Read or listen The Acts of the Apostles Chapter 17 online (ESV, Bible Gateway)

Antipolis, which was 48 km (30 miles) from Philippi, and Apollonia, which was 47 km (29 miles) from Antipolis and 57 km (35 miles) from Thessalonica, were apparently the places where Paul and his party spent the night. A day's journey on foot was generally estimated at 25 Roman miles, or 37.5 km. Thus, Paul, despite the mistreatment in Philippi, traveled a little longer than normal in a day.

Thessalonica was the capital of the province of Macedonia and was also home to the Roman representative, the proconsul. However, the city had been granted the rights of a free city and had a direct democratic government.

Matters were decided in the People's Assembly, where there was a general right to vote, but only for free men.

As was his custom, Paul began his preaching work in the Jewish synagogue. In addition to Jews, Greeks, which actually means Greek-speaking non-Jews, gathered there. The synagogue visitors were familiar with the Old Testament writings, which provided an excellent starting point for the proclamation of the gospel.

Paul made two claims in his sermon:

1. The Messiah (in Hebrew) or Christ (in Greek) prophesied in the Old Testament was to suffer, die, and rise from the dead.

2. Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament.

Only a few of the Jews believed, but a large number of “devout people” were converted, as well as several noble women. The synagogue thus lost a large number of its adherents and apparently also a large part of its income. This caused the Jews to be “were jealous” (verse 5). They could not accept that Paul would convert their adherents.

Riot again

The Jews used a familiar tactic: "some wicked men of the rabble" (verse 5) were recruited to organize a riot. However, the Jews were partially unsuccessful, as Silas and Paul were not caught. Apparently they had managed to hide.

Instead, Jason, with whom Paul and his companions had been staying, was dragged to the council to be tried. Apparently Jason was a Jew, as Jason was the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua/Jesus. We know nothing else about him.

At the People's Assembly, the Jews accused the Christians of being "These men who have turned the world upside down", an accusation often used against the Jews themselves. Jesus' kingship was interpreted as a secular kingship (verse 7). When suspicion of overthrowing the emperor was added to the rebellion, even the city's leaders became worried.

What kind of guarantees were required from Jason remains unclear. Perhaps he was required to see that Paul and his party left the city. Or perhaps he was required to pay a sum of money as a guarantee that the Christian faith would not be spread any further. It is possible that the guarantee would have been paid only if Paul had continued his work.

In any case, the very next night Paul and Silas were sent to Berea (verse 10). The nighttime departure emphasizes the dangerous nature of the situation.

How long did Paul stay in Thessalonica?

Shortly after leaving the city, Paul sent First Thessalonians, apparently from Corinth. It is the earliest of Paul’s surviving letters. In that letter, Paul rejoices in the faith of the church, which it had despite the persecution it was suffering (1 Thess 2:14).

"Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again." (Phil 4:15-16)

The above passage mentions that Paul received financial support from Philippi to Thessalonica more than once. This suggests that Paul stayed in Thessalonica for more than a few weeks. This is also indicated by several references in 1 Thess.

Although Luke says that Paul preached on only three Sabbaths (verse 2), this does not necessarily mean that the riot broke out immediately after the Christians left the synagogue. It is possible that a congregation met in Jason's house ("some of the brothers" in verse 6) for some time before the Jews began to persecute the Christians.

History repeats itself - Acts 17:10-15

Paul and Silas traveled about 70 km to Berea, where Timothy (verse 15) also arrived later - apparently from Philippi. Paul and Silas traveled about 70 km to Berea, where Timothy (verse 15) also arrived later - apparently from Philippi.

The Jews of Berea were "more noble" (verse 11), and did not immediately reject Paul's proclamation, but judged it by the Old Testament. This is what we should do today: judge new preachers by the Bible and not by any other criteria.

Many of the Jews believed the gospel (verse 12), but soon the "expected" turn of events occurred. The Jews of Thessalonica heard about the events in Berea and stirred up another riot. Luke reports that this time only Paul left the city (verses 14 and 15).

The opponents of the Christian faith apparently considered Paul their main opponent. Perhaps it was even thought that the church would wither away without Paul. However, this did not happen, as we see from Paul’s letters to the churches. It has also been suggested that Silas and Timothy may have focused on missionary work among the Gentiles, so the Jews did not oppose them as harshly as they did Paul.

Apparently, Paul left Berea for the coast and continued with his companions to Athens by ship. Traveling overland would have involved going around Mount Olympus and taking remote mountain roads. Paul was interested in cities, so he probably wanted to get to Athens, which was already a province of Achaia, as quickly as possible.

Thus Paul's work in Macedonia had ended for this time.
Three cities, three churches, three riots.

Paul in Athens – Acts 17:16-34

Athens at that time had a glorious past and a great future; the builder emperor Hadrian restored its glory in the 100th century AD. In Paul's time, Athens was mainly a tourist destination and a center of civilization. The capital of the province of Achaia was Corinth.

Athens was famous for its culture and its scholars. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle had taught there. The city still had Plato's "Academy" and Aristotle's "Lyceum." The city was also home to the Cynics and the Stoics (verse 18) and Epicureans, mentioned by Luke. Athens was the center of these schools of philosophy.

