Chapter 17 Acts 17

Paul and Silas in Thessalonica (vv. 1-9)
Paul and Silas in Berea (vv. 10-15)
Paul in Athens (vv. 16-34)

Paul and Silas in Thessalonica (vv. 1-9)

          Paul and Silas travelled a on through Amphipolis b and Apollonia c and came to Thessalonica, d where there was a synagogue. 2 According to his usual habit Paul went to the synagogue. There during three Sabbaths e he held discussions with the people, quoting 3 and explaining the Scriptures, and proving from them that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from death. “This Jesus whom I announce to you,” Paul said, “is the Messiah.” 4 Some of them were convinced and joined Paul and Silas; so did many of the leading women f and a large group of Greeks who worshipped God.
          5 But the Jews were jealous and gathered some of the worthless loafers from the streets and formed a mob. They set the whole city in an uproar and attacked the home of a man named Jason, g in an attempt to find Paul and Silas and bring them out to the people. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city authorities and shouted, “These men have caused trouble everywhere! Now they have come to our city, 7 and Jason has kept them in his house. They are all breaking the laws of the Emperor, saying that there is another king, h whose name is Jesus.” 8 With these words they threw the crowd and the city authorities in an uproar. 9 The authorities made Jason and the others pay the required amount of money i to be released, and then let them go.

Interesting Stuff:

a One very important Roman highway ran through Philippi, Amphipolis, Apollonia and Thessalonica and westwards across Macedonia to the coast from where travellers could sail across to Italy. Paul’s missionary journeys were greatly helped with the availability of such good highways. If a person travelled about 48 km (30 miles) a day, each city could be reached after one day’s journey.

b Amphipolis was located 53 km (33 miles) southwest of Philippi. It was at one time the capital of the northern district of Macedonia. But though it was larger and more important than Philippi, Paul and his companions ‘passed through’ it.

c As they continued west-southwest, they also passed through Apollonia some 43 km (27 miles) beyond Amphipolis. Their desire was to reach Thessalonica, lying another 56 km (35 miles) south- west of Apollonia.

d Thessalonica (modern Salonika) was the present capital of Macedonia and its largest and most prosperous city. It linked the rich agricultural plains of the Macedonian interior with the land and sea routes to the east. As a large commercial and government city of perhaps 200,000, Thessalonica naturally attracted diverse groups of people, including a substantial Jewish population. Paul seems to have looked on it as the strategic centre for the spread of the gospel throughout that area. Therefore Paul and Silas – though doubtless in some pain from their recent beating – pushed on resolutely the 161 km (100 miles) from Philippi to Thessalonica.

e These three Sabbaths represent the time spent in the synagogue reasoning with the Jews, not Paul’s total time in Thessalonica. An analysis of the Thessalonian letters reveals that Paul had taught them much more doctrine than would have been possible in two or three weeks.

f These were women of high standing in the city who were probably the wives of the important citizens of the city.

g Jason was probably one of the Jewish converts. Paul was most likely staying in his house.

h For a Jew, blasphemy was the most serious accusation. For a Roman, treason, i.e., supporting a rival king above Caesar, was the worst accusation.

i The charges against Paul and Silas and their companions naturally alarmed the city officials. But apparently they found the evidence for the charges scanty for after all, Paul and Silas could not be found. Therefore, they took what they thought to be a moderate and reasonable course of action. They made Jason and those with him post a bond or bail, i.e., probably some kind of payment or agreement to assure them that there would be no further trouble. He could possibly face the confiscation of his properties and perhaps even death. This probably meant that Paul and Silas had to leave Thessalonica and that their friends had to promise that they would not come back, at least during the term of office of the present city officials.

Questions:

  1. Where did Paul and Silas travel to after leaving Philippi (v. 1)?

Hover Over for Answer:
They travelled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and went to Thessalonica.

2. What usual pattern did Paul follow as he entered this city (v. 2)?

Hover Over for Answer:
He went to the synagogue as was his pattern and held discussions with the people there. He would quote and explain the Scriptures to prove that Jesus was the Messiah who had to suffer and rise from death.

3. What did Paul preach about in the synagogue (vv. 2-3)?

Hover Over for Answer:
He preached that Jesus was the Messiah who had suffered and risen from death, as foretold by the Scriptures.

