Acts

Chapter 17
1~~Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews.

{Note: Change of tense indicates Luke departed from them at this point. The rest went on.}

{Note: Through big cities, Paul must have been aware there were no pockets of people with positive volition at the point of God consciousness so he passed through to where there were positive people - in this case Thessalonica.}

2-3~~And Paul, according to his established custom, went in face to face with them {speaking opportunity}, and three Sabbath days engaged in dialogs {communicated doctrine categorically} with them from the ultimate source of the scriptures, 3~~opening their minds and depositing {doctrine}, that the Messiah {Christ} was always obligated to have suffered, and risen again from the dead . . . and that this Jesus, Whom I keep on preaching unto you, is Christ.

{Note: Christ was revealed in the Old Testament scriptures. Paul, using the dialog technique was explaining to the Jews in the synagogue the meaning of the rituals and 'Shadow Christology of the Old Testament'.}

4~~And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas and of the religious Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

5~~But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy {were jealous}, associated for the purpose of using them, certain evil men of the marketplace {unemployed troublemakers}, and gathered a company {a mob}, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.

6~~ And when they found them not, they dragged Jason by the heels and certain brethren unto the politarches {rulers} of the city, crying, "These that have turned the world upside down {Christianity changes the unbelieving world} are come-hither also".

{Note: Thessalonica was also unusual in that it was a 'free city'. There were about half a dozen cities in the Roman Empire that Rome left free to form the government of its choice and not pay taxes to Rome etc. Thessalonica chose to be ruled by politarches (where politics is derived ) so about 7 men rule the city. This form of government went out of style in 500 BC so many naysayers said this was an 'error'. In about 1940, an archeologist discovered a great arch where Thessalonica used to be with the names of 7 politarches engraved. Three of these men were mentioned in Acts and were known by Paul.}

7~~Whom {Paul} Jason has received. And these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another of a different kind of king . . . one Jesus.

8~~And they stirred the people and the politarches of the city, when they heard these things.

9~~And when they had taken security of Jason {posted a bond}, and of the other, they let them go.

10~~And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea who having arrived went into the synagogue of the Jews.

{Note: As was Paul's custom he went to the Jews first.}

11~~These {the Bereans} were more open minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received and retained the word with an eagerness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, if these things had it thus and they wished it was so {4th class condition -they WISH, then after study they know it to be true.}.

{Note: 'Open minded' was erroneously translated noble in some translations. And, the syntax of the Greek indicates that the Bereans were searching the Old Testament with the purpose of PROVING Paul CORRECT, NOT to prove him wrong as some suggest.}

12~~Therefore many of them believed. Also noble women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.

{Note: For some reason noble was mistranslated honorable in some bibles. This means the women were from the ranks of the Greek Nobility. Many converts of all sexes, classes, and some were Jews and some were Gentiles . . . is what this is saying.}

13~~But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.

{Note: Throughout his missionary journeys, the legalist Jews would follow after and stir up trouble or confuse the converts. Legalism/Religion is from the source of the Devil and is his ace in the hole.}

14~~And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go 'as it were' to the sea, but Silas and Timothy abode there still.

{Note: 'As it were' is an idiom. They put out the word to the legalists that Paul was on his way east to the sea . . . but instead he went in another direction - to Athens - by himself and it grieved him to be without Timothy and Silas.}

15~~And they that escorted Paul brought him unto Athens. And, receiving a commandment to Silas and Timothy for them to come to him with all speed, they {the honor guard} departed.

{Note: Escorted here means an honor guard.}

16~~Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him {sanctified and justified anger at the idolatry of Athens - over 30,000 idols}, when he saw the city in the absolute status of being full of idols.

17~~Therefore he {Paul} kept on using the 'dialog method of questions and answers' {debate} in the synagogue with the Jews. And with the religious persons in the marketplace daily with them that met face to face with him.

18~~Then certain philosophers of the Epicurean, and of the Stoics, encountered him. And some said, "What will this seed-picker say?" but others, "He seems to be announcing alien gods . . . because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection."

{Note: The Epicurean philosophers said there was no afterlife. The goal of life is to please the body as much as you can while here - worship of bodily pleasures - anything goes. The Stoics took a 180-degree turn in that they said 'NO EMOTIONS' - don't smile, don't show emotions at all - today we call that a 'Stoic Expression on his face'. Worship the mind and reason. But still they also do not believe in an afterlife, just a different way to live the life you have. Christianity annoys BOTH groups!}

{Note: Seed-picker was slang for the birds that picked on garbage. When a person went around the city and picked up philosophy and tried to then present himself as a 'great thinker', the Athenians, in a derogative manner, referred to that person as a seed-picker. They were implying Paul was one of these guys!}

{Verses 19-31, Paul's message on Mars Hill. Paul was angry. These were idol worshipers. They were arrogant intellectuals.}
19~~And they seized him violently, and brought him unto Areios-Pagos {Mars' Hill}, saying {introduces first comments of the Judge}, "Are we able to know what this new doctrine, whereof you speak, is?"

{Note: Polite question filled with sarcasm as the people are filled with pride.}

{Note: Aries was the Greek equivalent of Mars the Roman God of War. On this hill were temples and the great courtroom where Socrates was condemned to death. Paul/Christianity is again on trial.}

20~~"For you fill our minds . . . by means of our ears . . . certain shocking things. We would know therefore what these things mean."

