Apostelgeschichte 17:16

16 Da aber Paulus ihrer zu Athen wartete, ergrimmte sein Geist in ihm, da er sah die Stadt so gar abgöttisch.

Apostelgeschichte 17:16 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 17:16

Now while Paul waited for them at Athens.
&c.] That is, for Silas and Timotheus:

his spirit was stirred in him;
not only his soul was troubled and his heart was grieved, but he was exasperated and provoked to the last degree: he was in a paroxysm; his heart was hot within him; he had a burning fire in his bones, and was weary with forbearing, and could not stay; his zeal wanted vent, and he gave it:

when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry;
or "full of idols", as the Syriac and Arabic versions render it. So Cicero says ^F24 that Athens was full of temples; and Xenophon ^F25 observes that they had double the feasts of other people; and Pausanias ^F26 affirms, that the Athenians far exceeded others in the worship of the gods, and care about religion; and he relates, that they had an altar for Mercy, another for Shame, another for Fame, and another for Desire, and expressed more religion to the gods than others did: they had an altar dedicated to twelve gods ^F1; and because they would be sure of all, they erected one to an unknown god; in short, they had so many of them, that one ^F2 jestingly said to them, our country is so full of deities, that one may more easily find a god than a man: so that with all their learning and wisdom they knew not God, ( 1 Corinthians 1:21 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F24 De responsis Aruspicum.
F25 De Athen. Polit.
F26 Attica, p. 29, 42.
F1 Thucydides Bell. Peloponness. l. 6.
F2 Petronius.

Apostelgeschichte 17:16 In-Context

14 Aber da fertigten die Brüder Paulus alsobald ab, daß er ginge bis an das Meer; Silas aber und Timotheus blieben da. {~}

15 Die aber Paulus geleiteten, führten ihn bis gen Athen. Und nachdem sie Befehl empfangen an den Silas und Timotheus, daß sie aufs schnellste zu ihm kämen, zogen sie hin.

16 Da aber Paulus ihrer zu Athen wartete, ergrimmte sein Geist in ihm, da er sah die Stadt so gar abgöttisch.

17 Und er redete zu den Juden und Gottesfürchtigen in der Schule, auch auf dem Markte alle Tage zu denen, die sich herzufanden.

18 Etliche aber der Epikurer und Stoiker Philosophen stritten mit ihm. Und etliche sprachen: Was will dieser Lotterbube sagen? Etliche aber: Es sieht, als wolle er neue Götter verkündigen. (Das machte, er hatte das Evangelium von Jesu und von der Auferstehung ihnen verkündigt.)