|
by
Doug Ward |
In recent years "Mars Hill" has become a popular name for
American churches, including some well-known megachurches. Mars Hill is the
place in Athens, Greece, where the apostle Paul once addressed an assembly of
leaders, as recorded in Acts 17. Churches adopting this name aspire to
communicate the Gospel to the world as effectively as Paul did in his famous
speech on Mars Hill.
Paul
came to Athens, a city where many gods were recognized and worshiped,
proclaiming that there is only one true God, and that this God had sent Jesus
of Nazareth to bring salvation to the world. Jesus had been put to death by
Rome, but he then had been resurrected, and those who became his followers
would themselves be resurrected to eternal life.
Paul's
message was comprehensible, if controversial, in the synagogues of Athens. But
his talk about the Jewish God and a resurrected Messiah seemed strange to
Greeks in the Athenian marketplace. Some accused him of teaching about
"foreign gods," the same charge for which Socrates had been
prosecuted 450 years before. The Athenian judicial council detained him, asking
him to give an account of his teaching. Although they were unlikely to
prosecute him, they wanted to make clear that they were in charge.
Paul
spoke boldly before the council, characterizing the Athenians as superstitious
and ignorant with regard to matters in the divine realm. One key piece of
evidence was the existence of altars in Athens dedicated "to the unknown
god." These altars had been built a few centuries before during the time
of an epidemic in Athens. The Athenians wanted to make sure that they hadn't
offended some deity of which they were unaware. Paul asserted that this
"unknown god" was the Creator of the world, the God of Israel.
Paul
went on the say that the Athenians had no excuse for their ignorance. In
support of his position, he referred to the words of some Greek writers and
philosophers. He stated that God did not need anything and required no rituals
to be carried out in his honor (Acts 17:25). Instead, God provided for humans,
as philosophers like Seneca (c. 4 BC-65 AD) had written. Seneca had also said
that "the god is near you, he is with you, he is in you," a point
Paul made in verse 27.
He
added that humans are children of God, as Aratus, a Stoic poet from the fourth
century BC, had written (Acts 17:28). As a result, God should not be served
superstitiously through idols of wood and stone (verse 29).
By
speaking boldly and engaging with Greek thinkers and writers, Paul captured the
interest of the council. Many still were alienated by his discussion of
resurrection from the dead (verse 32), but at least one member of the council,
Dionysius, found his arguments convincing (verse 34). After examining Paul's speech,
we can see why Christians take it as a model for engaging with today's culture.
