Interpretations of the Acts of the Holy Apostles Chapter 17. New Russian translation
Paul preaching in the synagogue at Thessalonica; The Jews rebelled against Paul and Silas.
1 . Having passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
2 . Paul, as was his custom, went in to them and spoke to them from the Scriptures for three Sabbaths,
3 . Revealing and proving to them that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and that this Christ is Jesus, whom I preach to you. Ps. 21:7, Isa. 50:6, Isa. 53:3, Dan. 9:24, Mat. 16:21 , Mar. 8:31, Luke. 9:22
4 . And some of them believed and joined Paul and Silas, both of the Greeks who worshiped God, a great multitude, and of the noble women not a few.
5 . But the disbelieving Jews, having become jealous and taking some worthless people from the square, gathered in a crowd and disturbed the city and, approaching the house of Jason, tried to bring them out to the people.
6 . Not finding them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers to the city leaders, shouting that these world-wide troublemakers had come here too, Acts 16:20
7 . And Jason received them, and they all act against the commands of Caesar, considering another king, Jesus.
8 . And they alarmed the people and the city leaders who were listening to this.
9 . But these, having received a certificate from Jason and the others, released them.
Visit to Veria; many believed; Paul went to Athens.
10 . The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas by night to Berea, where they arrived and went to the synagogue of the Jews.
11 . The people here were more thoughtful than those in Thessalonica: they accepted the word with all zeal, daily examining the Scriptures to see if this was exactly so. Is. 8:20, Isa. 34:16, John. 5:39, 1 Pet. 1:10, 1 Tim. 4:16
12 . And many of them believed, and there were quite a few of the Greek honorable women and men.
13 . But when the Thessalonian Jews learned that Paul had preached the word of God in Berea, they came there too, stirring up and disturbing the people.
14 . Then the brethren immediately sent Paul away, as if he were going to the sea; and Silas and Timothy remained there.
15 . Those who accompanied Paul accompanied him to Athens and, having received orders from Silas and Timothy that they should quickly come to him, they set off.
Paul preaches "Jesus and the Resurrection."
16 . While waiting for them in Athens, Paul was troubled in spirit at the sight of this city full of idols. 2 Pet. 2:8
17 . So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God, and daily in the marketplace with those who met him.
18 . Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to argue with him; and some said: “What does this fool want to say?”, and others: “It seems that he is preaching about foreign deities,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.
19 . And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus and said: Can we know what this new teaching is that you are preaching?
20 . For you are putting something strange into our ears. Therefore, we want to know what it is?
21 . All the Athenians and the foreigners living among them did not spend their time more willingly than talking or listening to something new.
Speech to the Athenians in the Areopagus; altar to the "unknown God".
22 . And Paul stood among the Areopagus and said: Athenians! I can see from everything that you seem to be especially devout.
23 . For, passing and examining your shrines, I also found an altar on which is written “to the unknown God.” This, which you honor without knowing, I preach to you.
24 . God, who created the world and everything in it, He, being the Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by hands Life 1:1, Ps. 8:2, Ps. 32:6, Acts. 7:48
25 . And he does not require the service of human hands, as if he had need of anything, Himself giving to all life and breath and everything. Job. 12:10, Ps. 20:5, Ps. 26:1, Ps. 35:7, Ps. 49:9, Isa. 42:5
26 . From one blood He brought forth the whole human race to inhabit all the face of the earth, having appointed predetermined times and limits for their habitation,
27 . So that they would seek God, if they would not feel Him and find Him, although He is not far from each of us:
28 . For in Him we live and move and have our being, just as some of your poets said: “We are His generation.”
29 . So, we, being the race of God, should not think that the Divinity is like gold, or silver, or stone, which received its image from the art and invention of man.
The arrival of Paul and Silas to preach Christianity in Thessalonica is a fact of paramount importance. The Roman road from the Adriatic Sea to the Middle East was called the Egnatian road, and the main street of Thessalonica was part of this road. Christianity, firmly established in Thessalonica, was able to spread west and east along this road, after which it became the high road for the success of the Kingdom of God.
The first verse of this chapter is a compositional example of economical writing. You might think that we are talking about a pleasant walk; but in reality from Philippi to Amphipolis there are 33 Roman miles, or about 50 kilometers, from Amphipolis to Apollonia another 30 miles, and finally to Thessalonica another 30 miles. Thus, a journey of about 100 Roman miles or 150 kilometers is given only one sentence.
According to custom, Paul begins his work in the synagogue. He achieved great success not so much among the Jews as among the pagans who attended the synagogue. This caused the rage of the Jews, for they looked upon these pagans as their natural preserve, and then suddenly they were slipping away from them right before their eyes. The Jews resorted to the most vile methods to thwart Paul. First they sowed confusion among the people, and when they brought Jason and other brothers who had turned to Christ before the city administration, they accused them of preparing for a riot. They were aware of the falsity of this accusation, but they presented it with hints that forced the authorities to take it especially seriously. To to him: “These world-wide troublemakers,” they said, “came here too.” The Jews had no doubt at all that Christianity was an effective force that aroused interest. T. R. Glover was pleased to quote one child's statement that the New Testament ends revolutions. The true embodiment of Christianity in life must lead to a radical change in each person, and in all of humanity.
IN BELIEF (Acts 17:10-15)
Berea was located approximately one hundred kilometers west of Thessalonica. Three facts stand out in this passage:
1) Paul based his preaching on the Scriptures. He encouraged the Jews to study the Scriptures. The Jews were confident that Jesus was not the Messiah because He was crucified, and a man crucified on a cross was cursed. But places like Is. 53 convinced them that the acts of Jesus were foretold in Scripture.
2) Here the extreme bitterness of the Jews was manifested. They not only prevented Paul from preaching in Thessalonica, but also persecuted him in Berea. The tragedy of their situation lies in the fact that they believed that by doing this they were doing a godly deed. When a person identifies personal goals with the will of God, instead of subordinating them to the will of God, they usually lead to dire consequences.
3) Paul's personal courage. He was imprisoned in Philippi, he left Thessalonica under the cover of darkness at the risk of his life, and again in Berea he risks his life. Many would stop the fight, which threatens with arrest and death. When David Livingstone was asked where he was ready to go, he replied:
"I'm ready to go anywhere but only forward." The idea of turning back never occurred to Pavel either.
ONE IN ATHENS (Acts 17, 16-21)
After leaving Berea, Paul ended up in Athens. But whether he had friends or not, Paul always preached Christ. The greatness of Athens had long since passed, but the city remained the largest university center of the then world, to which people of that world flocked for education. It was a city of many gods. It was said that Athens had more statues of gods than all other Greek cities combined, and that it was easier to meet a god in Athens than a man. In the great city square people gathered to talk, for in Athens they had scarcely done anything else. It was not difficult for Paul to find interlocutors, and philosophers soon learned about him.
Among the philosophers were the Epicureans. They believed that:
1) Everything depends on fate; 2) with death everything is over; 3) The gods are far from the world and it does not bother them; 4) Pleasure is the main goal of human life. At the same time, they did not mean carnal and material pleasures; in their opinion, the highest pleasure is the absence of suffering.
There were also Stoics among them who believed that: 1) Everything is God. God is a fiery spirit, which, however, has weakened in the material world, but dwells in everything. Human life comes from a small spark of this spirit dwelling in man; when a person dies, she returns to God; 2) Everything happens according to the will of God and, therefore, everything should be taken for granted. 3) The Universe from time to time disintegrated, burned and resumed again, repeating its cycle.
