A Seminar Paper on Preaching Of Paul (Acts 17)

Submitted to: Dr. Susan Mathew Submitted by: Sam

Varghese
Subject: Study Of Acts

Introduction
Acts of Apostles is a part of the Gospel of Luke. Besides Pauline Epistles, this is the only book that describes
the origin, growth and development of the Christian Churches. Church’s doctrines and practices are the major
themes of this book. In The Book of Acts, Peter is confined within the first part of the book (Ch. 1-12), rest of
the section deals with the activities of Apostle Paul (Ch. 13-28). This seminar paper deals with the preaching
of Paul in Athens which is mentioned in Acts 17.

Paul in Athens
Paul travelled to different poles in the Roman Empire where he encountered an amalgam of different religious
beliefs and practices. The account of Paul’s second missionary journey contains one of the most interesting
moments in the Apostle’s life, his trip to the epicentre of ancient philosophy—Athens. Paul arrived in Athens
after having escaped Jewish agitators in Thessalonica and Berea. He remained in Athens for an undisclosed
amount of time as he waited for his companions. Many questions remain concerning the purpose of Paul’s
visit to Athens. Was it simply the most convenient stop in his escape from the persecution of the Thessalonian
Jews? Or was he seeking a brief respite from his missionary travels and trials? Answers to these questions
remain unsolved, but whatever the purpose for the visit, Luke deemed the events of Paul’s Athenian mission
worth telling.

Athens: An Idolatrous City

Luke recounted that while in Athens, Paul encountered pervasive idolatry. He recorded that Paul’s “spirit was
stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry” (Acts 17:16). 1 Paul’s heart was stirred by the
history of this great city and its worship of idols.2 Paul noted the idols of the city at the beginning of his
speech, “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions” (Acts 17:23).3

Characteristics of Paul’s Sermon

Paul could not begin by quoting the Scriptures and speaking of the long expected Messiah for whom the Jews
had looked. Neither the Scriptures nor the Messiah were known to the people in Athens. Before he could
preach Jesus Christ as the Son of God, he must first make them acquainted with God Himself: and for this
purpose Paul's observations in the city had supplied him with an excellent text. Paul's sermon is a masterpiece
in every way; in its introduction, in the line of thought, in the aptness for the audience, and in its climax. 4 It
was bold, but it did not offend in a bungling manner. It refuted some of the beliefs of the hearers, yet in a
manner to convince and win. He stated the truth squarely and fully but so as to lift it above the follies of error.
It was reasonable and directed to the heart or mind. He sought to win men but only by glorifying God and the
Lord Jesus Christ. He was not able to finish his discourse, but it did not fail of divinely-given fruit as we shall
see. He boldly proclaimed the "Unknown God" to them, saying, "What therefore you worship in ignorance,
this I proclaim to you" (v. 23).

1
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4687&context=etd (Accessed on 04/08.2018)
2
R.E. Wycherley described the abundance of idols as a “veritable forest of idols.” R. E. Wycherley, “St. Paul at Athens,” The
Journal of Theological Studies 19, no. 2 (October 1968): 619.
3
Oscar Broneer, “Athens, City of Idol Worship,” The Biblical Archaeologist 21, no. 1 (February 1958): 3.
4
Thomas H L Cornman ed.Proclaiming Jesus: Essays on the centrality of Christ in the Church (Chicago:Moody Publishers, 2007) ,
73.
Paul’s Order in the Sermon
1) To make these idol worshipers acquainted with God;
2) To call on them to repent toward God; and
3) To present Jesus as the One through whom their repentance might be available in enabling them to obtain
the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life.
Having reached the chief point, Paul's sermon was interrupted. He was not permitted to finish.

Paul’s Introduction to the Sermon

Paul's introduction is a gem because it led so simply and directly to his subject. He recognized that they were
very religious, meaning that they were "very demon fearing". Athens stood in the front rank of "demon
worshipers" because of the number of their divinities and the multiplicity of statues and shrines. 5 The word
"demon" was used in their sense of "divinities", all kinds of Gods, deified heroes, virtues, and such like. The
Athenians were not "more religious" than pagans generally, but they had far more divinities to occupy their
attention.

His reference to” The Unknown God”

Paul tells them that among their divinities he had found "an altar with this inscription, "TO AN UNKNOWN
GOD." What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you" (v.23) .By this fine turn he eluded
the force of that law which made it a capital offence to introduce any new God into the state, as he could have
been accused of doing (v.18). Thus he showed that he was not bringing a new God or a new worship, but only
explaining the worship of one already acknowledged by the state, though not as yet known. 6 He intended to
regard this altar and its inscription only as a confession on their part, that despite their multitude of divinities,
one God existed of whom they themselves said that, while they knew of Him, they did not in any way know
Hind Paul was there to proclaim the very God Who was far from their knowledge: namely the truth about this
one and only true God, the facts that will make them realize that all of their other Gods and divinities are
fictions, base delusions, to be forever cast aside.