{Note: Offer for Paul to give his defense. The Mar' Hill Discourse will follow.}

21~~(For all the Athenians and strangers {large Jewish population} who were there spent their time in nothing else {perfect description of their intellectual snobbery} . . . but either to tell, or to hear some newer thing.)

{Note: Novelty seekers - greatest characteristic of mediocrity.}

22~~Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, "YOU MEN OF ATHENS! I observe that you are too religious."

{Note: Paul shocked them with sarcasm! These philosophical groups reject the concept of God. Satan is the father of ALL religions. Christianity is a relationship with God based on Who and What He is. Christianity is not a religion.}

23~~"For as I passed by, and beheld your religious activities, I found an altar on which had been engraved, 'TO THE UNKNOWN GOD'. Whom you, BEING IGNORANT, keep on worshiping . . . Him I announce according to a fixed norm or standard {doctrine} unto you."

{Note: Both groups of philosophic systems really do reject ALL gods. They consider the idols as art not real gods - more sarcasm from Paul. Paul sarcastically mentions all the gods in the city. Now Paul is saying that one of the altars talks about the true God. They also think they are very intellectual and Paul just called them stupid!}

{Note: The Greeks offer pigs as offerings to the gods. They had a plague and called in an expert to determine which god they had offended. This expert said it was an unknown god they offended who did not accept pig offerings. Offer a lamb instead. They did and the plague left. So as was their custom, they set up this altar. It was probably all bogus and had nothing to do with God, but the alter was there for Paul to use in his message.}

24~~"The God {Jesus} that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands."

{Note: Paul, to their face, rejects all the other gods of the Pantheon. Paul is getting very forceful here. An imperfect man can not make a house for perfect God - you have it in reverse . . . The perfect God makes a house for the dwelling of imperfect man.}

25~~"Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed any thing . . . seeing He gives to all life {soul life}, and breath {body function - physical life}, and all things {grace of God}."

{Note: The Greeks had some of the best sculptures in the world. The Greeks took the position that the gods needed the works of man to make them happy-they superimposed on the gods what made them happy! They made statues representing their appearance, gave the gods attention, built houses, had sex in the temples (fornication) to honor them, and they made sacrifices to the gods, even human sacrifice. Paul states the principal of grace! We need God . . . He does not need us for anything!}

{Paul now breaks down the basics of these philosophical groups}
26~~"And He {Jesus} has made from the source of one {Adam} all nations {4th Divine Institution - Nationalism} of men for to dwell according to a norm or standard {the 4 Divine Institutions} on all the face of the earth, and has determined the dispensations {epics of time} before appointed {pre-designed planed periods of time}, and the bounds {refers to dividing both Nations and Time} of their habitation."

{Note: Paul is setting them up logically. The 4 divine institutions are 1) Free Will - volition 2) Marriage 3) Family 4) Nationalism. They were set up by God for ALL HUMANITY to survive. They are not just for Christians. With nationalism, Paul is explaining that God separated the human race into nations with law and order to preserve the human race. God's plan also called for dispensations of time.}

27~~"With the purpose that they should seek after The God {positive volition at the point of God consciousness}, if {4th class condition} they grope in the dark after Him and find Him {gospel hearing}, I wish everyone was but they aren't, and He exits not far from any one of us {within the reach of anyone's Positive Volition!}."

28~~"For in Him {Jesus} we live {soul life}, and move {physical life}, and we ARE, as certain also of your own poets have said, "For we are His offspring."

{Note: Aratus (sic) of Salisha (sic) wrote 'a hymn to Zeus' and and Claonthese (sic) wrote 'Tia Thi Nomina' (sic). They were Stoic poets. These two famous Stoic poets in the past both stated that we are from God but the Stoics of the day have forgotten this point.}

{Summary or logical conclusion}
29~~"Forasmuch then as we EXIST as the offspring from God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone . . . graven by art and man's device."

{Note: God created man. Man did not 'create' God as the statues suggest.}

30~~"And the time of this ignorance {time between God consciousness and Gospel hearing} God overlooked. But now commands all men every where to repent."

{Note: Paul is just saying that there is a time between God Consciousness and Gospel hearing. God the father forgives these sins at the point of salvation.}

31~~"Because He {God the Father} has appointed a day, in the which He {Jesus} will judge the world in righteousness by that Man {humanity of Christ} Whom He {God the Father} has ordained; whereof He {God the Father} has given assurance {promise of salvation} unto all men, in that He {God the Father} has raised Him {Jesus} from the dead."

32~~And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked {the unbelievers}. But the rest said, "We will hear you again of this matter." {Positive but wanting to hear more before making a decision}

{Note: Most of these Greeks did not believe in an after live at all. But, even in Greek society, their philosophers taught that the body decays and only the soul goes on. So the concept of a resurrected physical body was completely foreign to them.}

33~~So Paul departed from among them.

34~~ Howbeit certain men associated with him, and believed. Among them was Dionysius the Areopagite {one of the judges}, and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

{Note: Dionysius was a famous writer and well-known in literature. Some say he was a genius so it was from one genius to another!}

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