4. Describe what happened as a result of what he said in the synagogue (vv. 4-9).

Hover Over for Answer:
As a result of what Paul preached, some of the Jews and many of the leading women and a large group of Greeks who worshipped God were convinced and joined Paul and Silas. However the other Jews were jealous and gathered some of the loafers from the streets to form a mob. They set the whole city in an uproar and attacked the home of a man named Jason to try and find Paul and Silas. But when the mob could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city authorities. They shouted that these men who had caused trouble everywhere had come to their city and was being sheltered by Jason in his house. They accused them of breaking all the laws of the Emperor and claiming that there was another king, Jesus. They threw the whole city into an uproar with their words. So the authorities made Jason and the others pay the required amount of money to be released before they were set free.

Summary of Section:

  1. Paul and Silas travelled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica.
  2. There Paul went to the synagogue as was his habit and for three Sabbaths, he held discussions with the people, quoting and explaining the Scriptures, and proving from them that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from death.
  3. He announced that Jesus was this Messiah. Some of the Jews and many of the leading women and a large group of Greeks who worshipped God believed and followed him and Silas.
  4. The other Jews were jealous and gathered some loafers from the streets and formed a mob.
  5. They set the whole city in an uproar and attacked the home of Jason because they wanted to find Paul and Silas.
  6. When they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city authorities. They shouted that these men had caused trouble everywhere and had come into their city and were being kept by Jason. They accused them of breaking all the laws of the Emperor and claiming that there was another king, Jesus.
  7. Their words threw the whole city into an uproar. And so the city authorities demanded that Jason and the others pay them the required amount of money before releasing them.

Nuggets of Wisdom

  1. From Paul’s letter to the Thessalo- nians, we get an insight into the kind of ministry he and Silas had while they were in Thessalonica. In spite of having been ‘mistreated and insulted in Philippi’ (1 Th 2:2), Paul and Silas received strength from God to preach the gospel in Thessalonica.
  2. Because Paul preached ‘not with words only, but also with power and the Holy Spirit’ (1Th 1:5), many believed, including Gentiles. The converts probably formed a separate group and met apart from the syna- gogue, most likely in the house of Jason. Paul’s successful drawing away of the Gentiles aroused the jealousy of the Jews because these were potential converts to Judaism.
  3. They were accused of not only creating trouble but also of working against the Emperor which was a very serious charge indeed. The expression that Luke uses about Jason and the others being released on bail has also the sense that the authorities were extracting an agree- ment from them that Paul and Silas would leave town and not return. They would have to pay severe penalties if the agreement was broken. It was probably this legal ban that Paul saw as Satan preventing him from returning to Thessalonica (1 Th 2:18).

Paul and Silas in Berea (vv. 10-15)

          10 As soon as night came, the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. j When they arrived, they went to the synagogue. 11 The people there were more open-minded than the people in Thessalonica. They listened to the message with great eagerness, and every day they studied the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was really true. 12 Many of them believed; and many Greek women of high social standing and many Greek men also believed. 13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica heard that Paul had preached the word of God in Berea also, they came there and started exciting and stirring up the mobs. 14 At once the believers sent Paul away to the coast; but both Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea. 15 The men who were taking Paul went with him as far as Athens k and then returned to Berea with instructions from Paul that Silas and Timothy should join him as soon as possible.

Interesting Stuff:

j The bond Jason and his friends posted would have been forfeited were Paul and Silas to be found in their homes. So the brothers sent them, together with Timothy, on to Berea, some 81 km (50 miles) southwest of Thessalonica. Berea was of little importance historically or politically, though it had a large population in NT times.

k Athens had been the most important city in ancient Greece since the fifth century B.C. Everybody knew about Athens. Even after it became part of the Roman Empire, it still boasted of its rich tradition in philosophy, literature and art. It had retained its reputation in philosophy through the years and still maintained a leading university in Paul’s day. Of the three great university cities Athens, Tarsus and Alexandria, Athens was the most famous.

Questions:

  1. What did Paul and Silas do when they reached Berea (v. 10)?

Hover Over for Answer:
Paul and Silas went to the synagogue and talked to the people.

2. In what way were the Jews in Berea different from the Jews in Thessalonica (vv. 11-12)?

Hover Over for Answer:
The Jews here were more open-minded than the Thessalonian Jews and listened to the message with eagerness. They then studied the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was really true. As a result, many of them believed, including many Greek men and Greek women of high social standing.

