The Unknown God - Paul's Legal Defense at the Areopagus in Acts 17

This post is going to focus on what was happening during the famous Mars Hill discussion of Acts 17 where Paul talked about an unknown God. While many believe that this was just a friendly theological/philosophical discussion, where Paul cleverly draws on local customs to make analogies to the God of Israel, this post is going to show that Paul was actually on trial, making a legal defense for the religion he was sharing.

It's worth reading the whole chapter, but the part we are going to focus on is:

A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, "What is this nonsense?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?" You are bringing some strange ideas to us, and we would like to know what they mean." (Athenians spend their time talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, "People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship - and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. 

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'" -Acts 17:18-28

Many pastors have given the impression that the Areopagus (often translated as Mars Hill) was some sort of hangout for local would-be philosophers, where people have friendly discussions about differing religious, political, and societal issues. I actually remember hearing a Bible college professor describe it like the Parisian cafes of the Lost Generation, where authors and artists drank coffee and debated and discussed the latest ideas of the time. As someone with a brand new idea, Paul would have been welcomed and celebrated, and Paul is cleverly emphasizing local cultural customs as a stepping stone to help the Athenians understand his message.

But that's not what is going on at Mars Hill. This is a law court, and not an inconsequential one. The Areopagus was the highest court in Athens. Paul is under trial.

We can see that Paul is under trial because:

-The Areopagus is a judicial court. It is not a hangout place or debate club.

-When Paul was "taken" to the Areopagus, the Greek word used means seized or arrested.

But what was the legal issue that Paul was charged with?

"He seems to be advocating foreign gods." -Acts 17:18

Much of the book of Acts deals with the legal adventures and implications the apostles went through when they spread the message of the Messiah across the world. Keep in mind that according to the social order of the day, appeasing the local deities was thought to bring protection from enemies, natural disasters, crop loss, an so on. Worshipping the local gods was seen as a civic duty. Even though cities and empires paid tribute to multiple gods and goddesses (in Athens - Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Ares, and Nike for starters), throwing a new god into the mix was not something that was done. Actions like that were seen as political upheaval and even revolution. This literally undermined the social order of the day.

The punishment for such a charge wasn't light either. We know from historic evidence that the Areopagus tried capital cases, and that death sentences were handed out and followed through on. In 399 BC the philosopher Socrates was tried there for impiety - the crime of failing to worship the gods of Athens - and was sentenced to death for it on his conviction.

So when officials ask, "What teaching are you talking about?" they are not making polite conversation over coffee. This has legal implications that Paul needs to defend.

How does Paul defend himself on the charge of introducing foreign divinities?

He points out that they have an altar to an unknown god.

Paul is saying that he can't be introducing foreign gods because the true Living God was already being worshipped in Athens - although it was in ignorance. Since there was a shrine in the city, this God could not be foreign. Indeed the poets of Athens had glimpsed him! This was not a man from a far country trying to import a Middle Eastern deity to Greece.

Unknown, yes. But foreign, no. The Athenians needed to learn about this God - and Paul was there to help.

Paul believed that YHWH was already present in Athens, but needed proper recognition. 

It's worth noting that Luke (the author of Acts) does not seem to believe that Paul is just trying to be friendly by demonstrating his appreciation for the local culture. This idea is dismissed almost immediately by Paul's next statement.

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands."

This is a verse that we read like a pretty piece of poetry. But let's rewind and remember that Paul is standing in the Court of Areopagus in ancient Athens. He and his listeners can see, right then and there, the Parthenon, Nike's temple and likely other temples of the Acropolis. Not only are these temples visible - and truly stunning pieces of architectural achievement and beauty - but most everything about Athenian society was structured around serving these gods and goddesses. And that's where Paul chooses to say, "God does not live in handmade temples"! 

Paul is stating quite plainly that these architectural triumphs are a mistake. You can see how his audience would have been affronted by him declaring that the Athenian way of doing things was misguided at best. So it's hard to see his comments about your own poets, and so forth as an appeal to local sensibilities. Paul is not going easy here.

But what is Paul doing? He's making a case that even within this system, it is legal to worship this unknown God.

Paul is saying that it is legal to worship YHWH.

