A Witness to the Philosophers
One of Paul's most well-known missionary endeavors occurred in Athens, home of some of the world's greatest philosophers of antiquity, such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. And yet, how interesting: Even with all the philosophy and all its appeals to reason and logic, the city was still "wholly given to idolatry" (Acts 17:16). What a testimony to how, in the end, philosophy cannot answer basic human needs.
Read Acts 17:18-34. What approach did Paul take in trying to reach these people? What does he not use? How successful were his efforts?
Epicureans taught that happiness comes from living a good life with modest pleasures. The Stoics, on the other hand, urged people to be content with what they had. Together, Stoic and Epicurean philosophers heard Paul in the marketplace and started to argue with him, calling him a "babbler" (Acts 17:18, NIV).
Despite ridiculing Paul, these philosophers invited him to speak at a meeting of the Areopagus—a group of philosophers that assessed new teachings—on what we know as Mars' Hill.
In his speech, Paul shapes his message to his pagan audience (vss. 22-25) by connecting with their culture. He refers to a statue they had built to the unknown god and identifies Him as the Creator God.
At no stage does Paul refer to the Scriptures, as he would with a Jewish audience. Rather, he again points to the natural world with which they are familiar and connects it to the supernatural. And though Paul did not use the Scriptures, his message to them was, clearly, very scriptural. In what ways do the things of nature speak to your heart about God? How could you better cultivate an appreciation of our Creator through the things of nature?
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