The apostle Paul quoted several ancient Greek poets in his ministry and writings, and his use of these works is interesting and instructive. For example, in 1 Corinthians 15:33, Paul wrote “Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Which is a direct quotation from a poem by Menander (4th-3rd century B.C.), though it may have become a popular saying by Paul’s time.
More directly, in Acts 17 Paul quotes two of the Greek poets in the space of a single verse: “‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’” (Acts 17:28). The first part of this verse is a line by the poet Epimenides of Crete, and the last part of the verse is from the poet Aratus who was from Paul’s own homeland of Cilicia. But if we look closer, we find a much deeper connection between Paul’s preaching and the works of these classical authors – especially the poet Epimenides. This poet and wise man lived during the 6th-century B.C. and became one of the most famous poets of his age. Many legends surround Epimenides’ life, but the ancient Greek historians record certain details that appear to be true, and one thing recorded of him is of particular interest.
In his book Lives of the Eminent Philosophers the ancient historian Diogenes Laërtius records that because the wisdom of Epimenides was so respected, when a terrible plague struck the Greek city of Athens, its leaders sent for the poet to help them. Epimenides agreed to help the Athenians, and when he arrived in Athens he took a number of sheep to the area of the Areopagus, the Athenian high council, close to the famous Parthenon temple. Then Epimenides is said to have released the sheep and told the Athenians to follow them and wherever the sheep lay down, to build altars and sacrifice to the deity of that specific area. As some of the sheep lay down in areas not associated with any particular god or goddess, a number of altars were erected to the “unknown” god of those areas. According to Diogenes, the pestilence was stopped in this way, and the Athenians long remembered Epimenides as having saved many of them from death.
With this backstory in mind, we better understand what we read in Acts 17 of Paul’s visit to Athens. We see the significance of the fact that Paul is specifically said to have addressed the people of the city in the Areopagus (verse 19); why Paul mentioned – in full view of the great Acropolis temples – that the true God does not dwell in temples made by human hands (verse 24); that he said he had seen an altar to “an unknown god,” and that it was precisely that same God that Paul was proclaiming to them (verse 23). It also explains why, of the many Greek poets Paul could have quoted, he chose to quote Epimenides (verse 28).
The book of Acts probably does not record the entirety of Paul’s sermon in Athens, but the details that it does give were doubtless selected by Luke to show the link between what Paul said and the historical background of the Athenian situation. In this way, Luke shows a number of things that Paul demonstrated in his preaching in Athens:
1. Paul’s credentials. Many of the Athenians were well educated for their day and would only listen to those they considered to also be educated. In the ancient world there were, of course, no degrees and diplomas, and the mark of an educated individual – especially among the ancient Greeks – was the ability to quote poets and learned men. Paul’s carefully selected quotations from the works of their own poets established his learning with his Athenian audience.
2. Paul’s relevance. In tying his message to an important aspect of Athenian history and culture, Paul was able to preach in a way that captured his audience’s attention, and deliver a message that had relevance to them.
3. Paul’s adaptability. Simply quoting from the Hebrew biblical Scriptures would have accomplished nothing with the Athenian audience. Instead, Paul quoted lines from the Greek poets that said what he wanted to say – despite the pagan associations of the poems themselves. Although both of the lines Paul quotes were originally written about the god Zeus, Paul applied them to the true Creator in his speech recorded in Acts 17. This was a perfect example of Paul’s willingness to be “all things to all men” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
4. Paul’s dedication. The aptness of Paul’s quotations from the Greek poets shows that the apostle was not simply “quoting learned individuals to appear learned.” The quotations reveal dedicated study on Paul’s part that that allowed him to choose exactly the right quotations for his message. We also see this in Paul’s writings when he quotes Epimenides again, this time on the character of many of the people of Crete, in his epistle to Titus: “One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons'” (Titus 1:12).
The characteristics that Paul demonstrated in his Athenian sermon all provide lessons – not only for missionary workers who have to deal with foreign cultures, but also for all of us in dealing with others and being an effective witness to them. We too need to be adaptable in sharing the good news through connections that can serve as a bridge to discussion of biblical truth.
Paul’s dedication in equipping himself to reach others also reminds us of the effort we also need to be willing to expend in order to reach others through knowledge of their lives, their interests and concerns. Just as God used Paul’s knowledge and understanding of cultural realities to reach some of the people of ancient Athens, so – if we are willing to follow Paul’s example – God can use us more effectively, too.