Apparently, among the philosophical trends of that time, Paul was most familiar with Stoicism. After all, Paul's hometown of Tarsus was one of the centers of Stoicism.

Stoicism was pantheistic, in which it is believed that God is present in everything and everywhere. So it represented monotheism in a way. The Stoics tried to maintain high morality, which is why they often had a sense of superiority over the "common people".

Another of the most prominent philosophical movements of antiquity at that time was Epicureanism. They were materialists and advocated enjoying life, but it had to be done in a refined and moderate manner.

Religious Athenians

Although the Athenians were famous for their curiosity and wisdom, they were also very religious. But even their religiosity reflected their rationality: since it was possible that some god was unknown to them, it was necessary "just in case" to sacrifice also to the "unknown god." An altar dedicated to the Unknown God has not been found, but several Greek writers confirm Luke's information.

In the synagogue, Paul witnessed about Christ to the Jews and "the devout" (verse 17). In the famous marketplace of Athens, he met other citizens. The citizens were interested in the new preacher. Some, however, considered him a "babbler," which was a term for an uneducated person who picked up the ideas of others and spread them. Some also mistakenly thought that Paul was preaching about two gods, Jesus and the resurrection (Greek "Anastasia," verse 18).

They wanted to get a better understanding of the strange preacher. So Paul was taken to the Areopagus. This was not a court of law - as the polite wishes in verses 19 and 20 show.

The Areopagus was a rocky hill about 100 meters above the city itself. Even higher was the Pantheon, a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. It is probably the finest achievement of ancient architecture.

Wisdom and madness meet

Paul's speech at the Areopagus was historic in that it was the meeting point of two "roots" of Western culture: Greek thought and Christian faith. European civilization has been based on these two to this day. Unfortunately, the Christian faith in particular has recently lost its position in Europe.

Paul did not begin his speech with a rebuke, even though the idols had stirred him up (verse 16: "his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols"). On the contrary, he praised the generally known religiosity of the Athenians.

We should not begin our sermons with a rebuke, for example: "Why do you only come to church on Christmas?" That is not a good topic for a Christmas sermon! We should find topics that will arouse positive emotions in our listeners. Here too, however, we should not go to extremes. Paul did not approve of the religiosity of the Athenians, although he started from it. We should not flatter our listeners or accept or give a "Christian blessing" to all their ways.

So it's about the basic attitude: whether it's positive or negative. The listener is surprisingly good at detecting this. A negative starting position very effectively prevents the message from getting through.

Paul taught his listeners things that were strange to them, sometimes even contemptible. The Greek wise men thought the universe ("kosmos," verse 24) was eternal, but Paul declared to them that God is the Creator. The Greeks worshipped many gods, but Paul declared to them one God. The Athenians were famous for their wisdom, but Paul declared to them that he was wiser than they, because he knew the "unknown god" to whom an altar had been made (verse 23; see also verse 30).

The Greeks considered the soul eternal, but the body was despised. It is therefore not surprising that the very talk of the resurrection of the body aroused opposition (verse 23). Instead, Paul called the body the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).

We too must see that the most central truths of Christianity fight against our reason. The virgin birth, Jesus' atoning death on Calvary, and the resurrection will always remain folly if they are evaluated by reason alone. They can only be accepted by faith, as truths revealed to man by God. If we remove from Christian faith that which is not "reasonable," it is no longer a question of biblical faith.

Also note the idea in verse 31 of the resurrection as the assurance/guarantee of the Christian faith.

Not everything non-Christian is wrong

Paul quoted a Greek poet in his speech (verse 28): “For we are indeed his offspring.” Scholars believe that this was Aratus, a Stoic poet from Paul’s hometown of Tarsus.

Sometimes someone declares that everything that does not come from the Christian faith is evil and should be rejected. However, this is not necessarily the case. The world was created by God (verse 24), so it also includes that which has not been corrupted by the fall into sin. Christians are not called to isolate themselves from the world, but to be salt and light in the world (Matthew 5:13-16). We cannot reach people who live apart from God by separating ourselves from them, but by going among them.

How we try to reach those who are alienated from the faith and how we relate to the culture of an alienated world, etc. is a complex question that cannot be solved in black and white. On the one hand, it is true that the world has chosen the Enemy of Souls and allied itself with it. The Church Father Augustine wrote: "You have so ordained, God, that every soul that deviates from Your order is its own punishment." But on the other hand, God became man in Jesus (Phil 2:5-11). So God does not want to place himself outside of humanity. Therefore, Christians and the Church should not isolate themselves.

No success

The Athenians were civilized. They didn't riot or throw stones at Paul. They were used to discussing things with people who thought differently.

Paul's speech once again divided the audience. Some mocked, some were more polite, but still rejected Paul - "We will hear you again about this" in verse 32, which should be interpreted as a polite refusal. But once again, faith was born in some of the listeners. Luke mentions two by name: Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris.

From church history we know that no church was born in Athens. There was no severe opposition, nor was there much success. The Athenians were civilized neutral.

“‘...you are neither cold nor hot.
Would that you were either cold or hot!
So, because you are lukewarm,
and neither hot nor cold,
I will spit you out of my mouth."
(Revelation 3:15-16)

Sometimes it's good that opposition arises: it demands that we take a stand. Perhaps "not taking a stand" is the problem of our time. In practice, it often leads to "everyday atheism."