Acts of the Apostles 17

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In Thessalonica

1 They passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia and reached Thessalonica,* where there was a house of worship for the Jews. 2 So Paul went to it, according to his custom, and for three Saturdays he reasoned with them from the Book of God.* 3 He explained to them and proved that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer, then rise from death. He said, “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah.” 4 Some of the Jews were convinced and joined Paul and Silas, and so did a large number of godly Greeks and prominent women.

5 The Jews were filled with envy. So they gathered some wicked people from among the men of the street, formed a mob, and started to stir up turmoil in the city. They attacked Jason's house, searching for Paul and Silas so they could bring them out to the crowd. 6 When they didn't find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers out and took them to the rulers of the city, shouting, “Those men who have upended the whole world have come here as well, 7 and Jason is hosting them in his home. They all violate the commands of Caesar,* saying that there is another king, whose name is Jesus.” 8 The crowd and the rulers were upset when they heard this. 9 They received a bond* from Jason and the others; then they released them.

In Berea

10 When night came, the brothers hurried and sent Paul and Silas to Berea.* When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish house of worship. 11 The people of Berea were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great enthusiasm. They studied the Scriptures every day to assure themselves of the validity of these matters. 12 Many of the Jews believed, as well as a number of the prominent Greek women and many of the Greek men.

13 When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was proclaiming the word of God in Berea as well, they went there to stir up the people and to provoke them into an uproar. 14 The brothers made haste and sent Paul off to the coast,* while Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. 15 The men who accompanied Paul got him to Athens; then they returned with a directive from Paul that Silas and Timothy should catch up with him as quickly as possible.

In Athens

16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled when he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 He began having discussions in the house of worship with the Jews and other worshipers, and likewise in the city square every day with anyone he met there. 18 A debate took place between him and a group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. Some of them said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Some others said, “He seems to be proclaiming foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and walked with him to the Areopagus Council. They told him, “We want to know this new doctrine you are proclaiming. 20 You're throwing out some strange ideas for us to hear, and we want to know their meaning.” 21 The people of Athens and the foreigners staying there would spend their time talking about new ideas and listening to them.

22 So Paul stood in the Areopagus Council and said, “People of Athens, I see that you are religious in every respect, 23 for as I was walking in your city, I noticed your objects of worship. I even found a place on which was written: ‘For worship of the unknown god.’ This one, whom you worship without knowing him, I proclaim to you now. 24 He is God, the Creator of the universe and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth and does not dwell in temples that people build. 25 He does not need the service of people, as he is not in need of anything. Rather, he himself gives all people life and breath and everything [else]. 26 He created all the ethnic groups of humanity from one man in order to populate the face of the whole earth. He determined for them the times and the places in which they should live, 27 so that they would seek after him and search for him and so find their way to him, although he is not far from every one of us, 28 ‘for in him we live and move and exist.’ As one of your poets has said, ‘We are a glimmer* of him.’

29 “Since we are a glimmer of God,* we should not suppose that the divine nature is an idol that man makes through his art and skill out of gold, silver, or stone. 30 In the past, God overlooked this ignorance, but now he commands all people in every place to repent. 31 For he has set a day in which he will judge the world with justice by the man he has chosen, and he has proved to all people that he has chosen him by raising him from death.”

32 When they heard about the resurrection from death, some started mocking, but others said, “We want to hear from you again about this topic.” 33 At that, Paul left the council. 34 But some of the men joined him and believed. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, and also a woman named Damaris, and others besides them.

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Definitions

 *17:2 the Book of God: Or the Scriptures. This refers to the Torah, Psalms, and Writings of the Prophets.

 *17:7 Caesar: Claudius Caesar. He was emperor of the Roman Empire from AD 41 to 54.

 *17:9 bond: A bond is a sum of money promised or paid to a court or some person to guarantee an outcome. If the agreed outcome does not happen, the court or the person keeps the money. In this case, the rulers of the city required Jason to post a surety bond, a sum of money which he would lose if Paul and Silas caused more trouble or didn't leave the city and not return.

 *17:10 Berea: a town 96 kilometers (55 miles) west of Thessalonica.

 *17:14 the coast: the coast of the Aegean Sea. From there Paul traveled by ship to the city of Athens.

 *17:28 glimmer: a faint ray of light from a distant light source. These two sayings are quoted from ancient Greek poems that were well known to the Greeks. The first is by Epimenides, who lived in the sixth century BC, and the second is by Aratus Solensis, who lived in the third century BC.