He's not just doing this to protect his own life or the lives of his travel companions. He is pleading this case, so that the residents of Athens know they are free to turn from the idols of their city and worship YHWH! 

What happened on Mars Hill was more than just a lively discussion about religion. The cities leaders were trying Paul to make sure that he was abiding by their laws. By making his case in the Areopagus court, Paul set a legal precedent for citizens of Athens to worship YHWH.

If you're interested in learning more about this I would recommend NT Wright's book The Challenge of Acts.

Related posts:
What No Greater Burdens Means in Acts 15
The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15:19-20
What Does Grafted In Mean in Romans 11?

What Does 'No Greater Burdens' in Acts 15 Mean?

What is Acts 15 about and what does it mean?

A lot of people will tell you that Acts 15:19-20 gives the requirements that gentiles should abide by. But as we've discussed before, this handful of instructions was given as a starting point for new believers to keep the commandments. The disciples issuing these directions were not saying that those things were all that was expected of believers, but were trying to give reasonable guidelines for the many people who had no understanding of Scripture's instructions who were entering the faith. The disciples knew that believers would learn more as they attended Sabbath service each week and expected them to gradually implement changes in their lives as they learned more details of how Scripture says they should live.

One common reason that people disagree with this understanding of the passage comes from this verse:

"It seemed good to us and the Holy Spirit to place no greater burdens on you than these necessary things..." -Acts 15:28

It's easy to read this verse and see it as 'proof' that all that is expected of believers is to not eat meat that was sacrificed to an idol, not to eat blood, not to eat anything that was strangled to death, and to abstain from sexual immorality...because it says right here that anything beyond that would be a burden, right? There's more to it than that. (As a side note, since these four things are expected of believers, we should probably hear that from pulpits and Bible studies once in a while!)

What does Acts 15:28 mean?

First of all, do we really expect that this is all that is required of believers? Is it fine to murder or steal or practice necromancy because those things are not enumerated here? This passage doesn't even tell us not to practice idolatry! I think most everyone reading this would say that believers are called to higher standards of living and conduct than just sticking to the four things bulletined in this passage of Acts.

And secondly, the Bible tells us that YHWH's instructions are not a burden for us! We read this in Deuteronomy 30:11 in the Old Testament, and the Messiah himself echoes this in Matthew 11:30 when he said that his burden was light. He wasn't saying to set down Biblical law because it was a burden...he was saying it wasn't a burden at all. If we believe these Scriptures that the commandments are not a burden to us, then we know that this verse cannot be talking about Biblical law.

So if Acts 15:28 is not talking about further commandments from Biblical law to be followed, what is it talking about? The answer is that the disciples were saying that they did not expect believers to follow the customs of Judaism, or the oral law. Please note that this means rules and rituals that were created by men, and not the instructions given by YHWH that are enumerated in Scripture. 

One of the major themes of Acts is the acceptance of people who were not from Judah and who did not look or act Jewish. This is not to say that Jews weren't/aren't also welcome into the faith, but that following Jewish customs that aren't found in the Bible is not expected of believers. One of the significant things happening at this time in history was the shift from complicated manmade rituals back to the simplicity of what the Bible teaches, and this is what the leaders of the faith were saying. It seemed good to them and the Holy Spirit to not require that new believers become Jewish or partake in manmade customs in order to enter the faith. Of course, the Bible is not picking on just Judaism here. The same would apply to other religious belief systems. You also don't have to do Catholic rituals or be baptized into a certain denomination. It addresses Judaism, because that was being practiced at the time.

The Messiah had previously called attention to this issue when he said to religious leaders, "You have a fine way of rejecting the commandments of God in order to establish your own tradition." (Mark 7:9) We also know that the Messiah considered manmade religious rituals to be burdens. When a religious leader was surprised that Yahusha didn't participate in a handwashing ritual (something not directed in the Bible), in Luke 11:46, the Messiah responded, "You load people down with heavy burdens, and don't lift a finger to help them." 

Are God's commandments a burden? Not according to the Messiah and the New Testament.