They brought Paul to the Areopagus, to the hill of the god of war Mars; the court that met there bore the same name. It was a court of selectmen, consisting of no more than 30 people. This court tried murder charges and exercised control over public morals. And here, in the most educated city in the world and before the most demanding court, Paul had to expound his faith. This could have frightened anyone, but Paul was never ashamed of the gospel of Christ. He saw this as another opportunity the Lord had given him to testify for Christ.
SERMON FOR PHILOSOPHERS (Acts 17:22-31)
In Athens there were many altars dedicated to the unknown God. Six centuries before Paul came to Athens, the city was attacked by a terrible pestilence that nothing could stop. The poet Epimenides from the island of Crete proposed his plan. A flock of black and white sheep was released onto the city from the Areopagus. Wherever one of them lay on the ground, it was immediately sacrificed to the god whose temple was closest; and if a sheep lay down at the altar to an unknown god, it was sacrificed to the “unknown god.” This is where Paul begins his sermon. The following thoughts flow from it:
1) God was not created by people. He is the Creator Himself; and He, the Creator of all things, cannot be worshiped before objects made by human hands. Truly, people too often worship the creation of their own hands. For many, God is the One to whom they give their thoughts, energy and time. After all, they deify the creations of their hands, they adore the cult of things.
2) God directs history. He directed the development of peoples in the past, and he directs everything now.
3) God created man in such a way that he instinctively seeks God in the darkness.
4) The time of instinctive searches and ignorance has passed. The people were ignorant, they could not know, and He forgave them their sins and mistakes; but now in Christ people have been given a bright knowledge of God, and the time when God forgave people because of their ignorance has passed.
5) Judgment Day is coming. Life is not a movement towards absolute destruction, as the Epicureans believed, nor a road to merging with God, as the Stoics thought; life is the path to the righteous judgment of God, where the Judge is Jesus Christ.
6) God demonstrated Christ's purpose by resurrecting Him. We are dealing with the risen Christ, and not with an unknown God.
ATHENIAN REACTION TO PAUL'S SERMON (Acts 17:32-34)
In general it would seem that Paul achieved less in Athens than in any other place. The Athenians, in fact, loved to talk more than anything else. They didn't expect the results, and in fact, they didn't like the particular solution. Their sole purpose was to exercise eloquence and encourage thought.
According to their reaction to Paul's preaching, the Athenians can be divided into three groups: 1) Some ridiculed Paul. They were amused by the passion and seriousness of this strange Jew. You can joke about life, but often life that begins as a comedy ends in tragedy. 2) Others decided to discuss with Paul later, at another time. But by postponing important matters and decisions for the future, you can get into big trouble. 3) Some believed. The wise know that only a fool rejects the offer made by God.
Two of the converts are named: One of them is Dionysius the Areopagite. As we have already mentioned, the Areopagus consisted of about thirty members, so Dionysius apparently belonged to the intellectual elite of Athens. The other was Damar. Women did not enjoy rights and freedom in Athens. It is unlikely that Paul could meet a well-behaved woman in the market square. It is more likely that Damar was ashamed of her previous sinful lifestyle and decided to enter the path of righteousness. Here again we see that the gospel attracts both men and women from all walks of life.
GOVERNANCE IN CORINTH
The very geographical location made Corinth a key city in Greece. The sea here divides Greece almost into two parts. To the east, the Gulf of Sarona with the port of Cenchrea, and to the west, the Gulf of Corinth with the port of Lekeia separates northern Greece from the Peloponnese. Between these two bays lies a narrow strip of land about eight kilometers wide, on which the city of Corinth stood. All traffic between northern and southern Greece passed through Corinth because there was no other route. Corinth was called the "bridge of Greece." Travel by sea around southern Greece was very dangerous. In the very south of the Peloponnesian Peninsula there was Cape Malea, rounding which was as dangerous as Cape Horn. The Greeks had a saying: “Let anyone who plans to sail around Cape Malea write his will.” Therefore, trade between the eastern and western Mediterranean also passed through Corinth to avoid the dangers associated with sailing around Cape Malea. Corinth, therefore, was "the market place of Greece."
Corinth was not only a major trading center, but also the site where the Isthmian Games were held, second only to the Olympic Games in importance.
But Corinth was also a wicked city. The Greeks had the expression “Corinthian,” which meant “to lead a lustful, depraved life.” In Greek plays, the Corinthians usually appeared drunk. In the center of Corinth stood the Acropolis, which was not only a fortress, but also had a temple of the goddess Aphrodite. In the days of his glory, there were up to a thousand priestesses of Aphrodite in the temple, who, in fact, were harlots and every evening went out onto the streets of the city and committed debauchery. It has become a saying in Greece that “not everyone can be in Corinth.”
And in this city Paul lived, worked, and achieved some of his greatest successes. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul gave a whole list of vices. Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wicked people, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." And this list of vices is followed by a triumphant cry: "And so were some of you" (1 Cor. 6.9-11). The uniqueness of Corinth, with its vicious errors, allowed the teaching of Christ to demonstrate its effectiveness even more clearly.
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Comments on Chapter 17
INTRODUCTION TO THE ACTS OF THE HOLY APOSTLES
PRECIOUS BOOK
In a sense, the Acts of the Holy Apostles the most important book of the New Testament. Without this book, we would know nothing about the development of the early Church, except for the information extracted from the letters of the Apostle Paul.
Historiography knows two methods. One of them tries to trace the course of events day by day, week by week, and the other, as it were, opens a series of windows on important moments and great personalities of a particular time. It is this second method that was used in writing the Acts of the Apostles .
We call it the Book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles. In fact, the book does not pretend to give an exhaustive account of the acts of the Apostles. Besides Paul, only three apostles are mentioned in it. IN Acts 12.2 it is said in one short sentence that James, the brother of John, was executed by Herod. John is mentioned, but he does not say a word. The book gives certain information only about Peter, but soon he, as an outstanding person, leaves the stage. The title of the book in Greek reads: "The Acts of the Apostles." It is obvious that the author sought to capture in it some typical acts of the heroic and courageous leaders of the early Christian Church.
AUTHORITY OF THE BOOK
Although the book does not say anything about this, Luke has long been considered its author. We know very little about Luke himself; in the New Testament his name is mentioned three times: - Col. 4.14; Phil. 23; 2 Tim. 4.19. From these we can conclude two things with certainty: firstly, Luke was a doctor and, secondly, he was one of Paul's most valuable assistants and his most faithful friend, because he was with him even during his last imprisonment . We can conclude that he was a Gentile. Col. 4.11 ends the list of names and greetings from the circumcised, that is, from the Jews; Verse 12 begins a new list that gives the names of the Gentiles. From this we come to the interesting conclusion that Luke is the only writer in the New Testament who comes from a Gentile background.
The fact that Luke was a doctor can be guessed by the fact that he instinctively uses medical terms. IN OK. 4.35, talking about a man who had an unclean spirit, he used the exact medical term “convulsions” with the expression “and casting him down in the middle of the synagogue.” IN OK. 9.38, drawing a portrait of a man who asked Jesus: “I beg You to look at my son,” he uses a typical word for a doctor visiting a sick person. The most interesting example is given in the statement about the camel and the eye of a needle. All three authors - weather forecasters cite it (Matt. 19:24; Mark 10:25; Luke 18:25). Matthew and Mark use the Greek word rafis, a common word for a tailor's or housewife's needle. Only Luke uses the Greek word Belone, denoting a surgeon's needle. Luke was a doctor and the medical vocabulary came quite naturally from his pen.
