Paul on Mars Hill Acts 17:28-9

Dr. Riemer Faber is professor of Classics at the University of Waterloo, http://archive.org/details/phainomenaorhea00aratgoog
The The text of Aratus
The text of Aratus poem Phainomena  note the article by Dr Riemer Faber
The text of Aratus poemOntario, Canada

The Apostle and the Poet: Paul and Aratus

Dr. Riemer Faber is professor of Classics at the UniversitDr. Riemer Faber is professor of Classics at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

y of Waterloo, Ontario, CanadThe Apostle and the Poet: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+17%3A28&version=ESV

Acts 17:28



English Standard Version (ESV)






28 for






“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;[a]






as even some of your own poets have said,






“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’[b]






Footnotes:


a.Acts 17:28 Probably from Epimenides of Crete


b.Acts 17:28 From Aratus's poem “Phainomena"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aratus
Later influenceThe two poems were very popular both in the Greek and Roman world,[4] as is proved by the number of commentaries and Latin translations. He enjoyed immense prestige among Hellenistic poets, including Theocritus, Callimachus and Leonidas of Tarentum. This assessment was picked up by Latin poets, including Ovid and Virgil. Latin versions were made by none other than Cicero (mostly extant),[5] Ovid (only two short fragments remain), the member of the imperial Julio-Claudian dynasty Germanicus (extant, with scholia), and the less-famous Avienus (extant). Quintilian was less enthusiastic. Aratus was also cited by the author of Acts (believed to be Luke the Evangelist), in 17.28, where he relates Saint Paul's address on the Areopagus. Paul, speaking of God, quotes the fifth line of Aratus's Phaenomena (Epimenides seems to be the source of the first part of Acts 17.28, although this is less clear):






Ἐκ Διὸς ἀρχώμεσθα, τὸν οὐδέποτ' ἄνδρες ἐῶμεν

ἄρρητον· μεσταὶ δὲ Διὸς πᾶσαι μὲν ἀγυιαί,

πᾶσαι δ' ἀνθρώπων ἀγοραί, μεστὴ δὲ θάλασσα

καὶ λιμένες· πάντη δὲ Διὸς κεχρήμεθα πάντες.

τοῦ γὰρ καὶ γένος εἰμέν. κτλ.

Let us begin with Zeus, whom we mortals never leave unspoken.

For every street, every market-place is full of Zeus.

Even the sea and the harbour are full of this deity.

Everywhere everyone is indebted to Zeus.

For we are indeed his offspring ... (Phaenomena 1–5).





Authors of twenty-seven commentaries are known; ones by Theon of Alexandria, Achilles Tatius and Hipparchus of Nicaea survive. An Arabic translation was commissioned in the ninth century by the Caliph Al-Ma'mun. He is cited by Vitruvius, Stephanus of Byzantium and Stobaeus. Several accounts of his life are extant, by anonymous Greek writers.



The crater Aratus on the Moon and the minor planet 12152 Aratus are named in his honour.


16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.




17 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.



18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.






19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?






20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.






21 (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.)



22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.






23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.






24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;






25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;



26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;






27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:



28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.






29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.




30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:



31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

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http://spindleworks.com/library/rfaber/aratus.htm
Introduction

Paul and Aratus

Dr. Riemer Faber is professor of Classics at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
It was A.D. 51


Dr. Riemer Faber is professor of Classics at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada




The Apostle and the Poet: Paul and Aratus

The Apostle and the Poet: Paul and Aratus

The Apostle and the Poet:

The Apostle and the Poet: Paul and Aratus

It was A.D. 51 when the apostle Paul visited the famous Greek city of Athens. Proud of the glory that once was hers, this city could boast that she had produced some of the greatest artists, writers and thinkers. Athens was the cradle of democracy, the centre of learning, and the uncontested leader of the civilized world. It is not surprising therefore that Luke, who records Paul's visit to the city in Acts 17, makes Paul's speech to the Athenians one of the high points of his book. Here we read of the clash between Christianity and paganism, and how the gospel of Jesus Christ and the resurrection was received by people famous for their religious character. Paul presents the good news of salvation especially to the philosophers who confess that Paul brings "strange things" to their ears and who wish to know what he means. The apostle intends to refute both the serious and the popular philosophies of the Greeks, yet he does not ridicule his listeners. Paul's warning of the imminent judgment of God has as goal the conversion of his audience by reasoned yet urgent appeal. And in order to convince his listeners the apostle must know well their beliefs and how he might lead the Athenians to the realization that their tenets are false and must change. Paul tests the spirit of the Athenians and shows them that it is not of the true God.
In this article I shall consider the part of Paul's speech in which he cites, a Greek poet much admired in antiquity. In verse 28 of Acts 17 Paul quotes the Phaenomena of Aratus not to demonstrate his erudition but to show the Athenians that their religion is tantamount to idolatry. Paul enhances his argument by adducing an authority even the Athenians would respect. The apostle shows thereby that he is familiar with the writings and beliefs of the Greeks, and that in proving them false he is able to employ even their own authorities. Thus to some extent Paul uses the ideas and language of the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers who were popular in firstcentury Athens. Yet he does so to refute the commonly held belief in Athens that gods should be worshipped by means of temples, statues and altars. Paul uses a line from the poem of Aratus as a part of his message that the people must repent from the idolatry which characterized their lives. Moreover, the apostle argues that the pantheism which the Stoics taught was also a misconception of the true God as He revealed Himself in His Word and through His Son. Accordingly Paul's address culminates in the good news of eternal life in the resurrected Christ.