3. Why did Paul have to leave Berea immediately (vv. 13-14)?

Hover Over for Answer:
They had to leave Berea quickly because the Jews from Thessalonica came and started stirring up the mobs when they heard that Paul had preached God’s word in Berea.

4. Where was Paul taken and what instructions did he give those who accompanied him (vv. 14-15)?

Hover Over for Answer:
He was taken by the believers away to the coast and then to Athens. He gave the men instructions that Silas and Timothy should join him as soon as possible.

Summary of Section:

  1. As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea.
  2. When they arrived, they went to the synagogue. The people there were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica.
  3. They listened to the message with great eagerness and every day they stud- ied the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was really true.
  4. Many believed, including many Greek men and women of high social standing.
  5. When the Jews in Thessalonica heard that Paul had preached in Berea, they came there and stirred up the mobs.
  6. Immediately the believers sent Paul away to the coast and to Athens.
  7. They then returned with instructions that Timothy and Silas should join Paul as soon as possible.

Nuggets of Wisdom

  1. As was Paul’s pattern, he went to the synagogue first to preach about the Good News of Jesus Christ.
  2. Luke records their enthusiasm for Paul’s preaching, together with their diligence and openness, a reaction that was far different from that given by the Jews in Thessalonica. In other translations the word used was not ‘studied the Scriptures’ but ‘exam- ined’. This word is used in the sense of when people are investigated in court. It implies checking through objectively and without prejudice. Ever since then, the adjective ‘Berean’ has been applied to people who study the Scriptures with care and without prejudice.
  3. But as on their earlier missionary journey where the Jews of Pisidian Antioch and Iconium followed them to Lystra and stirred up trouble, so now the Jews of Thessalonica, hear- ing of what Paul and Silas were doing in Berea, came to repeat what they had successfully done in Thessalo- nica. But this time, the Christians did not wait and risk another public uproar but immediately sent Paul away.
  4. Evidently the Berean Christians recognised that not only was Paul not safe at Thessalonica but he was not safe anywhere else in the region. They knew the Thessalonian Jews had the support of the authorities within the province. So the Bereans acted immediately as if they were taking Paul to a coastal town to sail for some other country. Having thrown their opponents off the track, they escorted Paul down to the province of Achaia and into Athens.
  5. Silas and Timothy remained in Berea since they were not in such danger as Paul. But when those accompanying Paul to Athens returned to Berea, they brought a message from Paul for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. This was probably because Paul saw that Athens was another strategic centre for proclaim- ing the gospel and he wanted Silas and Timothy with him.

Paul in Athens (vv. 16-34)

          16 While Paul was waiting in Athens for Silas and Timothy, he was greatly upset when he noticed how full of idols l the city was. 17 So he held discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the Gentiles who worshipped God, and also in the public square m every day with the people who happened to come by. 18 Certain Epicurean n and Stoic o teachers also debated with him. Some of them asked, “What is this ignorant show-off p trying to say?”
          Others answered, “He seems to be talking about foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 So they took Paul, brought him before the city council, the Areopagus, q and said, “We would like to know what this new teaching is that you are talking about. 20 Some of the things we hear you say sound strange to us, and we would like to know what they mean.” (21 For all the citizens of Athens and the foreigners who lived there liked to spend all their time telling and hearing the latest new thing.)
          22 Paul stood up in front of the city council and said, “I see that in every way you Athenians are very religious. 23 For as I walked through your city and looked at the places where you worship, I found an altar on which is written, ‘To an Unknown God.’ r That which you worship, then, even though you do not know it, is what I now proclaim to you. 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in man-made temples. 25 Nor does he need anything that we can supply by working for him, since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything else to everyone. 26 From one man he created all races of mankind and made them live throughout the whole earth. He himself fixed beforehand the exact times and the limits of the places where they would live. 27 He did this so that they would look for him, and perhaps find him as they felt around for him. Yet God is actually not far from any of us; 28 as someone s has said,

         ‘In him we live and move and exist.’
It is as some of your poets have said,
        ‘We too are his children.’