WHO WAS THE BOOK FOR?
And his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles Luke wrote for Theophilus (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1). We can only guess who Theophilus was. IN OK. 1.3 he calls him "Venerable Theophilus", which actually means "Your Excellency" and denotes a high-ranking person in the service of the Roman Empire. There are several possible explanations for this name.
1) Maybe Theophilus is not the name of a real person at all. In those days, being a Christian was dangerous. The name Theophilus is made up of two Greek words: Teos - that is God And filen - to love. Perhaps Luke was writing to a God-loving man, and for safety reasons he did not mention his real name.
2) If Theophilus was a real person, then he must have been a high-ranking official. Luke probably wrote to him to show that Christianity is a wonderful religion, and Christians are pious people. It is possible that he wanted to convince the government official not to persecute Christians.
3) The third theory, more romantic than the previous ones, is based on the fact that Luke was a doctor, and in ancient times doctors were mostly slaves. It was conjectured that Luke was the doctor of the seriously ill Theophilus, to whom Luke’s medical skill and care restored him to health, and as a sign of gratitude he gave Luke his freedom. And, perhaps, as a token of gratitude for this, Luke wrote down the most precious thing to his benefactor - the story of Jesus.
LUKE'S PURPOSE IN THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
A person writing a book has some kind of goal and, perhaps, more than one. Let's think about why Luke wrote Acts .
1) His one goal is to recommend Christianity to the Roman government. Luke shows more than once how courteous the Roman judges were to Paul. IN Acts 13.12 Sergius Paulus, governor of Cyprus, believed in Christ. IN Acts 18.12 Proconsul Gallio in Corinth remained completely indifferent to the demands of the Jews to punish Paul. IN Acts 16.35 and further, the judges at Philippi, realizing their mistake, made a public apology to Paul. IN Acts 19.31 The leaders in Ephesus were careful that no harm would come to Paul. Luke pointed out that in the past the Roman government often showed decent disposition towards Christians and was always fair to them.
Luke is trying to show that Christians are pious and faithful citizens and that they have always been considered that way. IN Acts 18.14 Gallio states that Paul has no thought of offense or malice. IN Acts 19.37 An Ephesian official gives the Christians a commendable description. IN Acts 23.29 Claudius Lysias declares that he has nothing against Paul. IN Acts 25.25 Festus says that Paul did nothing to deserve death, and in the same chapter Festus and Agrippa agree that Paul could have been released if he had not turned to Caesar.
Luke wrote his book at a time when Christians were hated and persecuted, and he put it in such a way as to show that the Roman judges were always fair to Christians and never looked upon them as evil people. There has even been a very interesting suggestion made that Acts - an anthology compiled for the defense of Paul in the imperial court of Rome.
2) Another intention of Luke was to show that Christianity is a creed for all people of all countries.
It was this idea that the Jews could not accept. They believed that they were God's chosen people and that God did not need any other people. Luke wants to prove something else. It shows Philip preaching to the Samaritans; Stephen, who made Christianity universal and died for it; and Peter, who converted Cornelius to Christianity. It shows Christians preaching to the pagans in Antioch and Paul traveling around the ancient world convincing people to accept Christ; V Acts 15 it shows that the Church has come to an important decision to accept pagans on equal rights with Jews.
H) But these were not his main intentions. The main purpose of the Acts Luke captured in the words of the risen Christ in Acts 1.8: "You... will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth." He intended to show the spread of Christianity as a religion that originated in a small corner of Palestine and which reached Rome in less than thirty years.
S. H. Turner points out that Acts our parts fall apart, each of which ends with a short summary
a) B 1,1-6,7 tells about the Jerusalem church and Peter's preaching, and ends with the following summary: “And the word of God increased, and the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem; and of the priests very many submitted to the faith.”
b) B 6,8-9,31 describes the spread of Christianity throughout Palestine, the martyrdom of Stephen and the preaching in Samaria. This part ends with a summary:
“The churches throughout all Judea, Galilee and Samaria were at rest, being edified and walking in the fear of the Lord, and being encouraged by the Holy Spirit, they increased in number.”
c) B 9,32-12,24 includes Paul's conversation, the spread of the Church to Antioch and the acceptance of Cornelius. It ends with the words: “The Word of God grew and spread.”
d) B 12,25-16,5 tells about the spread of the Christian Church in Asia Minor and about preaching in Galatia. It ends: “And the churches were established by faith and increased daily in number.”
e) B 16,21-19,20 tells about the spread of the Church to Europe and about Paul's asceticism in large pagan cities like Corinth and Ephesus. It ends with this summary: “With such power the word of God grew and became powerful.”
e) B 19,21-28,31 tells about Paul's arrival in Rome and his stay in prison. The end shows Paul "Preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness without restraint."
This is the plan of Acts already answers the most difficult question: Why Acts end with the story of Paul's stay in prison awaiting trial. We would so much like to know what happened to him next; but the end is shrouded in mystery. Luke ends his story here because he has completed his task: he has shown how Christianity began in Jerusalem and how it spread throughout the world and finally reached Rome. One major New Testament scholar has said that Acts could be called: “How the good news reached from Jerusalem to Rome.”
SOURCES
Luke was a historian, and therefore it is important what sources he used. Where did Luke get his facts from? In this regard, Acts breaks down into two parts:
1) The first part consists of fifteen chapters, which Luke did not witness, and information about which he received second-hand. In all likelihood, he had access to two sources.
a) Memories were preserved in local churches. They may never have been written down, but church communities kept the memory alive. This part depicts facts from three churches: the history of the Jerusalem church, covering Acts 1-5 and 15-16; history of the church community in Caesarea, covering Acts 8, 26-40 and 9, 31-10, 48, and finally, a history of the church community in Antioch, covering Acts 11, 19-30 and 12, 25-14, 28.
b) There were probably cycles of stories consisting of the Acts of Paul, the Acts of John, the Acts of Philip and the Acts of Stephen. Friendship with Paul undoubtedly helped Luke to get acquainted with all the major figures of the then churches and, therefore, he could have all the events and histories of these churches.
2) But most of what is stated in the chapters 16-28 Luka knew him personally, as a participant in the events. If you read Acts carefully , then you can notice a strange thing: Luke tells most of his story in the 3rd person plural, and certain passages are told in the 1st person plural and instead of “they” Luke uses “we”. The following passages are stated in the 1st plural: Acts 16.10-17; 20, 5-16; 21, 1-18; 27, 1-28, 16. Luke must have been a participant in these events. He probably kept a diary and recorded eyewitness accounts. As for what he was not a witness to, he apparently learned from Paul, With for which he spent a long time in prison. There could not be a major church figure whom Luke did not know personally, and, in any case, he could obtain the necessary information from people who witnessed this or that event.
Reading Acts , we may be confident that no historian ever had better sources, and no one used them more carefully than Luke.
IN THESSALONICA (Acts 17:1-9)
The arrival of Paul and Silas to preach Christianity in Thessalonica is a fact of paramount importance. The Roman road from the Adriatic Sea to the Middle East was called the Egnatian road, and the main street of Thessalonica was part of this road. Christianity, firmly established in Thessalonica, could spread west and east along this road, after which it became the high road for the success of the Kingdom of God.