More directly, in Acts 17 Paul quotes two of the Greek poets in the space of a single verse: “‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’” (Acts 17:28). The first part of this verse is a line by the poet Epimenides of Crete, and the last part of the verse is from the poet Aratus who was from Paul’s own homeland of Cilicia. But if we look closer, we find a much deeper connection between Paul’s preaching and the works of these classical authors – especially the poet Epimenides. This poet and wise man lived during the 6th-century B.C. and became one of the most famous poets of his age. Many legends surround Epimenides’ life, but the ancient Greek historians record certain details that appear to be true, and one thing recorded of him is of particular interest.
In his book Lives of the Eminent Philosophers the ancient historian Diogenes Laërtius records that because the wisdom of Epimenides was so respected, when a terrible plague struck the Greek city of Athens, its leaders sent for the poet to help them. Epimenides agreed to help the Athenians, and when he arrived in Athens he took a number of sheep to the area of the Areopagus, the Athenian high council, close to the famous Parthenon temple. Then Epimenides is said to have released the sheep and told the Athenians to follow them and wherever the sheep lay down, to build altars and sacrifice to the deity of that specific area. As some of the sheep lay down in areas not associated with any particular god or goddess, a number of altars were erected to the “unknown” god of those areas. According to Diogenes, the pestilence was stopped in this way, and the Athenians long remembered Epimenides as having saved many of them from death.
With this backstory in mind, we better understand what we read in Acts 17 of Paul’s visit to Athens. We see the significance of the fact that Paul is specifically said to have addressed the people of the city in the Areopagus (verse 19); why Paul mentioned – in full view of the great Acropolis temples – that the true God does not dwell in temples made by human hands (verse 24); that he said he had seen an altar to “an unknown god,” and that it was precisely that same God that Paul was proclaiming to them (verse 23). It also explains why, of the many Greek poets Paul could have quoted, he chose to quote Epimenides (verse 28).
The book of Acts probably does not record the entirety of Paul’s sermon in Athens, but the details that it does give were doubtless selected by Luke to show the link between what Paul said and the historical background of the Athenian situation. In this way, Luke shows a number of things that Paul demonstrated in his preaching in Athens:
1. Paul’s credentials. Many of the Athenians were well educated for their day and would only listen to those they considered to also be educated. In the ancient world there were, of course, no degrees and diplomas, and the mark of an educated individual – especially among the ancient Greeks – was the ability to quote poets and learned men. Paul’s carefully selected quotations from the works of their own poets established his learning with his Athenian audience.
2. Paul’s relevance. In tying his message to an important aspect of Athenian history and culture, Paul was able to preach in a way that captured his audience’s attention, and deliver a message that had relevance to them.
3. Paul’s adaptability. Simply quoting from the Hebrew biblical Scriptures would have accomplished nothing with the Athenian audience. Instead, Paul quoted lines from the Greek poets that said what he wanted to say – despite the pagan associations of the poems themselves. Although both of the lines Paul quotes were originally written about the god Zeus, Paul applied them to the true Creator in his speech recorded in Acts 17. This was a perfect example of Paul’s willingness to be “all things to all men” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
4. Paul’s dedication. The aptness of Paul’s quotations from the Greek poets shows that the apostle was not simply “quoting learned individuals to appear learned.” The quotations reveal dedicated study on Paul’s part that that allowed him to choose exactly the right quotations for his message. We also see this in Paul’s writings when he quotes Epimenides again, this time on the character of many of the people of Crete, in his epistle to Titus: “One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons'” (Titus 1:12).
The characteristics that Paul demonstrated in his Athenian sermon all provide lessons – not only for missionary workers who have to deal with foreign cultures, but also for all of us in dealing with others and being an effective witness to them. We too need to be adaptable in sharing the good news through connections that can serve as a bridge to discussion of biblical truth.
Paul’s dedication in equipping himself to reach others also reminds us of the effort we also need to be willing to expend in order to reach others through knowledge of their lives, their interests and concerns. Just as God used Paul’s knowledge and understanding of cultural realities to reach some of the people of ancient Athens, so – if we are willing to follow Paul’s example – God can use us more effectively, too.
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