- 2nd place the gospel was preached in
Europe; Philippi being the first.
- Through it ran the great Roman Road from
the Adriatic Sea to the Middle East called Egnatian Way.
- Over l00 miles from Philippi to
- Paul's lst canonized epistle was sent to
the Church in Thessalonica from Corinth around A.D.
"as his manner was" means he
kept the Sabbath.
Point: God was calling men and women.
Jason is mentioned in Rom. l6:2l as one of Paul's
countrymen, i.e. "kinsmen."
Paul's message: Christ as king -- The Kingdom of
"taken security" means made Jason put up bond,
forfeitable if there were further trouble.
Berea = 60 miles west of Thessalonica.
"search the scriptures daily" -- the Word of
Silas and Timothy stay in Berea.
Paul With Athenians (17:16-21)
Athens, History of (emphasis on
- Little known before 1900 B.C.
- Athens was one of the 1st
- 1st king was named Cecrops.
- 4. 682 B.C. saw beginning of elected
- State becomes a democracy -- 508
- Persian Wars -- 490 B.C. & 480
- Becomes literary and artistic center of
- Peloponnesian War (against Sparta) 431-404
B.C. Sparta won.
- Became finishing school for the sons of
wealthy Roman families.
- Greeks worshipped many gods.
- Each city-state had its own minor gods and
worshipped it in its own way.
Athens had city throughout
- Zeus = chief god, ruling men and other
gods -- lived on Mt. Olympus.
- Hera = wife of Zeus, goddess marriage and
- Greeks held many festivals in honor of
gods, e.g. dramas, prayers, animal sacrifices and
- Religion seemed childish to many
- Isis, an Egyptian goddess, and Mithras, a
Persian god, attracted many followers.
- Ancient Greek religion did not die until
Roman Emperor Justinian in A.D. 529.
Philosopher's followers (schools of
- Epicureans: Followed Epicurus (341-270
- Believed everything happened by
- Death was the end of all.
- Gods were remote from world and did not
- Pleasure was chief end of man.
- Stoics: Followed Zeno (340-265 B.C.)
- Believed everything was god -- god was
- All that happened was the will of God
and therefore must be accepted without
- That every so often the world
disintegrated in a conflagration and started over again on the same cycle of events.
Areopagus: The venerable council that had
charge of religious and educational matters in Athens.
(Greek) for Mars Hill.
Perhaps only 30 members.
Dealt also with cases of homicide.
To philosophize = major part of both Jewish and
All men are of one blood.
"The unknown God" means...
From Unger's Bible Dictionary:
- Agnostos theos = Greek mg. unknown
god. "...not addressed to
the philosophers; they did not
dedicate altars to unknown gods,
all such proceedings as
the mere superstition of the vulgar..."
- 600 years before this a terrible
pestilence had fallen on the city. A Cretian
Epimenides, came forward with a
plan. A flock of black and
white sheep were let loose
throughout the city from Mars Hill.
- “Epimendes put an end to a plague in
Athens by causing black and white sheep, which he had let loose on the Areopagus, to
be sacrificed on the spots where they lay down, to the god concerned, yet not known by
name, Viz., who was the author of the plague; and that therefore one may find in Athens altars
without the designation of a god by name.
From this particular instance the general view may be derived,
important occasions, when the
reference to a god known by name was wanting, as in public calamities of which no definite god could be
assigned as the author, in order to
honor or propitiate the god concerned by sacrifice, without
lighting upon a wrong one, altars were
erected which were destined and designated 'agnosto theo' (unknown God)."
God has set national
boundaries. See Job 12:23.
Paul knew Greek literature
and spoke Greek to these people.
"winked at" means "let it go on."
Theme = resurrection of dead. Also Isaiah 11:4; Revelations
Dionysius -- member of
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