The first verse of this chapter is a compositional example of economical writing. You might think that we are talking about a pleasant walk; but in reality from Philippi to Amphipolis there are 33 Roman miles, or about 50 kilometers, from Amphipolis to Apollonia another 30 miles, and finally to Thessalonica another 30 miles. Thus, a journey of about 100 Roman miles or 150 kilometers is given only one sentence.
According to custom, Paul begins his work in the synagogue. He achieved great success not so much among the Jews as among the pagans who attended the synagogue. This caused the rage of the Jews, for they looked upon these pagans as their natural preserve, and then suddenly they were slipping away from them right before their eyes. The Jews resorted to the most vile methods to thwart Paul. First they sowed confusion among the people, and when they brought Jason and other brothers who had turned to Christ before the city administration, they accused them of preparing for a riot. They were aware of the falsity of this accusation, but they presented it with hints that forced the authorities to take it especially seriously. To to him: “These world-wide troublemakers,” they said, “came here too.” The Jews had no doubt at all that Christianity was an effective force that aroused interest. T. R. Glover was pleased to quote one child's statement that the New Testament ends revolutions. The true embodiment of Christianity in life must lead to a radical change in each person, and in all of humanity.
IN BELIEF (Acts 17:10-15)
Berea was located approximately one hundred kilometers west of Thessalonica. Three facts stand out in this passage:
1) Paul based his preaching on the Scriptures. He encouraged the Jews to study the Scriptures. The Jews were confident that Jesus was not the Messiah because He was crucified, and a man crucified on a cross was cursed. But places like Is. 53 convinced them that the acts of Jesus were foretold in Scripture.
2) Here the extreme bitterness of the Jews was manifested. They not only prevented Paul from preaching in Thessalonica, but also persecuted him in Berea. The tragedy of their situation lies in the fact that they believed that by doing this they were doing a godly deed. When a person identifies personal goals with the will of God, instead of subordinating them to the will of God, they usually lead to dire consequences.
3) Paul's personal courage. He was imprisoned in Philippi, he left Thessalonica under the cover of darkness at the risk of his life, and again in Berea he risks his life. Many would stop the fight, which threatens with arrest and death. When David Livingstone was asked where he was ready to go, he replied:
"I'm ready to go anywhere but only forward." The idea of turning back never occurred to Pavel either.
ONE IN ATHENS (Acts 17, 16-21)
After leaving Berea, Paul ended up in Athens. But whether he had friends or not, Paul always preached Christ. The greatness of Athens had long since passed, but the city remained the largest university center of the then world, to which people of that world flocked for education. It was a city of many gods. It was said that Athens had more statues of gods than all other Greek cities combined, and that it was easier to meet a god in Athens than a man. In the great city square people gathered to talk, for in Athens they had scarcely done anything else. It was not difficult for Paul to find interlocutors, and philosophers soon learned about him.
Among the philosophers were the Epicureans. They believed that:
1) Everything depends on fate; 2) with death everything is over; 3) The gods are far from the world and it does not bother them; 4) Pleasure is the main goal of human life. At the same time, they did not mean carnal and material pleasures; in their opinion, the highest pleasure is the absence of suffering.
There were also Stoics among them who believed that: 1) Everything is God. God is a fiery spirit, which, however, has weakened in the material world, but dwells in everything. Human life comes from a small spark of this spirit dwelling in man; when a person dies, she returns to God; 2) Everything happens according to the will of God and, therefore, everything should be taken for granted. 3) The Universe from time to time disintegrated, burned and resumed again, repeating its cycle.
They - brought Paul to the Areopagus, to the hill of the god of war Mars; the court that met there bore the same name. It was a court of selectmen, consisting of no more than 30 people. This court tried murder charges and exercised control over public morals. And here, in the most educated city in the world and before the most demanding court, Paul had to expound his faith. This could have frightened anyone, but Paul was never ashamed of the gospel of Christ. He saw this as another opportunity the Lord had given him to testify for Christ.
SERMON FOR PHILOSOPHERS (Acts 17:22-31)
In Athens there were many altars dedicated to the unknown God. Six centuries before Paul came to Athens, the city was attacked by a terrible pestilence that nothing could stop. The poet Epimenides from the island of Crete proposed his plan. A flock of black and white sheep was released onto the city from the Areopagus. Wherever one of them lay on the ground, it was immediately sacrificed to the god whose temple was closest; and if a sheep lay down at the altar to an unknown god, it was sacrificed to the “unknown god.” This is where Paul begins his sermon. The following thoughts flow from it:
1) God was not created by people. He is the Creator Himself; and He, the Creator of all things, cannot be worshiped before objects made by human hands. Truly, people too often worship the creation of their own hands. For many, God is the One to whom they give their thoughts, energy and time. After all, they deify the creations of their hands, they adore the cult of things.
2) God directs history. He directed the development of peoples in the past, and he directs everything now.
3) God created man in such a way that he instinctively seeks God in the darkness.
4) The time of instinctive searches and ignorance has passed. The people were ignorant, they could not know, and He forgave them their sins and mistakes; but now in Christ people have been given a bright knowledge of God, and the time when God forgave people because of their ignorance has passed.
5) Judgment Day is coming. Life is not a movement towards absolute destruction, as the Epicureans believed, nor a road to merging with God, as the Stoics thought; life is the path to the righteous judgment of God, where the Judge is Jesus Christ.
6) God demonstrated Christ's purpose by resurrecting Him. We are dealing with the resurrected Christ, and not with a God unknown to us.
ATHENIAN REACTION TO PAUL'S SERMON (Acts 17:32-34)
In general it would seem that Paul achieved less in Athens than in any other place. The Athenians, in fact, loved to talk more than anything else. They didn't expect the results, and in fact, they didn't like the particular solution. Their sole purpose was to exercise eloquence and encourage thought.
According to their reaction to Paul's preaching, the Athenians can be divided into three groups: 1) Some ridiculed Paul. They were amused by the passion and seriousness of this strange Jew. You can joke about life, but often life that begins as a comedy ends in tragedy. 2) Others decided to discuss with Paul later, at another time. But by postponing important matters and decisions for the future, you can get into big trouble. 3) Some believed. The wise know that only a fool rejects the offer made by God.
Two of the converts are named: One of them is Dionysius the Areopagite. As we have already mentioned, the Areopagus consisted of about thirty members, so Dionysius apparently belonged to the intellectual elite of Athens. The other was Damar. Women did not enjoy rights and freedom in Athens. It is unlikely that Paul could meet a well-behaved woman in the market square. It is more likely that Damar was ashamed of her previous sinful lifestyle and decided to enter the path of righteousness. Here again we see that the gospel attracts both men and women from all walks of life.
GOVERNANCE IN CORINTH
The very geographical location made Corinth a key city in Greece. The sea here divides Greece almost into two parts. To the east, the Gulf of Sarona with the port of Cenchrea, and to the west, the Gulf of Corinth with the port of Lekeia separates northern Greece from the Peloponnese. Between these two bays lies a narrow strip of land about eight kilometers wide, on which the city of Corinth stood. All traffic between northern and southern Greece passed through Corinth because there was no other route. Corinth was called the "bridge of Greece." Travel by sea around southern Greece was very dangerous. In the very south of the Peloponnesian Peninsula there was Cape Malea, rounding which was as dangerous as Cape Horn. The Greeks had a saying: “Let anyone who plans to sail around Cape Malea write his will.” Therefore, trade between the eastern and western Mediterranean also passed through Corinth to avoid the dangers associated with sailing around Cape Malea. Corinth, therefore, was "the market place of Greece."
