Acts 17:13-34 ESV

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:18

‘And some said, “What would this babbler say?” Others, “He seems to be a setter forth of strange gods”, because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.’ We can see then why these philosophers had a sceptical attitude towards what Paul was teaching. The word rendered ‘babbler’ was applied to ‘seed-picking birds’, and then to people who picked up random and second hand ideas without any consistency of thought or real understanding. In their conceit the idea of these philosophers was that others... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:19-20

‘And they took hold of him, and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is, which is spoken by you? For you are bringing certain strange things to our ears. We would know therefore what these things mean.’ But they were interested to know what he was teaching, and indeed to check up on it so as to ensure that it could be allowed to be taught among the people in Athens, especially the students who were among them (who could report back anything that seemed... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:21

‘(Now all the Athenians and the strangers sojourning there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.)’ The enquiry was not antagonistic. Indeed the lives of these people and the strangers who came among them consisted in examining new philosophies. They loved to hear of ‘new things’. It was what their lives were all about. Nevertheless if he wished to go on teaching in Athens he had no choice but to comply. read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:22-23

‘And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said, “You men of Athens, in all things, I perceive that you are very religious. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I set forth to you.’ That we have here only the bare bones of Paul’s words is obvious. He would hardly have been foolish enough to seek to dismiss the Areopagites with so few words. But we... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:24-25

“The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is he served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life, and breath, and all things.” But Paul does not intend for Him to remain unknown. His first emphasis is that his God is the One God Who is Creator of all things and is above all things and requires neither man’s buildings nor man’s service. He needs nothing from man.... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:26-28

“And he made out of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation, that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us, for ‘in him we live, and move, and have our being’, as certain even of your own poets have said, ‘for we are also his offspring’.” Furthermore he points out that God has made all mankind of every nation out of one man... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:29

“Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like to gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man.” He then further emphasises that to speak of men as the ‘offspring of God’, by which these writers indicated a close relationship between men and God as those whom He had in one way or another created, and to whom He has given life and reason, must exclude the idea that He can be made of wood and stone, or be designed by man. Athens may be filled with... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:30-31

“The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked, but now he commands men that they should all everywhere repent, inasmuch as he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained, of which he has given assurance (literally ‘faith’) to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.” Let them recognise that God has in the past overlooked the periods of their ignorance (compare Acts 14:16). This is firstly evident in that He has not again... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:32

‘Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, “We will hear you concerning this yet again.” ’ Central to Paul’s message had continually been the resurrection, and it was on this point that his hearers were divided. Some mocked at the idea (for previous mockery of the Apostles compare Acts 2:13). Others said that they wanted to hear more. We can compare the latter with those in Acts 13:42 where the Gentiles again had asked to hear more. We should not see... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:33

‘Thus Paul went out from among them.’ Having completed his words Paul went out from among them. We are hardly right to suggest that he stopped short in order to do so. And there is no suggestion that they cut him short. It is rather that Luke finishes in this way because he wanted to emphasise that it was the resurrection that was at the root of their problems, and so that he can link a reference to the resurrection with the problems that they had with it. We can rightly assume that Paul had... read more

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:18

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:19-20

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:21

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:22-23

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:24-25

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:26-28

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:29

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:30-31

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:32

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 17:33

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