Notes on Acts

Acts 17:151a| Athens| Acts 18:1;| 1|Thes. 3:1
| The capital of Achaia, a province of the Roman Empire. It was the center of enlightenment in science, literature, and art for the ancient world. Through the apostle Paul’s visit to such a center, the gospel of the kingdom of God reached the people of the highest culture.

Acts 17:15b| Timothy| Acts 18:5

Acts 17:16a| his| Acts 19:21

Acts 17:161| spirit
| Paul’s human spirit (Zech. 12:1; Job 32:8; Prov. 20:27), regenerated by the Spirit of God (John 3:6), indwelt by the Lord the Spirit (2|Tim. 4:22; Rom. 8:10-11), and acting with the Spirit (Rom. 8:16), in which spirit he worshipped and served God (John 4:24; Rom. 1:9). Such a spirit was provoked by the many idols in Athens.

Acts 17:162b| full| Isa. 2:8
| Even the highest culture did not prevent these people from worshipping idols. Within them, as within all mankind, was a God-worshipping spirit created by God for man to seek and worship Him (cf. v. 22). However, because of their blindness and ignorance, they took the wrong objects for their worship (v. 23). Now the very true God, who created the universe and them, sent His apostle to announce the true object whom they should worship (vv. 23-29).

Acts 17:17a| synagogue| Acts 13:5

Acts 17:17b| devout| Acts 17:4;| 13:43

Acts 17:181| Epicurean
| The Epicurean philosophers were the followers of the Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 B.C.), whose philosophy was materialism. They did not recognize the Creator and His providence over the world but sought sensuous pleasures, especially in eating and drinking. Some of Paul’s words to the Philippians (Phil. 3:18 and note 1) and the Corinthians (1|Cor. 15:32 and note 3) referred to the Epicureans.

Acts 17:182| Stoic
| The Stoic philosophers were members of a school of philosophy founded by Zeno (340-265 B.C.). They were pantheists who believed that everything was governed by fate and that all happenings were the result of the divine will, and therefore that man should calmly accept them, free from all passion, grief, or joy. They emphasized that the highest good is virtue and that virtue is the reward given to the soul. Some of the words in Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians referred to the Stoics (Phil. 4:11 and note 1).

Acts 17:183| babbler
| The Greek word means “seed-picker: a bird which picks up seeds in the streets and markets; hence one who picks up and retails scraps of news” (Vincent).

Acts 17:184| deities
| Lit., demons.

Acts 17:18a| announcing| Acts 5:42

Acts 17:18b| resurrection| Acts 4:2;| 17:31-32

Acts 17:191a| Areopagus| Acts 17:22, 34
| Mars’ Hill (in Athens), the seat of the ancient and venerable Athenian Court, which judged the most solemn problems of religion.

Acts 17:19b| new| Mark 1:27

Acts 17:20a| strange| 1|Pet. 4:4

Acts 17:201| what
| Lit., what these things want to be.

Acts 17:221| Men
| Lit., Men, Athenians. More dignified and solemn than simply “Athenians.”

Acts 17:222| very
| The Greek word here means fearing a demon, a supernatural spirit; hence, given up to demon worship, very much revering the deities. The same word is used in noun form in 25:19.

Acts 17:23a| worship| John 4:22;| 2|Thes. 2:4

Acts 17:23b| without| 1|Cor. 15:34

Acts 17:241| God
| The apostle’s word in vv. 24-25 was a very strong inoculation to both the atheistic Epicureans, who did not recognize the Creator and His providence over the world, and the pantheistic Stoics, who submitted themselves to the will of many gods concerning their fate (cf. v. 18).

Acts 17:24a| made| Acts 14:15;| Isa. 42:5

Acts 17:24b| Lord| Matt. 11:25

Acts 17:24c| not| Acts 7:48;| 1|Kings 8:27

Acts 17:25a| breath| Gen. 2:7;| Job 12:10;| 27:3;| 33:4;| Isa. 42:5;| Dan. 5:23

Acts 17:261| one
| Adam. Some ancient MSS read, one blood.