Corinth was not only a major trading center, but also the site where the Isthmian Games were held, second only to the Olympic Games in importance.
But Corinth was also a wicked city. The Greeks had the expression “Corinthian,” which meant “to lead a lustful, depraved life.” In Greek plays, the Corinthians usually appeared drunk. In the center of Corinth stood the Acropolis, which was not only a fortress, but also had a temple of the goddess Aphrodite. In the days of his glory, there were up to a thousand priestesses of Aphrodite in the temple, who, in fact, were harlots and every evening went out onto the streets of the city and committed debauchery. It has become a saying in Greece that “not everyone can be in Corinth.”
And in this city Paul lived, worked, and achieved some of his greatest successes. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul gave a whole list of vices. Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wicked people, nor homosexuals, nor covetous, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." And this list of vices is followed by a triumphant cry: "And so were some of you"(1 Cor. 6.9-11). The uniqueness of Corinth, with its vicious errors, allowed the teaching of Christ to demonstrate its effectiveness even more clearly.
Commentary (introduction) to the entire book of Acts
Comments on Chapter 17
Christ is the foundation, the Church is the means, and the Holy Spirit is the power. W. Graham Scroggie
Introduction
I. SPECIAL POSITION IN THE CANON
The Acts of the Apostles is the only inspired by God Church history; this is also first and the only major history of the Church covering the beginnings of Christianity. All other authors build on Luke's work, adding some traditional ideas (and a lot of speculation!). Without this book we would be faced with a serious difficulty: the abrupt transition from the life of our Lord described in the Gospels straight to the Epistles. Who were the communities to whom the messages were addressed, and how did they arise? Acts answers these and many other questions. It is a bridge not only between the life of Christ and the life in Christ taught in the epistles, but also a bridge between Judaism and Christianity, between law and grace. This is one of the main difficulties of the interpretation of Acts - the gradual expansion of the horizon from a small Jewish movement centered in Jerusalem to a world faith that penetrated into the very capital of the empire.
Author Ev. from Luke and the Acts of the Apostles - one and the same person; Almost everyone is unanimous on this. If the third Gospel was written by Luke, then Acts also belongs to him, and vice versa (see “Introduction” to the commentaries on the Gospel of Luke).
External evidence that Luke wrote Acts is compelling, widespread, and early in Church history. The anti-Marcionist Prologue to the Gospel of Luke (c. 160-180), the Muratori Canon (c. 170-200), and the early Church Fathers Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Origen all agree that Luke - author of Acts. Almost everyone who follows them in church history is of the same opinion, including such authorities as Eusebius and Jerome.
In the text of Acts itself there are three internal evidence, proving the authorship of Luke. At the beginning of Acts the author specifically mentions an earlier work also dedicated to Theophilus. From the Gospel of Luke (1:1-4) it is clear that the third Gospel is meant here. Style, expressiveness, vocabulary, emphasis on apologetics, and many smaller details link the two works. If it were not for the desire to place the Gospel of Luke together with the other three Gospels, no doubt these two works would have entered the New Testament together, such as 1 and 2 Corinthians.
Further, it is clear from the text of Acts that the author was a companion of Paul on his travels. This is evidenced by the use of the pronoun “we” in some verses (16.10-17; 20.5 - 21.18; 27.1 - 28.16); that is, the author is directly present at the events he reports. Attempts by skeptics to explain these features as a purely artistic device are unconvincing. If they were added only to give the work greater authenticity, then why are they introduced like this? rarely And unobtrusively and why does the person included in this “we” not called by name?
Finally, if we exclude other companions of Paul mentioned by the author in the third person, as well as those of his companions who are known to be Not were with Paul during the events described in these passages (with "we"), then the only real candidate is Luke.
III. WRITING TIME
While establishing the exact time of writing of some of the other books of the NT is not as important, it is of great importance for the Acts of the Apostles, a book that is primarily history Church, and also the first history.
Three dates have been proposed for Acts, two of which agree with Luke's authorship and one of which denies it:
1. Dating of this book to the 2nd century. AD, of course, makes it impossible to recognize Luke as the author: it is unlikely that he could have lived longer than 80 or, at the latest, 85 AD. Some liberal scholars believe that the author used Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews (c. 93 AD), but the parallels they cite when considering Acts 5:36 (about Theudas) are inconsistent and there is not much similarity between the events described.
2. The generally accepted view is that Luke wrote both the Gospel and Acts between 70-80 AD. Luke could then have used the Gospel of Mark, which probably existed since the 60s, to compose his Good News.
3. It can be reasonably assumed that Luke finished writing Acts shortly after the events that close the book took place: that is, during Paul's first imprisonment in Rome. It is possible that Luke planned to write a third volume (but this apparently was not God's will) and therefore does not mention the persecution that befell Christians between 63 and 67. However, there is no mention of events such as the severe persecution of Christians by Nero in Italy after fire in Rome (64), the war of the Jews with Rome (66-70), the martyrdom of Peter and Paul (second half of the 60s) and the most tragic thing for Jews and Jewish Christians - the destruction of Jerusalem, indicate more early dating. So, it is most likely that Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles while Paul was in prison in Rome - in 62 or 63 AD.
IV. PURPOSE OF WRITING AND TOPIC
The acts of the Apostles are full of life and action. In them we see how the Holy Spirit works, shaping the Church, strengthening it and spreading its influence. This is an amazing story about how the Spirit of the Lord, using the most incredible means, overcoming the most insurmountable obstacles and following the most non-trivial paths, achieves amazing results.
Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off, then briefly and dramatically introduces us to the early, turbulent years of the young Church. Acts tells of the great transitional period when the New Testament Church was freed from the shackles of Judaism and declared itself as a new, completely different community in which Jews and Gentiles are one in Christ. For this reason, Acts can be called the story of the "weaning of Isaac." When we read this book, we experience a kind of spiritual pleasure in seeing how the Lord creates. At the same time, we also feel tension as we watch how sin and Satan oppose and try to hinder the work of God. In the first twelve chapters, the Apostle Peter takes center stage, courageously preaching to the people of Israel. From the thirteenth chapter onwards, the Apostle Paul comes to the fore as a zealous, an inspired and tireless educator of the pagans. The Acts cover an approximately 33-year period. J. B. Phillips observed that at no other period of comparable length in human history has “a small number of ordinary people been able to so influence the world that their enemies, with tears of rage in their eyes, say that these people “turned the world upside down”.” . (J. V. Pmllips, The Young Church in Action,
Vvi.)Plan
I. THE CHURCH IN JERUSALEM (Ch. 1 - 7)
A. The Risen Lord promises the baptism of the Holy Spirit (1:1-5)
B. The Ascended Lord gives the Apostles a command (1:6-11)
C. The prayerful disciples wait in Jerusalem (1:12-26)
D. Day of Pentecost and the birth of the Church (2:1-47)
D. Healing the lame man and calling the people of Israel to repentance (3:1-26)
E. Persecution and Church Growth (4:1-7:60)
II. CHURCH IN JUDEA AND SAMARIA (8:1-9:31)
And the Ministry of Philip in Samaria (8:1-25)
B. Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch (8.26-40)
B. Conversion of Saul from Tarsus (9:1-31)
III. CHURCH TO THE END OF THE EARTH (9.32-28.31)
And Peter preaches the Gospel to the pagans (9.32 - 11.18)
B. Foundation of the church in Antioch (11:19-30)
B. Herod’s persecution of Christians and his death (12:1-23)
D. Paul's first missionary journey: Galatia (12.24 - 14.28)
D. Conference in Jerusalem (15:1-35)
E. Paul's Second Missionary Journey: Asia Minor and Greece (15:36-18:22)
G. Paul's Third Missionary Journey: Asia Minor and Greece (18:23-21:26)
3. Arrest of Paul and his trials (21:27-26:32)
I. Paul's journey to Rome and shipwreck (27.1-28.16)
K. Paul's house arrest and his testimony to the Jews in Rome (28:17-31)
17,1 Leaving Philippi, Paul and Silas walked about fifty-three kilometers southwest, to AMFIOPOLIA. Their next stop was APOLLONIUS, another forty-eight kilometers to the southwest. From there they went west and, having traveled about sixty kilometers, reached THESSALONIKI. This city was of great strategic importance, as it was located at the intersection of trade routes. The Holy Spirit chose this city as the center from which the Good News would spread in many directions. Today this city is known as Thessaloniki.