The apostle of the Areopagus






The Areopagus was an ancient hill near the agora (market-place) of Athens. According to legend this "hill of Ares" was the first site for the court of justice established by the city's patron goddess, Athena. And in the early history of Athens the judicial court did meet here.





Due to the radical democracy which replaced the conservative political system of Athens in the fifth century the court lost much power, yet it remained a prestigious and venerable institution. It is probable that in the days of Paul the court of the Areopagus still tried cases of homicide and investigated matters of moral and religious nature. Some scholars think that in Acts 17 Paul actually defends himself before the city's councillors in a public trial of the apostle's teaching. (1) When Luke reports that Paul stood "in the middle of the Areopagus" he probably refers not to the place where he stood but to the institution commonly associated with the locale. Whatever the case, Paul presents his address in the presence of Athenians, including Stoic and Epicurean philosophers, and foreigners who chanced to be present.



When he begins to speak, Paul captures the goodwill of his listeners with what appears to be a compliment: "I perceive that in every way you are very religious" (22). No doubt as he had walked through the agora to the Areopagus, Paul had observed the numerous temples, images and altars erected there. It soon becomes evident, however, that Paul deems the religious fervour of the citizens to be misplaced. Though they worship many gods, the Athenians do not worship the true God. And the apostle uses the inscription "to the unknown god" on one altar to introduce to the Athenians the God whom he professes. He whom the Athenians worship as unknown is the God whom Paul makes known to them. The "times of ignorance" as Paul later says, have passed; now the Athenians must worship the one and only God, and Him in the proper manner.
Idolatry is one pagan practice of the Athenians which the missionary attacks. Paul may have spoken at some length about God's second commandment not to worship Him by means of images. It is remarkable that the apostle focuses on this religious practice of the Athenians. For hereby he touches the heart of an important issue in Greek religious life in the first century. From archaic to classical times the worship of the Olympian gods was real and meaningful, whereas in Paul's day scepticism and a faith in pantheism had undermined the traditional Greek religion and had thrown into question the belief that gods were anthropomorphic and ought to be worshipped as such. Such novel ideas, advanced especially by Stoic and Epicurean philosophers, are employed by Paul to lead the Athenians to the realization that they are an idolatrous people.

The Stoic philosophers, mentioned in verse 18 as one party with whom Paul discourses, taught that Zeus is not a god in the form of a human being but a force which permeates all animate and inanimate things. This guiding principle, which unites all living things into one cosmos, they called Reason (Logos). Zeus, the Stoics believed, was not an immortal being, but a power without person. Accordingly Paul could be confident that these philosophers would concur with his statement that "God does not live in shrines made by man" (24). Paul tells the Athenians that God does not live in a dwelling as humans do, and that He cannot be represented in the form of man. The terminology which Paul employs in this verse is similar to that used by the Stoics, yet one should not conclude that Paul is preaching a purely Stoic philosophy. (2) One need only glance at Isaiah 42:5 and Exodus 20:11 to see that Paul's depiction of God the Creator is thoroughly biblical. He merely uses the same language that the Stoics use in their description of the Zeus they believe controls the universe. The Stoics were correct in decrying the numerous temples, altars and statues in Athens. To support his position Paul quotes an authority the Athenian thinkers must have known: the Hellenistic poet Aratus. (3) Paul alludes to Aratus to convince his audience that God cannot be represented "by the art and imagination of man" (17:29).


The poet Aratus and the Phaenomena






Although antiquity deemed Aratus one of the greatest Hellenistic poets, very little information about him survives today. We do know that he lived in the late fourth and early third centuries before Christ, that his place of birth was probably Soli in Paul's native province of Cilicia, and that he studied Stoic philosophy in Athens at the school founded by Zeno (c. 340-265 B.C.). Aratus evidently spent much time in the circle of writers and artists who enjoyed the patronage of the Macedonian king Antigonus Gonatas. Aratus' literary output included an edition of Homer's Odyssey, hymns, epigrams, and even didactic poems on pharmacology and astronomy. Unfortunately, the only work which survives in its entirety is a poem entitled Phaenomena (literally, "natural appearances"). Fortunately for our study of Paul's speech on the Areopagus, it is this poem which the apostle quotes; we can thus read for ourselves the context of the half-line quoted in Acts 17:28: "For we are indeed his offspring."

