came to belief (verse 12).[10] There is a contrast between "women of high standing and men" who believe (verse 12) and "the crowds" ('the urban proletariat'), who were agitated by the Jews of Thessalonica (verse 13).[10]
In Athens (17:16–21)
The absence of any mention of places between
Berea and
Athens provides presumptive evidence that Paul indeed travel by sea, 'rounding the
promontory of
Sunium, entered Athens by the
Piræus'.[14] That he spent some time waiting in Athens (verse 16) is confirmed by
1 Thessalonians 3:1–6, which must have been written not long after this time.[10] The philosophical scene (verse 18) was reminiscent of the classical period in Athens, when Socrates engaged in philosophical dialogue (Greek: dielegeto, "argued', verse 17) in the streets and agora of Athens, and the charge against Paul about proclaiming "foreign divinities" (Greek: xenon daimonion, verse 18) would remind the charge brought against Socrates of preaching "new divinities" (Greek: kaina daimonia: cf.
Xenophon, Memorabilia 1.1.1–4; only here in the
New Testament that daimonia has the neutral Greek sense 'divine beings' instead of 'evil spirits').[10] The Areopagus was the chief administrative body at that time in Athens.[15]
Verse 18
Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, "What does this babbler want to say?"
Others said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods," because he preached to them
Jesus and the
resurrection.[16]
Epicureans and
Stoics are from two most dominant and popular schools of
philosophy in Athens at that time (more than
Academics and
Peripatetics) and also with the greater contrast of teachings with the doctrines of Christianity, that Paul preached ("encountered" or "in conflict with", from Greek: συνέβαλλον, syneballon; cf.
Luke 14:31).[17]
"Babbler": translated from
Greek: σπερμολογος, spermologos literally "seed-picker", figuratively "one who picks up scraps of knowledge".[18]
The speech, known as the Areopagus sermon, refers to a sermon or explanation delivered by
Apostle Paul at the
Areopagus in
Athens, and described in
Acts 17:16–34.[19][20] The Areopagus sermon is the most dramatic and fullest reported speech of the missionary career of Saint Paul and followed a shorter address in
LystraActs 14:15–17.[21] Paul explained concepts such as the
resurrection of the dead and
salvation, in effect a prelude to the future discussions of Christology. According to the record, after the sermon, a number of people became followers of Paul. These included a woman named
Damaris, and Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus. This latter has at times been suggested as
Dionysius the Areopagite, but that may be a historical confusion.[22]
Verse 28
for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring'.[23]
"'For we are also His offspring'":
Paul might take this quotation from two poets:[14]
Aratus, probably of
Tarsus[14] or
Soli in
Cilicia[17] (~272 BC), thus Paul's countryman. The words τοῦ γὰρ καὶ γένος ἐσμέν ("For we too are his offspring") are found in a didactic poem titled "Phenomena", comprising the main facts of astronomical and meteorological science at that time, starting with an invocation to Zeus.[14][17][a]
Cleanthes (~300 BC), of
Assos in
Mysia, who wrote ἐκ σοῦ γὰρ γένος ἐσμέν ("For we thine offspring are") in a hymn to Zeus.[14][17][b]
^Horsley, G. H. R. (1994), The Politarchs, in Gill and Gempf (1994), pp. 419–431; apud Alexander 2007 p. 1050.
^Barrett, C. K. (1994–9), The International Critical Commentary: Acts (2 vols.; Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark). ii. pp. 815–816; apud Alexander 2007 p. 1050.
^Gill, D. (1994), Achaia, in Gill and Gempf (1994) (eds.), The Book of Acts in its First Century Setting, ii. Graeco-Roman Setting (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans), p. 447; apud Alexander 2007, p. 1050
They fashioned a tomb for you, holy and high one,
Cretans, always liars, evil beasts, idle bellies.
But you are not dead: you live and abide forever, For in you we live and move and have our being.
Sources
Alexander, Loveday (2007). "62. Acts". In Barton, John; Muddiman, John (eds.).
The Oxford Bible Commentary (first (paperback) ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 1028–1061.
ISBN978-0199277186. Retrieved February 6, 2019.