When Paul and Silas left Philippi to conquer new lands for the Lord, Luke may have remained there. This is indicated by another change in the narrative: the first person plural (we) is replaced by the third person (They).
17,2-3 As usual, missionaries found a Jewish synagogue and preached the Gospel there. Three Saturdays Paul opened EOI and convincing proved that according to the prophecies, the Messiah he had to suffer and rise from the dead.(Some believe that Paul spent about three months in Thessalonica, although he taught only three Sabbaths in the synagogue.) Proving this from Scriptures, Paul continued his thought by declaring that Jesus The Nazarene was the long-awaited Messiah. Did He not suffer, die, and rise from the dead? Doesn't this confirm that He was Christ God's?
17,4-7 Some from the Jews believed and took a place next to Paul and Silas already as Christians. Many Greek proselytes were also converted and from noble women cities a lot. This prompted the disbelievers Jews to decisive action. Picked up at the market area all the rabble, they initiated riots and besieged Jason's house where were you staying? Paul and Silas. Having not found it Paul and Silas are in the house, they dragged Jason and some other Christians to city leaders. Without meaning to, they paid tribute to Paul and Silas by calling them world-wide troublemakers. They then accused them of plotting to undermine the government Caesar sermon about another king - Jesus. For Jews it was, to put it mildly, strange to stand so zealously on guard of power Caesar, for they were usually very reserved, if not hostile, towards the Roman Empire.
But was their accusation true? No doubt they heard Paul proclaim the second coming of Christ, when He would come to reign over all the earth. But this did not pose an immediate threat to Caesar, since Christ would return to reign only when the entire people of Israel repented.
17,8-9 These messages alarmed city leaders. They demanded from Jason and others who were with him, vouch for their guests, adding to this, probably, a demand that they leave the city. Then they let them go.
17,10-12 Brethren in Thessalonica they decided that it was better for the preachers to leave the city, so they sent their at night in VERIA, where the indomitable and fearless preachers of the Gospel immediately went V Jewish synagogue and preached the gospel there. Local Jews showed their open-mindedness by carefully studying, testing and comparing Scriptures VZ. Their minds were open to learning, but they steadily checked what they were taught against the Sacred Scripture. Many of these Jews believed. There were also a significant number of converts from honorary women pagan and from men.
17,13-14 When news that Paul and Strength continue their ministry in Versh, reached Thessalonica, Thessalonian Jews came specially to Veria, exciting and outraged the people against the apostle. That's why the brethren released Paul accompanied by several Christians to the sea. They probably got to DIUMA and sailed to Piraeus, a port city near ATHENS. Sila and Timofey remained in Veria.
17,15 The path from Veria to Athens was long, and the desire of some brothers to accompany Pavel throughout the journey testified to the true devotion and love of the Berean Christians. When already in Athens it's time for them to leave Pavel, he sent with them command to Silas and Timothy join him as soon as possible quicker.
17,16 Waiting them in Athens, Paul was deeply indignant at the idolatry that reigned in this city. Although Athens were a center of culture, education and fine arts, that was not what interested Pavel. He doesn't waste his time on sightseeing. Arnot comments:
"The point is not that he underestimated marble statues, but that he valued living people more highly. The man who considers immortal souls much more important than the fine arts is not weak, but strong... Paul considered idolatry not picturesque both harmless and terrible."(William Amot, The Church in the House: A Series of Lessons on the Acts of the Apostles, pp. 379 et seq.)
17,17-18 He reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God, and also preached on area to everyone who wanted to listen to him. Thus he met with some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. Epicureans were the followers of the philosopher Epicurus, who taught that the highest meaning of life is in pleasure, and not in the pursuit of knowledge. The Stoics were pantheists who believed that wisdom consists in freeing oneself from strong emotions, in remaining indifferent to both joys and sorrows, submissively obeying the laws of nature. When the representatives of these two schools of thought heard Paul, they considered him idle talk and preacher foreign deities, because he preached Jesus and the resurrection to them.
17,19-21 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, something like a supreme court that met on the hill of Mars (Greek: Ares). In this case it was not a trial in the proper sense of the word, but simply a hearing that provided Paul with the opportunity to present his doctrine before the judges and the people. This is explained somewhat in verse 21. Athenians they loved to gather there to talk and listen to others. Apparently they had unlimited time to do this.
17,22 standing among courts, Paul preached a sermon known as the Areopagus Speech. When studying it, it is necessary to remember that in it he addressed not the Jews, but the pagans. They were not familiar with the OT, so first he needed to find a topic that would interest his audience. He began by noting that the Athenians especially pious. Indeed, Athens was a very religious city, as evidenced by the fact that it was reputed to have more idols than people!
17,23 Among the idols he saw, Paul remembered an altar on which is written: “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.” This inscription became the starting point of his sermon. In it the apostle saw an acknowledgment of two important facts. Firstly, the fact of existence God and secondly, that He was not known to the Athenians. Then Paul could quite naturally move on to a story about the true God. As someone said, he directed the errant stream of their piety into the right channel.
17,24-25 Missionaries argue that when witnessing to the pagans, it is best to begin preaching about God with the story of creation. This is exactly how Paul began his preaching to the Athenians. He presented God as the One who created the world and everything in it. Drawing the listeners' attention to the numerous pagan temples located nearby, the apostle reminded them that the true God does not live in temples made by hands and does not needs services human hands. In pagan temples, priests often bring food and other "essentials" to their gods, but the true God does not need any human services, because He Myself source life, breathing and everything.
17,26-28 Paul then addressed the origin of the human race. All nations descended from a single ancestor - Adam. God not only brought into being all the different nations, but also appointed each has its own time and country. He poured out countless mercies on them so that they could search His. He wanted them sensed Him and found Him, although in fact, It's not far from everyone. It is the true God we live and move and have our being. He not only created us, but also surrounds us on all sides.
17,28 To further emphasize the relationship of creation with its Creator, Paul quoted some of their Greek poets, which They said: “We are His generation.” These words should not be interpreted as teaching about the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God. We - genus God in the sense that He created us, but we become sons God's only when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
17,29 Paul continues his reasoning. If people - kind of God, then it is impossible to consider that He like gold or silver or stone idol. Latest received the image from art and human invention and therefore they stand lower than people. These idols are in a sense a product of human existence, while the truth is that people themselves are the creation of God.
17,30 Having shown the folly of idolatry, Paul notes that for many centuries God was leaving without attention ignorance pagans. But now that the revelation of the Gospel has been sent down, He commands people everywhere to repent, that is, turn to Him.