          29 Since we are God’s children, we should not suppose that his nature is anything like an image of gold or silver or stone, shaped by the art and skill of man. 30 God has overlooked t the times when people did not know him, but now he commands all of them everywhere to turn away from their evil ways. 31 For he has fixed a day in which he will judge the whole world with justice by means of a man he has chosen. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising that man from death!”
          32 When they heard Paul speak about a raising from death, u some of them made fun of him, but others said, “We want to hear you speak about this again.” 33 And so Paul left the meeting. 34 Some men joined him and believed, among whom was Dionysius, v a member of the council; there was also a woman named Damaris, w and some other people.

Interesting Stuff:

l When Paul came to Athens, its population probably numbered no more than 10,000. It used to have a glorious past but was now on the decline. Its temples and statues were related to the worship of the Greek gods, and its culture was pagan. Therefore Paul could not help but be disturbed by the idolatrous culture of Athens. In spite of not wanting to begin a mission in Athens until Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul could not keep from proclaiming the Good News about Jesus the Messiah when he attended the synagogue on the Sabbath.

m This was the marketplace, the agora, i.e., the town meeting place where the people met for exchange of merchandise, information and ideas, and the centre of Athenian life.

n Athens was the home of the rival Epicurean and Stoic schools of philosophy. Epicurus, the founder, held that pleasure was the chief goal of life. To him, the pleasure most worth enjoying was a life of tranquility free from pain, disturbing passions, superstitious fears, and anxiety about death. He did not deny the existence of gods but argued that they took no interest in the lives of people.

o Zeno was the founder of Stoicism. He taught that people should live in harmony with nature, recognise their own self-suffi- ciency and independence, and suppress their desires. The Stoics believed in the existence of many gods and considered God as the ‘world’s soul’.

p Other translations use the word ‘babbler’. The Greek word originally meant ‘seed picker’, a bird picking up seeds here and there. Then it came to refer to the loafer in the marketplace who picked up whatever scraps of learning he could find and paraded them without digesting them himself.

q Areopagus’ means ‘Hill of Ares’ or ‘Mars Hill’. Ares was the Greek god of thunder and war (the Roman equivalent was Mars). The hill overlooked the agora or marketplace and had once been the site of the meeting of the Court or Council. The Areopagus is also the name of the council that met on this hill. By NT times the Areopagus retained authority only in the areas of religion and morals. They considered themselves the custodians or keepers of teachings that introduced new religions and foreign gods.

r The Greeks were fearful of offending any god by failing to give him attention. So they felt they could cover any mistakes by the label ‘unknown god’.

s In support of his teaching about God being the creator of humankind, Paul quoted sayings from two Greek poets.

t God had not judged them for worshipping false gods because of their ignorance.

u The Greeks accepted the idea of the immortality of the soul, i.e., that the soul lives forever. However, they did not believe in the resurrection of a dead body.

v Although it cannot be proven, later tradition states that he became bishop of Athens.

w Some have suggested that she must have been a foreign, educated woman to have been present at a public meeting such as the Areopagus. It is also possible that she was a God-fearing Gentile who had heard Paul at the synagogue.

Questions:

  1. Describe what Paul did as he waited for Timothy and Silas to join him (vv. 16-17).

Hover Over for Answer:
As Paul waited for Silas and Timothy, he noticed that the city was full of idols and became very upset. So he held discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and Gentiles who worshipped God, and daily in the public square with the people who happened to come by. He debated also with the Epicurean and Stoic teachers.

2. How did the people who heard him respond (vv. 18-20)?

Hover Over for Answer:
Some of the Epicurean and Stoic teachers saw him as an ignorant show-off who did not know what he was talking about. Others said that he was talking about foreign gods. So they brought him before the Areopagus and told him that they would like to know the new teaching he was proclaiming. They were curious to know about the strange things Paul was saying regarding Jesus and the resurrection.

3. What reason did Paul give to the Areopagus for describing the Athenians as being very religious (vv. 22-23)?

Hover Over for Answer:
He explained that as he walked through the city and looked at the places where they worshipped, he even saw an altar dedicated to an ‘Unknown God’. He considered them religious because they not only worshipped many gods but they even worshipped a God despite not knowing who He was.