The Phaenomena is a peculiar poem: it attempts to put into verse two fourth century prose works on the stars and on the weather. An astronomer named Eudoxus had written a treatise on constellations, while another writer, reportedly one Theophrastus, had composed a handbook about the signs of the weather. Following an 18-line introduction in which he states the purpose of his poem and praises Zeus for his kindness in giving to mankind natural signs by which to conduct his business, Aratus dedicates one section (19-757) to a poetic discussion of the constellations, and a second (758-1154) to the use of weather patterns. At first glance the poem appears to be little more than a "farmers' almanac," a guide for learning the significance of changing seasons and weather systems. A long tradition of writing such didactic poems had started with the eighth century poet Hesiod, who also composed a work on the constellations called Astronomia. For subject and style the author of the Phaenomena was inspired by the works of Hesiod and those of the other ancient epic poet, Homer.


It appears that one of Aratus' aims in writing this poem was to demonstrate his skill in providing detailed scientific information by means of non-technical, poetic language. Like other Hellenistic poets, Aratus wanted to infuse new life into ancient genres. His contribution was to rejuvenate the genre of didactic poetry by using the most modern and advanced scientific documents. Aratus succeeded in adapting a difficult technical prose work to poetry. And the popularity which this poem enjoyed in antiquity attests to Aratus' success. The contemporary poet Callimachus praised the poem as an elegant and refined piece of work, and it appears that many readers appreciated Aratus' polished and precise style. Not only did Greeks like the poem, educated Latin writers did too. The famous Roman orator and statesman Cicero translated the poem into Latin, while Vergil was inspired by the Phaenomena when he wrote the Georgics, also an ostensibly didactic poem, about farming. We may assume, therefore, that the Phaenomena was read widely by educated people in the days of Paul.

Since Aratus was schooled in Stoic philosophy, it is not surprising that Stoic doctrine appears in the Phaenomena. Especially in the opening section of the poem (lines 1-18), in which Aratus writes of the omnipotent and omnipresent power of Zeus, Stoic philosophy and language abounds. The half-line "for we are indeed his offspring" is found in this section of the poem. To see the phrase in its context, consider the following translation of lines 1-5 of the Phaenomena:




Let us begin with Zeus, whom we mortals never leave unspoken.



For every street, every market-place is full of Zeus.



Even the sea and the harbour are full of this deity.



Everywhere everyone is indebted to Zeus.





For we are indeed his offspring... (Phaenomena 1-5).



It is noteworthy that Aratus commences his poem with the words, "let us begin with Zeus," for the gods who were conventionally invoked by Greek poets were the Muses, the goddesses of poetic inspiration. Aratus' contemporaries would have been struck by this change, by which the poet lends a religious Stoic tenor into the Phaenomena. To ancient Greeks Zeus was the sky-god whose control over the sun and clouds directly concerned human beings; mention of him at the outset of a work on constellations and weather is therefore appropriate. For Hellenistic Stoics, however, Zeus was another name for that force which controlled the universe and resided in man and beast. It is a kind of pantheism which Aratus advances in these opening lines: the divine Reason permeates every facet of human endeavour. The city-streets and market-places, the seas and harbours are filled with the presence of this deity (lines 2-3). Zeus must be praised at the start of his poem because this "world-soul" controls the cosmos. Mankind is, according to such belief, part of that environment and so "is indebted to Zeus." The omnipotence of Zeus is expressed with the words "for we are indeed his offspring." Literally the poet states that we are of the race (genos) of Zeus. Thus the ancient weather-god, once depicted in anthropomorphic terms, is replaced by the Stoics with an abstract force which pervades the entire world. Having noted the context of the half-verse "for we are indeed his offspring," the reader will conclude that the apostle Paul does not quote this passage in complete agreement with its meaning and intent, but in order to show that even to some Greek thinkers and writers the idea of an anthropomorphic Zeus is false.
The quotation in the context of Paul's speech






Verses 24-31 of chapter 17 clarify Paul's use of the quotation in declaring the gospel of repentance to the Athenians. When he cites the saying that man is God's offspring, Paul employs the words in light of God's self-revelation in the Old Testament. Mankind was created in the image and likeness of God, as revealed in Genesis 1 :26-27. Paul does not give the phrase "for we are indeed His offspring" the meaning which Stoics do; rather, he uses it to preach that God abhors idolatrous worship. Paul had stated earlier in his speech that God does not "live in shrines made by man" (24). After quoting Aratus the apostle says that the Deity is not "like gold, or silver, or stone" (25). Surely Paul has in mind the second commandment here, as stated, for example, in Leviticus 26:1 "you shall make for yourselves no idols and erect no graven image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land." The Stoics had rightly reasoned that if mankind is the offspring of God, then the living God cannot be represented by an inanimate object. Paul himself writes elsewhere that God's eternal power and deity are visible in creation (Romans 1 :20). And in yet another context the apostle restates in general terms what he says specifically to the Athenian populace in Acts 17: "What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, 'I will live in them and move among them' (2 Corinthians 6:16)." Thus on the Areopagus Paul points out that the Athenians had exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man.

