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Acts 17. The 2nd Missionary Journey (2). Out of Jail!. Escorted out by magistrates One last visit at Lydia’s house. Was Paul Headed To Rome?. In A.D. 49, the Roman Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from the city of Rome. Amphipolis & Apollonia.
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Acts 17 The 2nd Missionary Journey (2)
Out of Jail! • Escorted out by magistrates • One last visit at Lydia’s house
Was Paul Headed To Rome? In A.D. 49, the Roman Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from the city of Rome.
Amphipolis&Apollonia Probably skipped by Paul because there were no synagogues there.
Amphipolis&Apollonia The Lion Of Amphilipolis
Amphipolis&Apollonia …came to Thessalonica where there was a Jewish synagogue. (17:1)
Thessalonica:2nd Largest City In both Ancient & Modern Greece 1st Century Population – 200,000
Paul in Thessalonica • Taught on 3 Sabbath days • Reasoned …from the Scriptures • Proved that Jesus is the Christ • Some Jews & many God-fearers responded • No pagans (compare 1 Thess. 1:9)
Paul in Thessalonica • Jews became jealous (17:5; 13:45) • Rounded up bad characters from the agora (5) • Jason (Joshua in Hebrew) was host • These men have caused trouble all over the world…. (6)
Archeology and The Bible • Politarch (“city officials”) does not appear in any Greek literature. • Found on inscription on an arch in Thessalonica in 1835
On To Berea! • Escaped at night (10) • Came to Berea • An out-of-the-way town • Began in Synagogue
The Noble Bereans The Bereans were of more noble character…for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. (11)
The Noble Bereans • Many of the Jews believed as did a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. (13)
Out of Berea • Ship to Athens • Paul left alone there
Paul in Athens • Athens was a small university town of 25,000 people – more concerned with ideas than with commerce.
It is easier to find a god than a man in Athens! Petronius Roman Consuldied A.D. 66
Paul in Athens • Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy (15-16) • “Greatly distressed” by idols (16) • Synagogue & Marketplace (17)
Epicureans • Epicurus (340-270 B.C.) • No afterlife • Gods are uninvolved • Eat, drink, be merry! • Similar to today’s secularists
Stoics • Zeno (340-265 B.C.) • Met in Stoa in Athens • Logos/Universal Reason • Accept fate! • Divine spark in all • Today’s New Agers
Paul’s Debates in Athens • Babbler – “seed-picker” (18) • Foreign gods – Jesus and “Resurrection” (18) • Taken to the Areopagus which met in the Roman forum (agora)
Paul to The Areopagus • Acknowledged their idols – altar to the “unknown god” (19-23) • God created everything (24-26) • God is very near (27-29) • God judges/Call to repent (30-31) (From: Dennis Gaertner, Acts, pp. 275-280)
Quotes in Paul’s Sermon • In him we live and move and have our being (Epimenides – 600 B.C.) • We are his offspring (Aratus – 315-240 B.C.)
When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered (32) 1 Corinthians 15:12-13
Greeks andResurrection The Greeks believed in the immortality of the soul but not in the resurrection of the body
ResponseinAthens • Very little response • Some sneered • Some wanted to hear more • Dionysius (a member of the Areopagus) and a woman named Damaris responded and others
Paul’s different approaches to Preaching • To Jews in a synagogue in Antioch (13) • To pagans in Lystra (14) • To philosophers in Athens (17)
Outline of Acts 1:8