4. State briefly what Paul told them about who God is (vv. 24-31).

Hover Over for Answer:
He told them that this God is the Lord of heaven and earth because He created the world and everything in it. He does not live in man- made temples nor does He need anything from man since He is the One who gives life and breath to everyone. He created all the races from one man and made them live throughout the world, fixing beforehand the exact times and places where man is to live. God did all this so that man would look for Him and find Him even though God is not far from anyone. He added that they were all God’s children and thus they should not expect that God’s image could be shaped into an image of stone or silver or gold. God had overlooked the times when people did not know Him. However, He had fixed a day when He would judge the whole world with justice by means of a man He had chosen. God had given proof of this to everyone by raising this man Jesus from death.

5. What two things did he tell them about Jesus (v. 31)?

Hover Over for Answer:
He told them that Jesus was the person chosen by God to judge the whole world. He had died but God had raised him from the death and so prove that he is the one who will be the righteous judge of the world.

6. What were the reactions of the people to all that Paul said (vv. 32-34)?

Hover Over for Answer:
Some of them made fun of him but there were others who wanted to hear him speak again about the resurrection of Jesus. Some joined him and believed.

7. Name two persons who believed Paul’s message that day (v. 34).

Hover Over for Answer:
They were Dionysius, a member of the council and a woman named Damaris.

Summary of Section:

  1. While Paul was waiting in Athens for Silas and Timothy, he was greatly upset as he noticed how full of idols the city was.
  2. So he held discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the Gentiles who worshipped God, and also daily in the public square with whoever came by.
  3. Certain Epicurean and Stoic teachers debated with him. Some saw him as an ignorant show-off. Others said that he was talking about some foreign gods as he shared about Jesus.
  4. So they brought him before the Areopagus and told him to explain about his new teaching. This was because the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there liked to spend all their time telling and listening to the newest things.
  5. Paul stood up in front of the Areopagus and told them that he recognised they were very religious. As he walked around and looked at their places of worship, he saw an altar dedicated ‘To an Unknown God’.
  6. He told them that he would now proclaim to them who this God is whom they worshipped without knowing:
    i) He is Lord of heaven and earth because He created the world and everything in it.
    ii) He does not live in man-made temples.
    iii) He does not need anything from man for He is the one who gives life and breath and everything else to mankind.
    iv) From one man He created all races and made them live throughout the whole earth. He fixed beforehand the exact times and limits of the places where they would live so that they would look for Him and perhaps find Him.
    v) He quoted from their poets that they were God’s children and that they exist in God.
    vi) God’s image was not anything that could be shaped into an image of stone or silver or gold by man.
    vii) God had overlooked the times when people did not know Him but now He was commanding all men to turn away from their evil ways because He had fixed a day for judging the whole world with justice.
    viii) God would judge by means of a man He had chosen and had given proof of this to everyone by raising this man Jesus from death.
  7. When they heard about the resurrection, some of them made fun of Paul. Others, however, wanted to hear him again.
  8. Some men joined him and believed, including Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus and a woman named Damaris and others.

Nuggets of Wisdom

  1. Paul’s coming to Athens appears to have been intended primarily to escape persecution in Macedonia; preaching in Athens was not part of his original plan. Presumably, when called to Macedonia (16:6-10), he had planned to go all the way to Rome. When writing to the Christians at Rome some six or seven years later, Paul speaks of having often planned to visit them but was unable to do so.
  2. The word describing Paul as ‘upset’ is that which is regularly used in Scripture for God and His reaction to idolatry. So when Paul saw the rampant idolatry all around him, he was provoked to anger, grief and indignation, just as God Himself is, and for the same reason, namely for the honour and glory of God’s name. And this deep stirring of pain and horror that glory was not given to God, compelled him to present the Good News of Christ.
  3. Paul spoke to three groups of people: the religious people, i.e., the Jews and ‘God-fearing’ Gentiles in the synagogue on the Sabbath, the casual passers-by or whoever would listen in the marketplace on weekdays, and the sophisticated philosophers.
  4. Paul used the insights of the Greek philosophers and poets to have some point of contact with them. He sided with them and then demonstrated that they did not go far enough.
  5. After an introduction designed to attract the attention of the audience and to state his theme, the main por- tion of his speech can be divided into three portions: (i) God is Lord of the world and does not need a temple or rituals to worship Him (ii) Man is God’s creation and his source of life is God (iii) God is calling all mankind to turn back to Him through Jesus Christ’s death.

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