First, Paul labours to prove that God is not an idol (vs.24-28). He proves this by citing some things that
God is and has done: 1) This God "made the world and all things in it..." 2) "He is Lord of heaven and earth..."
3) He "does not dwell in temples made with hands...; 4) "neither is He served by human hands, as though He
needed anything..." 5) "He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things'...; 6) "He made from one (man),
every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth..."; 7) He "determined their appointed times, and
the boundaries of their habitation...'; 8) "that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and
find Him, though He is not far from each one of us'; 9) "for in Him we live and move and exist..."; 10) "as
even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His offspring." These are powerful, far-reaching
claims that they had never heard made on behalf of any God they had ever known. They must have been
astounded by the reminder from this stranger that their own poets had claimed that even the Greeks were the
offspring of this One Almighty God! The contrast between this God whom Paul declared and all those lifeless
idols that they worshiped must have been overwhelming to them. There was not a God for this and another
God for that like the 30,000 Gods of the Athenians.
The Greek Stoics believed the universe was eternal, self-existing, not made by any outside agency; something
like the unbelievers and atheists believe today. Since God made all things, this made Him Lord, not of the sea,
as Neptune; nor of the sky, as Jupiter; but "Lord of heaven and earth." God is Lord of all things and of all

5
http://www.theexaminer.org/volume7/number4/sermon.htm (Accessed on 04/08.2018)
6
Lynn Allan Losie, “Paul’s Speech on Areopagus: A Model of Cross-cultural Evangelism,” in Mission in Acts: Ancient Narratives
in Contemporary Context, edited by Robert L. Gallagher and Paul Hertig (New York: Orbis Books, 2004): 221-238.
people! Even the Athenians had wisdom enough to know that their Gods had made nothing at all and they
ruled nothing at all. Yet in their ignorance they knew of nothing better as an explanation of how the world,
people, and all things came into being.
Paul now begins to tell them about this God who is "unknown" to them. He says: "What therefore you
worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you" (vs.23). First, he told them that "The God who made the world
and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands..." (vs.
24). No doubt Paul alluded or pointed to some of the magnificent marble temples which were in sight around
him. Their Gods did indeed dwell in a temple made by human hands and that was their only place of abode,
unless someone moved them.
Paul affirmed that "neither Is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself
gives to all life and breath and all things..." (V. 25). God does not need anything from His creatures. Paul said
that God needed nothing from man "since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things..." (V. 25.)
Paul further claimed that this one God "made from one [man] every nation of mankind to live on all the face
of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation..." (v.26). Note
that Paul affirms that the whole human race started with one man; and Adam (with Eve) was that man! Paul
affirmed that this One God "determined" for the various nations, "their appointed times, and the boundaries of
their habitation" (v. 26).7 The seasons of prosperity and adversity of all these nations, along with their national
boundaries, were determined, and controlled, by this one God. Now all of this had a purpose: "...that they
(men} should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each
one of us..." (Vs. 27). The purpose is that God wants men to seek after Him come to know Him, and obey
Him.  Paul proclaimed the nearness of God: "...for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your
own poets have said, 'For we are his offspring" (V.28). Paul offers this as another reason why we should easily
find Him -- "for we are His offspring." Here Paul apparently quotes from a Greek poet, Aratus thus showing
his knowledge of Greek writers. Others had said the same thing Aratus had written. On two other occasions
Paul quoted from such sources: 1 Cor. 15:33 and Titus 1:12.
Continuing his speech to them, Paul said: "Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the
Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man" (vs.29). It seems
that Paul Is saying that since man is the offspring of God, they should have certainly found God sufficiently,
so that they would know that as the One in whom they live, move, and are, no images of gold, silver, or stone,
things fashioned by the creature, could in the least be like God.
Having made known the one true God, Paul next calls upon them to repent of their idolatry and turn from it.
God then. and now, demands that men everywhere repent. Paul assigns a powerful motive to prompt
repentance: because God "has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man
whom He has appointed having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." That Man is Jesus
Christ. Jesus is here introduced not as a loving Savior, but as the universal Judge of all men.