Verses 24-31 also makes clear that Paul does not adopt the Stoic theology of a guiding principle as expressed by Aratus; the apostle depicts God as the Creator, whose person is real. In verse 25 the missionary reminds his listeners that God is the creator of the universe, who has no need of human idolatrous adoration. Here Paul may have in mind Psalm 50:7-15, where the Lord states that He does not require sacrifices from mortals, for all the world and everything in it is His by virtue of His work of creation. And to underscore the personal quality of the true God Paul states that God has "overlooked" the times of ignorance (30), "commands" all men to repent (31), since He has fixed a day when He "will judge" (31) the world by Christ whom He "has appointed" (31). Thus the apostle in no way identifies with Stoic or Epicurean theology, but declares the God who is Creator and Judge.


In light of this history of redemption Paul also proclaims Jesus Christ and the resurrection. The salvation of the idolatrous Athenians lies in the faith in the risen Christ. Not only does Paul show the error in both popular Greek religion and serious philosophy, but also he urges the people that "they should seek God." In verse 30 Paul states that whereas the Athenians' worship of an unknown god was overlooked by God in former times, now that the true God has been proclaimed to them the citizens must repent. Judgment of the world is imminent. God has given assurance of this coming event by raising Jesus Christ from the dead. Indeed Jesus and the resurrection are the main themes of Paul's speech. With sorrow we note that this gospel was mocked by some: the gospel is folly to the Gentiles. Yet the mission work in Athens was not altogether futile, for some believed, including Dionysius and Damaris. As for the Athenian philosophers, they could no longer claim that the message of salvation had not been told to them.


Footnotes







(1) For the debate regarding formal trial or unofficial address see T.D. Barnes, "An Apostle on Trial," Journal of Theological Studies 20, 1969, 407-419; C.J. Hemer, "The Speeches of Acts," Tyndale Bulletin 40, 1989, 239-259.






(2) M. Dibelius, "Paul on the Areopagus," in Studies in the Acts of the Apostles (London, 1956), 63, argues that the speech is "alien to the New Testament" and thoroughly Stoic in sentiment and language. More attractive is the interpretation that the speech is in part a praeparatio evangelica intended to guide Paul's listeners from their own position to his "strange" (20) one.






(3) When Paul says "as even some of your poets have said" (28) he reveals his learning, for the sentiment that mankind is the offspring of Zeus was expressed also by Cleanthes, another Hellenistic poet, in his Hymn to Zeus, line 4. The half-line quoted, however, comes from Aratus' poem. Recently M.J. Edwards, "Quoting Aratus," Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 83, 1992, 266-269, plausibly argued that Paul's direct source was Aristobulus, a second century B.C. Jew who cites the opening lines óf the Phaenomena.


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http://www.bartleby.com/108/44/17.htmlCONTENTS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD




The Holy Bible: King James Version. 2000.

The Acts of the Apostles

17



The Uproar in Thessalonica

1 Now when they had passed through Amphip'olis and Apollo'ni-a, they came to Thessaloni'ca, where was a synagogue of the Jews:



2 and Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures,



3 opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.



4 And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.



5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.



6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;



7 whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.



8 And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things.



9 And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the others, they let them go.





The Apostles at Beroea

10 ¶ And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Beroe'a: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.



11 These were more noble than those in Thessaloni'ca, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.



12 Therefore many of them believed; also of honorable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.



13 But when the Jews of Thessaloni'ca had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Beroe'a, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.



14 And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timothy abode there still.



15 And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timothy for to come to him with all speed, they departed.





Paul at Athens

16 ¶ Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.



17 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.



18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicure'ans, and of the Sto'ics, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.



19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areop'agus, 2 saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?



20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.



21 (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.)



22 ¶ Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, 3 and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.



23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, 4 I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.



24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;



25 neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; Is. 42.5



26 and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;



27 that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:



28 for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said,

For we are also his offspring.





29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.



30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:



31 because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.



32 ¶ And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.



33 So Paul departed from among them.



34 Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Di-onys'ius the Areop'agite, and a woman named Dam'aris, and others with them.





Note 2. Mars hill. It was the highest court in Athens. [ back ]

Note 3. Or, the court of the Areopagites. [ back ]

Note 4. Or, gods that ye worship. [ back ]