Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles — Homily 38

St. John Chrysostom

1. 0. Greeting

Acts XVII. 16, 17

Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.

Observe how he meets with greater trials among the Jews than among the Gentiles. Thus in Athens he undergoes nothing of this kind; the thing goes as far as ridicule, and there an end: and yet he did make some converts: whereas among the Jews he underwent many perils; so much greater was their hostility against him.— His spirit, it says, was roused within him when he saw the city all full of idols. Nowhere else were so many objects of worship to be seen. But again he disputed with the Jews in the synagogue, and in the market daily with them that met with him. Then certain of the philosophers of the Stoics and Epicureans encountered him. [[Acts 17.18]] It is a wonder the philosophers did not laugh him to scorn, speaking in the way he did. And some said, What does this babbler mean to say? insolently, on the instant: — this is far from philosophy. Other some said, He seems to be a setter forth of strange gods, from the preaching, because he had no arrogance. They did not understand, nor comprehend the subjects he was speaking of — how should they? affirming as they did, some of them, that God is a body; others, that pleasure is the ( true ) happiness. Of strange gods, because he preached unto them Jesus and the Resurrection: for in fact they supposed Anastasis (the Resurrection) to be some deity, being accustomed to worship female divinities also. And having taken him, they brought him to the Areopagus [[Acts 17.19]] — not to punish, but in order to learn — to the Areopagus where the trials for murder were held. Thus observe, in hope of learning (they ask him), saying, May we know what is this new doctrine spoken of by you? For you bring certain strange matters to our ears [[Acts 17.20]]: everywhere novelty is the charge: we would fain know therefore, what these things may mean. It was a city of talkers, that city of theirs. For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing. Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars hill, and said, You men of Athens, I look upon you as being in all things (v. 21, 22)— he puts it by way of encomium: (the word) does not seem to mean anything offensive — δεισιδαιμονεστέρους, that is, εὐλαβεστέρους, more religiously disposed. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with his inscription, To an Unknown God. What therefore ye ignorantly worship, this declare I unto you. [[Acts 17.23]] — On which was inscribed, To an Unknown God. The Athenians, namely, as on many occasions they had received gods from foreign parts also — for instance, the temple of Minerva, Pan, and others from different countries — being afraid that there might be some other god not ye