17,31 This message was extremely urgent, for God has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by Lord Jesus Christ, the Husband predestined by Him. This refers to the judgment that will take place when Christ returns to earth to overthrow His enemies and begin the Millennial Reign. This is confirmed by the fact that God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. So Paul brings us to his favorite topic - the resurrection of Christ.
17,32-33 Perhaps Paul did not finish his speech. She was interrupted ridicule those who denied the very idea resurrection from the dead. Other Not mocked but they hesitated. They deferred their decision, saying: “We’ll hear from you about this another time.” They assumed that the day of Christ's coming would be a day of disaster. They could not say: “Never,” but said: “Not now.”
17,34 However, it would be wrong to consider that the appeal to the Athenians ended in failure. In the end, I believed Dionysius, who was one of the judges - Areopagite. I also believed woman named Damar and others, whose names are not mentioned.
So Paul went out from among them.“We will hear no more about Athens. Paul returned to where he was persecuted, but where he met a frivolous attitude, indifference, he had nothing more to talk about” (“Selected”).
Some people criticize this sermon because it seems to praise the Athenians for their religiosity, when in fact they were notorious idolaters; in it Paul admits that the inscription, which may have referred to a pagan deity, denotes the true God; for the fact that Paul, it seems, too carefully adapted this sermon to the customs and traditions of the Athenians and in it the Good News is not presented as clearly and convincingly as in some of the other sermons of the apostle. These reproaches are unfair. We have already tried to explain that Paul first sought a point of contact with the audience, then gradually led his listeners first to the knowledge of the true God, then to the need for repentance in connection with the coming of Christ as Judge. In defense of this sermon of Paul it is enough to say that it resulted in the sincere conversion of some souls to God.
UNUSUAL CHAIRS
The Areopagus (the hill of Mars), where Paul preached, is one example of such unusual places, where the first Christians preached the gospel. Most of all they loved to preach on the street, open air. Perhaps, judging by the number of those who listened and were saved, the apostles preached on the street on Pentecost (Acts 2:6,41; some scholars believe that the sermon took place in the courtyard of the temple.). Other instances of open-air preaching are recorded in 8:5,25,40; 13.44; 14.8-18.
Territory temple echoed the Good News on at least three occasions (3:1-11; 5:21,42). In Philippi, Paul and his companions preached the Word by the river. Here in Athens, before his speech in the Areopagus, Paul preached on the market square(17.17). In Jerusalem he addressed an angry crowd With stairs Antonia fortress (21.40 - 22.21).
At least four times the apostles preached the gospel to the Jews Sanhedrin. Peter and John (4.8.19); Peter and other apostles (5:27-32); Stephen (7.2-53) and Paul (22.30 - 23.10).
Usually Paul and his companions preached the Good News in synagogues(9,20; 13,5.14; 14,1; 17,1-2.10.17; 18,4.19.26; 19,8).
Used repeatedly private houses. Peter preached in the house of Cornelius (10:22.24). In Philippi, Paul and Silas testified at the home of the jailer (16:31-32). In Corinth, Paul preached the gospel in the house of Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue (18:7-8). Until midnight he preached in a private house in Troas (20:7). He preached from house to house in Ephesus (20:20) and in his rented house in Rome (28:30-31).
Philip Preached the Gospel to the Ethiopian Eunuch in a chariot(8:31-35), and Paul - on the ship(27.21-26). In Ephesus he preached daily at school (19,9).
Paul preached the gospel in court before Felix (24:10), Festus (25:8) and Agrippa (26:1-29).
In 8:4 we read that the scattered Christians preached the word everywhere.
So, the early Christians did not believe that the Good News should always be proclaimed in special, “sanctified” buildings. Wherever people were, there was both meaning and opportunity to introduce them to Christ. A. B. Simpson agrees with this:
“First Christians considered every situation as an opportunity to testify about Christ. Even when they were brought before kings and rulers, it never occurred to them to avoid discussing controversial issues and not openly declare themselves Christians, fearing the consequences. For them it was only an opportunity to preach the gospel to kings and to rulers who were otherwise inaccessible to them. Perhaps God sends us every person, giving us the opportunity to bless his path and exert an influence on his heart and life that will lead him closer to God."(A.V. Simpson, no other data.)
The Lord Jesus commanded the disciples: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). The Book of Acts of the Apostles shows how they carried out this command.
It may be added that the sermons recorded in Acts were mostly extemporaneous. Usually there was no time to prepare them. Preparation did not take an hour, but a lifetime. It was not the sermons that were prepared, but the preachers.
Ministry in Thessalonica
1 Having passed Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.2 Paul, according to his custom, went to the synagogue and there three Sabbaths in a row discussed the Scriptures with the Jews,3 explaining and proving that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.
“Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ,” said Paul.
4 They managed to convince several Jews, as well as many pious Greeks and many noble women. And they all joined Paul and Silas.5 This aroused the envy of the rest of the Jews, and they, taking with them the worthless people they found in the market, gathered a crowd and started riots in the city. They rushed to Jason's house, looking for Paul and Silas to lead them out to the crowd.6 Not finding them there, they dragged Jason and the other brothers to the city authorities.
“These people are causing riots all over the world, and now they have come here,” the crowd shouted,7 - And Jason took them into his home. They violate the commands of Caesar and say that there is another king whose name is Jesus.
8 The crowd and city officials, hearing this, became alarmed.9 They took bail from Jason and the others and released them.
Ministry in Berea
10 As soon as night fell, the brothers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. Having arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.11 Bereanswere more open-minded people than the Thessalonians. They received what Paul said with great interest and searched the Scriptures every day to see if what they heard was true.12 Many of them believed, and many noble Greek women and many Greeks also believed.13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was proclaiming the word of God in Berea, they came there and began to incite and disturb the people.14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the sea, while Silas and Timothy remained in the city.15 Paul's guides came with him to Athens, and then went back with a command from Paul that Silas and Timothy should come to him as soon as possible.
Paul's Ministry in Athens
16 Paul, waiting for his companions, walked around Athens, and he was outraged by the huge number of idols in this city.17 He talked in the synagogue with Jews and worshipersGod by the Greeks. Every day he talked to random people he met in the square.18 Some philosophers belonging to the schools of Epicureans and Stoics also entered into conversation with him.# 17:18 The Epicureans are a school of philosophy founded by Epicurus (341–270 BC) in Athens. According to their teaching, the meaning of life lies in the calm enjoyment of life's blessings, not clouded by pain and superstitious fear of the gods. The Stoics are a philosophical school founded by Zeno of Kition (340–265 BC) and took its name from the portico (Stoa) in Athens, where the founder of this school taught. The Stoics taught that the main goal of human existence was happiness, which only righteous actions could provide.. Some asked:
– And what does this windbag want to say?
Others said:
– He seems to announce foreign gods, –
because Paul proclaimed the Good News of Jesus and the resurrection# 17:18 Jesus and the resurrection - the word “resurrection” (“Anastasis” - Greek) could be perceived by the Greeks as the name of a certain goddess called Anastasia.. 19 Pavel was brought tocity council, Areopagus # 17:19 Areopagus - (Greek “hill of Ares”) was the name of both the place where the council met and the council itself. Ares (“Mars” – lat.) in Greek and Roman mythology was the god of war., and asked:
– Tell us, what is this new teaching that you preach?20 You're talking about something strange, and we'd like to know what it all means.