Acts 17:26a| every| Acts 10:35

Acts 17:26b| face| Gen. 11:8;| Luke 21:35

Acts 17:262| appointed
| The migrations to America in their times and with their boundaries are strong proof of this word and the first part of the succeeding verse.

Acts 17:26c| boundaries| Job 14:5;| Deut. 32:8;| Psa. 74:17

Acts 17:27a| seek| Acts 15:17;| Job 23:3

Acts 17:271b| not| Deut. 4:7
| Because God is the omnipresent Spirit.

Acts 17:281| in
| Denoting that man’s life and existence and even his actions are in God. This does not mean that unbelievers have God’s life and live, exist, and act in God like the believers in Christ, who are born of God, possess His divine life and nature, and live, exist, and act in His divine person.

Acts 17:282| poets
| Probably referring to Aratus (about 270 B.C.) and Cleanthes (about 300 B.C.), both of whom uttered these same words in their poems to Zeus (Jupiter), whom they considered the supreme God.

Acts 17:283| His
| In the writings of the two poets His refers to Zeus as the supreme God.

Acts 17:284| race
| Just as Adam was thought to be the son of God (Luke 3:38 and note 2). Since God is the Creator, the source, of all men, He is the Father of them all (Mal. 2:10) in a natural sense, not in the spiritual sense in which He is the Father of all the believers (Gal. 4:6), who are regenerated by Him in their spirit (1|Pet. 1:3; John 3:5-6).

Acts 17:291| what
| Gk. theion, meaning that which is divine. It is not the same as theiotes in Rom. 1:20, which denotes the characteristics of divinity, nor is it the same as theotes in Col. 2:9, which denotes the Godhead, God Himself. Theion is a more vague and abstract word than theiotes and is not as definite as theotes, which is definite in denoting the Godhead, God Himself. Cf. note 201 in Rom. 1.

Acts 17:29a| gold| Isa. 40:18-19;| 46:5-6;| Hab. 2:18-19

Acts 17:292| thought
| Or, imagination, device.

Acts 17:30a| times| cf. Acts 14:16

Acts 17:30b| ignorance| Eph. 4:18;| 1|Pet. 1:14

Acts 17:301| charges
| Some MSS read, declares to.

Acts 17:311a| day| Rom. 2:5, 16;| 2|Pet. 2:9;| Matt. 12:36
| The day when Christ will judge living men, i.e., the nations on the earth at His coming back, on the throne of His glory before the millennium (Matt. 25:31-46). This probably does not include the day when He will judge dead men at the great white throne after the millennium (Rev. 20:11-15), as in 10:42 (see note there), 2|Tim. 4:1, and 1|Pet. 4:5, because on the day mentioned here He will judge the world, which should refer only to living men. This day of Christ’s judgment on earth will be brought in by His coming back. He was designated by God to execute this judgment, and God’s raising Him from the dead is strong proof of this. In their preaching to the Gentiles, both Peter in 10:42 and Paul here and in 24:25 stressed the coming judgment of God.

Acts 17:31b| judge| Psa. 9:8;| 96:13;| 98:9;| John 5:22, 27

Acts 17:312| proof
| Or, faith, assurance, guarantee. The resurrection of Christ is proof and assurance that He is coming back to judge all the inhabitants of the earth. This is guaranteed that we may have faith in it and that it may lead us to repent (v. 30).

Acts 17:31c| raising| Acts 2:24;| 26:8

Acts 17:32a| resurrection| Acts 17:18;| 23:6, 8;| Heb. 6:2

Acts 17:32b| scoffed| Acts 2:13

Acts 17:32c| again| Acts 24:25

Acts 17:34a| joined| Acts 17:4

Acts 17:34b| Areopagite| Acts 17:19, 22

Notes on Acts
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