1 John 5:3 also tells us that YHWH's commands are not burdensome! The Messiah and the disciples never call the Bible's commandments too hard or difficult, but they did consider manmade rituals and traditions to be a burden, so that's what they aren't placing on believers in Acts 15:28. Why make it more difficult for people to accept the Gospel? Why tell people that walking in God's ways is harder than it really is? You do not have to adopt any customs that aren't commanded in Scripture in order to be accepted by YHWH. That's the message and meaning of Acts 15.

Related posts:
Understanding Acts 15:19-20
Commandments or Traditions - Understanding the New Testament
The Three Types of Laws in Scripture

What Acts 15:19-20 Means (The Jerusalem Council's Laws for Gentiles)

This post addresses Acts 15 and the laws that were given to new believers by the Jerusalem Council. I have heard so many people use this passage to say the commandments have been done away with, or that we don't need to bother with the rest of Scripture's instructions as long as we stick to these four things:

"Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the nations who are turning to YHWH, but that we should write to them to abstain from the defilements of idols, and from whoring, and from what is strangled, and from blood." -Acts 15:19-20

So that's all we have to do, right? Just focus on those four things, and don't worry about anything else. The rest of Scripture is really too much trouble, so let's just ignore it. I used to think this verse was giving permission for believers to ignore the Sabbath and set apart times, and eat unclean animals, and things like that. I thought I could do whatever I wanted as long as I wasn't being sexually immoral or didn't eat something that was sacrificed to an idol. I figured as long as I was sticking to that list that was enough. But then I finally read the next verse.

"For from ancient times Moses is read in congregation every Sabbath." -Acts 15:21

Does this verse seem to be a little out of place? What does Scripture reading each week have to do with verses 19 and 20? They are telling others to abstain from idols, whoring, strangled animals, and consuming blood...because on the Sabbath the Bible is read?

And - wait a minute - doesn't the part of the Scripture that's being read give us a lot of other commandments? Including the very commandments that many people believe are no longer valid because of the previous verses?

This is because those four instructions are a starting point, not a list totaling Scripture's instructions for believers. The disciples assumed that anyone coming to the faith would go to congregation each Sabbath and learn more! What are the writings of Moses? The Torah, which includes the bulk of instructions for believers. So by going and listening, these people would slowly learn the word of YHWH and all of Scripture's commandments. So they weren't saying, "this is all there is," but they did say, "here's your starting point - you'll learn the rest as you go."

Seriously, if the disciples thought that the commandments were done away with or not applicable to gentiles, why on earth would they send new believers to learn about them each week? Why would they take the time to teach Scripture's instructions if only those four things were important? That literally makes no sense! That would be like taking a job and your employer training you every single week in the way they used to do business and their old policies. Talk about confusing and a waste of time.

The disciples were giving some basic starting points for people new to the faith. When you're teaching something, you always start with the basics. If you're learning math, you need to start with numbers, counting, and addition before understanding calculus. Focusing on the basics doesn't negate the rest of mathematics. Starting with addition doesn't mean that multiplication or trigonometry aren't valid or valuable. You start with the basics and then continue learning as you go to school.

Scripture is extensive, and there's no way to grasp it all at once. In the book of Acts people from all nations and backgrounds are turning to the faith. Many of these people would have been completely unfamiliar with Scripture. Others were entrenched in idol worship and pagan traditions. The need in verses 19 and 20 to clarify that sexual immorality and idol worship are not okay shows us that many new believers were participating in these things, and even found them acceptable. These practices are wrong, and cause much damage to believers. So Paul, Barnabas, Peter, and other leaders were making a game plan to handle this. They selected a few starting points, and then figured believers would learn more of Scripture's instructions each week when they heard the writings of Moses read. Of course by even bringing up that Scripture is read on the Sabbath day they were showing that they expected new followers to be keeping the Sabbath day.

When we understand this passage to be a starting point when people come into the faith, it fits with the rest of Scripture. We can see that these instructions do not negate the rest of the commandments. In fact the leaders are actually advocating for Sabbath keeping in this very passage! This is not a write-off of the word of YHWH, but rather a place to start when we enter into the faith. We should be encouraged here to consistently study Scripture's instructions so that we can continue to grow in our faith and understanding of how we are to live.

Related posts:
What Does 'No Greater Burdens' in Acts 15 Mean?
On Peter's Vision
The Book of Hebrews
Galatians