Paul’s Method of Contextualization in Acts 17

Paul presents the gospel according to the context of the people. it is clearly seen in Acts 17 when he presented
the gospel to the pagans, even cultured pagans like the members of the court of Aropagus, it was necessary to
begin with a statement about the living and true God 8 but Paul knew the wisdom of adapting his tone and
general approach to the particular audience or readership being addressed at that time. This speech is well
designed to serve as a sample of his preaching to pagans. Here again he is contextualizing, he did not quote
Hebrew Scriptures which would have been unknown to his hearers; direct quotation in this speech are
quotations from Greek poets.9 But he does not condescend to his hearers’ level by arguing from principle as
one of their own philosophers might do. His argument firmly based on biblical revelation; it echoes
7
Wallace N. Stearns .The Apostle Paul in Athens The Biblical World, Vol. 37, No. 6 (The University of Chicago Press:Jun., 1911),
pp. 411-419
8
F.F.Bruce, The Book of Acts, (Michigan: Eerdmans, 1988), 334.
9
Ibid.,335.
throughout the thought, and at times the very language, of the old testament. Like the biblical revelation itself,
his argument begins with God the creator of all and ends with God Judge all.10
His mentioning of the Athenians’ extraordinary religiosity 11 was not necessarily a compliment exordia in
addressing the Areopagus court, with the hope of securing its goodwill. Instead the expression Paul used could
also mean “rather superstitious” it was as vague a term in Greek as “religion” is in English, and what was
piety to Greeks was superstition to Jews (and vice versa).12 In this context Paul goes on to tell them, among
their religious installation there was one which particularly attracted his attention. Alter inscribed “to the
unknown God” using this phrase he contextualized his message. Then he begins to tell them about true God.
It is He who created the universe and everything in it; he is the Lord of heaven and earth. Here is the God of
biblical revelation; no distinction is pressed between a supreme being and a demiurge who fashioned the
material world.

The Results of the Sermon

Negative: Some sneered and mocked when they heard of the resurrection of the dead. The idea of such was
preposterous to these scoffers. Just who they were, whether Epicureans or Stoics, or both, is not certain. They
laughed at needed truth. So have millions of others acted in like manner. "Others said, We will hear you again
concerning this." Whether they were sincere or not we cannot know. Probably they were just being polite,
since they were likely part of those who had invited Paul to speak. Verse 33 tells us that "Paul went out of
their midst." He had done his best to reach them with the message of the God of heaven.
Positive: "But some men joined him and believed, among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite and a
woman named Damaris and others with them." They were closely drawn to Paul and could not tear
themselves away. Luke tells us that they "believed." It is thought by some that Dionysius was one of the
twelve judges of the Athenian Court. Eusebius, the historian, says that he became afterwards bishop of the
church at Athens and died a martyr.There was also the woman named Damaris. It was unusual for a woman to
be found in an audience of philosophers. Who she was is not certain, but she was likely a prominent woman in
the city.

Conclusion
Paul’s Areopagus speech has received much attention by scholars because of its complicated theology.
However, it becomes less complex when the context and the audience for Paul’s speech are considered. The
speech itself is evidence that Luke portrayed Paul as speaking to the Areopagus and not giving a public
sermon to the populace of Athens nor giving a missionary sermon to Jews in the synagogue. Rather, Paul was
speaking to a very specific audience who had religious jurisdiction over the city of Athens, an audience which
necessitated Paul’s rhetorical best. Paul cited Hellenistic philosophy to gain the attention of his audience,
demonstrate that his theology was not foreign to their own beliefs, and move toward an invitation to repent.
This context helps the reader understand why Paul addressed the Areopagus with points of contact with
Hellenistic philosophies. His purpose was to drive his audience toward a proper conception of the true God.
The Father had in times past winked at their ignorance but now was demanding that these educated pagan
philosophers change their lives. God had ushered in a new era, marked by the Resurrection of and the pending
judgment by Jesus Christ.

10
Bruce, The Book of Acts,334.
11
According to F.F. Bruce concerning Athenians religiosity states, an impression made on many other people in antiquity, some of
whom considered the Athenians to be the most religious of all human being.
12
Bruce, The Book of Acts, 335.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Broneer,Oscar. “Athens, City of Idol Worship,” The Biblical Archaeologist 21, no. 1 (February 1958): 3.

Bruce, F.F. New Testament History. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1980.

Cornman, Thomas H. L,. ed. Proclaiming Jesus: Essays on the centrality of Christ in the Church. Chicago:
Moody Publishers, 2007.

Losie, Lynn, Allan. “Paul’s Speech on Areopagus: A Model of Cross-cultural Evangelism,” in Mission in
Acts: Ancient Narratives in Contemporary Context, edited by Robert L. Gallagher and Paul Hertig, New
York: Orbis Books, 2004.

Stearns, Wallace N.The Apostle Paul in Athens The Biblical World, Vol. 37, No. 6. The University of Chicago
Press: Jun., 1911.

Wycherley, R. E. “St. Paul at Athens,” The Journal of Theological Studies 19, no. 2 (October 1968): 619. R.E.
Wycherley described the abundance of idols as a “veritable forest of idols.”

WEBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.theexaminer.org/volume7/number4/sermon.htm (Accessed on 04/08.2018)

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4687&context=etd (Accessed on 04/08.2018)