21 The best pastime for the Athenians and the foreigners living there was to talk or listen to something new.
22 And Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said:
- Athenians! I can see from everything that you are very religious.23 I walked around and carefully examined your shrines. On one of the altars was written: “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.” This unknown God, whom you worship without even knowing who He is, I proclaim to you.24 God, who created the world and everything in it, is the Lord of heaven and earth. He does not live in temples built by human hands,25 and does not need people to serve Him with their own hands, as if He lacks something, because He Himself gives all people life, breath and everything else.26 From one man He produced all mankind, so that people would populate the entire earth, on which He determined the time and boundaries of habitation for everyone.27 And God did all this so that people would look for Him, could feel Him and find Him, although He is not far from each of us.28 After all, “in Him we live, move and have our being”# 17:28 Here is a quote from Epimenides of Crete, who lived in the 6th – 5th centuries. BC e., as some of your poets said about it: “After all, we are His race”# 17:28 Here is a quote from Aratus the Cilician (IV – III centuries BC). Cleanthes also has similar lines (IV – III centuries BC).. 29 And since we are the race of God, we should not represent the Divine in the form of a gold, silver or stone image, or in the form of any image made according to the design of man and his skill.30 So, leaving aside the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent.31 He has appointed a day when He will judge the world with justice, and has already chosen a Man who will be the judge. He confirmed it to everyone by raising Him from the dead!
32 When they heard about the resurrection from the dead, some of them began to chuckle, while others said:
– We’ll listen to you about this another time.
33 With this, Paul left the meeting.34 A few people, however, joined Paul and believed. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, a woman named Damarius and others.
Having stood in the midst of the Areopagus, Paul said: Men of the Athenians, in all things I see that you are pious. As we passed through and beheld your veneration, we also found a temple on which it was written: To an unknown God: Whom you do not know (more beautifully), this I preach to you. The God who created the world and all that is in it, this heaven and earth, this Lord, does not live in temples made by hands: He does not accept gratification from the hands of men, demanding anything, himself giving to everyone life and breath and everything. From one blood He created the whole language of man, to live throughout the entire face of the earth, having set the pre-destroyed times and the boundaries of their settlements, Seek the Lord, so that they may yet touch him and find him, as if he is not far from the one who exists for us. For in him we live and move, and we are: just as the scribes of yours did not say: of this also are we the generation. Since the race is of God, we should not despise the existence of the Divinity, like gold, or silver, or artistically carved stone, or the ingenuity of man.
Aki pious- Δεησηδαημονεστερους. Δεησηδαημων is called the one who fears demons, who idolizes everything, wood and stone and spirits. It seems that the apostle seems to be praising them. Δεησηδαημονεστερους, that is, fearing demons, he called them instead of calling them pious. And he called them that in reference to the temple. They erected the temple for the following reason. One day a war broke out among the Athenians with their enemies; Having been defeated, they left. And since it was their custom to celebrate games in honor of demons; then one of the demons appeared to them and said that he had not yet seen any honor from them; That's why he was angry with them and was the reason for their defeat. They built a temple for this demon, and as if out of fear that the same thing would happen to them again someday, if they bypassed some God unknown to them, they erected a temple with the inscription: to an unknown God saying by this that if there is any other God whom they do not know, then let this temple be dedicated in honor of him; perhaps he will be merciful to us, although we do not honor him because we do not know. The full inscription on the temple was as follows: to the gods of Asia and Europe and Libya: the God unknown and alien. - Passing by and observing your honor. I found in the city not a divine book, but a standing temple; and, using the inscription on the temple, he destroyed the temple itself. So what could he do? The Greeks were all unbelievers. If he began to talk with them on the basis of the Gospel teaching, they would begin to laugh at him; if - on the basis of the prophets, they would not have confidence in him. He conquered the enemy's weapon with his own weapon: this is what he says: was with the lawless, like the lawless. I saw the temple, and turned the inscription on it to my advantage; and what is even more important is that he changed the minds of the Athenians. On the temple, it is said, it is written: to the unknown God. Who was this unknown God if not Christ? So the Athenians wrote this in the name of Christ? If they had written this in the name of Christ, Paul's success in converting them would not have been surprising. No, they wrote this for a different purpose; and Paul managed to give the inscription a completely new meaning. But it should be said for what God they wrote: to an unknown god. They had many gods, both their own and others. They received information about some of them from their mothers, and about others from neighboring peoples. So, since at first not all the gods were immediately accepted by them, but were introduced little by little, some by their fathers, others by their grandfathers, and others already in their time; then, having gathered together, they said how we did not know these gods before, and then later recognized them, so, perhaps, there is another God whom we do not know, and since we do not know him, although he God, we make the mistake of neglecting him and not honoring him. Therefore, they erected a temple and made an inscription on it: to an unknown God saying by this inscription that if there is another God whom we do not know, then we will honor him too. Pay attention to excess fearlessness. Therefore Paul says: in vain, like pious: because you honor not only those demons that you know, but also those that you do not recognize - and, captivating their minds, directed their mental gaze to Christ. Because you do not know (more gracefully), you honor this, this I preach to you. The Athenians intended to accuse Paul, saying: you are introducing a new teaching, you are introducing a God whom we do not know. Therefore, wanting to free himself from suspicion and show that he is not preaching a new God, but one whom they had already honored with his service before him, he says: you warned me, your service to Him forestalled my preaching; because I proclaim to you that God whom you worship without knowing. God created the world... He said one word and undermined all the positions of the philosophers. The Epicureans claim that everything came about by itself and from atoms; and he says that the world and everything in it is the work of God. Doesn't live in temples made by hands. So that they do not think that one of their many gods is being preached, Paul corrects what was said by adding: does not live in temples made by hands, but in the human soul. So what? Didn't he live in the Jerusalem temple? Yes, he didn’t live, but he acted. How then did the Jews honor Him with the help of hands? Not with the assistance of hands, but with thought; because He did not demand the sensual, as if He needed it: I don't eat He says Yunch meat etc. Without demanding anything, he himself gives everyone life and breath. Two proofs of divinity, namely, that God needs nothing and gives everything to everyone. But here Paul also shows that God is not the father, but the creator of the soul. Having set predetermined times. Set seek the Lord but not forever, but for the times before the punishment. Paul shows that even though they did not find the Lord, they found Him. But when they sought Him, they did not find Him; then it also shows that the Lord is as obvious as some object viewed in a prominent place; because it is impossible for heaven to be here and not be elsewhere; It is also impossible for it to exist at this time and not at another. So at any time and in any place you can find the Lord. God has arranged it in such a way that we do not encounter obstacles in this either from place or from time. The fact that heaven is everywhere and established for all times had a particularly strong effect on the listeners. The Lord is so close to us, says the apostle, that it is impossible to live without Him. For in Him we live and move and we are. The closeness of the Lord is proved through a sensory example: it is impossible, he says, not to know that the air is spread everywhere, and is not only near each of us, but also in ourselves. The fact that we have received life from God, that we act and do not perish - all this is called God’s providence and care for us. Like and netsy from your scribes rekosha. One sage Arat said about Zeus: That's why we are the same kind. But the apostle says this about the Creator, without claiming that the Creator and Zeus are one and the same thing - let it not be! - but applying this expression actually to the Creator, just as he called the altar the altar of Him (the Creator), and not the one whom the Athenians honored. He called us the family of God, that is, the closest relatives; since from our race God has favored on earth be born. Didn't say: you shouldn't not to eat is like the Divinity being gold or silver, but used a more humble turn of phrase: you shouldn't. Notice how he introduced a supersensible object into his speech; because with the idea of the body we connect the idea of distance.
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