NOTES for Act 17:30-32
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. |
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Paul's preaching in the Athenian Areopagus is one of those events that, when we read about it, does not feel separated from us by two thousand years. This is not only because many foundations of our civilization lie in Athens, but also because, looking at the Athenians of Paul's time, it is not hard to see many of our own skeptical contemporaries, who love to discuss sensational news.
It is significant that the Athenians, who were capable of listening to any point of view, listened to Paul while he set forth basic ideas about God acceptable to followers of various teachings, but interrupted him as soon as Paul began speaking about the Resurrection. What matters to Paul is not received by his listeners, and not only, it seems, because his words do not fit the ideas of those gathered in the Areopagus. Perhaps they sensed that what they had heard was not a verbal exercise, but a message demanding a change of life...
Can Paul's first attempt at preaching in Athens be called unsuccessful? It seems not, and not only because there were after all some people who became interested in Paul's words, and among them even one member of the Areopagus, Dionysius. That day Paul sowed seeds that were destined to sprout, and we know that they did sprout and brought a rich harvest on Greek soil.
Readings for 28 May 2025
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