Part 6: “The Faith and the Marketplace” // Acts 17:16–34

Overview:

The passage is Paul’s address to the philosophers of the Areopagus, which is on Mars Hill. It’s a rich place in the Bible for analysis, because Paul’s argument is extraordinarily well-crafted and structured. To really get into it, you need a background in various schools of Greek philosophy. You have to understand Greek rhetoric. This scripture looks at the problems of culture, the greatness of God, and the outrageousness of the resurrection.

Summary:

Athens, like Corinth, was in the province of Achaia and is today the capital of modern Greece. In Paul’s day it had lost some of its architectural grandeur due to the Roman’s conquest, but it remained the symbol of the great philosophers as it was the place where Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle had shone. Paul spent considerable time in the “marketplace” (17:5a, 17b). This was the place you could pick up the daily news, buy books, and where the cultural arts were performed. And even though Paul was “greatly distressed” (17:16) by the overwhelming presence of idols in this environment, he acts with restraint and respect in his Gospel presentation to the Athenian philosophers.

Two groups in particular are highlighted, the Epicureans and the Stoics (17:18).

  • The Epicureans were a philosophical school that valued pleasure and disbelieved in the gods of ancient myths, influential mostly among the educated upper classes.

  • Stoicism was the most popular philosophy of Paul’s day, its adherents believed in a supreme God and they strove for moral virtue and contentment.

    The Areopagus, where Paul met these philosophers, was the main administrative body and the chief court of Athens, and Paul’s speech before the Areopagus remains an outstanding model of a sensitive but forthright presentation of the Gospel. His approach to the Greek elites of Athens is a contrast in speaking style to how he preached to Jews in the synagogues, but it is the same Gospel of grace through Jesus Christ that he proclaims.

           

 Key Passages

  •  Paul uses discomfort as a strength

    • v. 16, 22–3 Even though Paul was deeply troubled by the strong presence of idols in Athens, he uses it as a means to introduce the Gospel peacefully

  •  Paul finds subjects with which many would agree

    • v. 24 God is the creator of everything (Stoics would agree)

    • v. 27 God is the sustainer of creation (Stoics would mostly agree)

  •  Paul did not avoid vitally important subjects with which others would disagree

    • v. 31 Paul aims to arrive at Jesus’ resurrection

    • v. 32–4 Some could not tolerate this point, but others did

Key Ideas:

Paul believed in the uniqueness of Christ and His Gospel. Growing up Hebrew and a student of the Pharisaical school of Judaism, Paul’s reaction to Greece’s idols would have been gut-wrenchingly strong. But this emotionally intense impression did not prevent Paul from acting with wisdom and respect toward non-Christians. And while Paul did not agree with their overall system of beliefs, Paul chose to highlight the features Christians held in common with his audience.

Furthermore, Paul was careful to contextualize his discussion, quoting Scripture less often than he did in synagogues––he even quoted from the writings of their own philosophers (v. 28). But at the same time, Paul did not fail to turn his discussion to Jesus and key features of His importance, namely, His resurrection.

This shows us that if we can find mutual points of contact with our audience, we should use them, and the faithful proclamation of the Gospel should remain our goal in both our considerate speech and actions toward others. Paul did not water down or alter the core message of the Gospel, but he did attempt to proclaim it within the cultural context of the people to whom he sought to show Christ.