Acts XVII. 16, 17

“Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.”

Observe how he meets with greater trials among the Jews than among the Gentiles. Thus in Athens he undergoes nothing of this kind; the thing goes as far as ridicule, and there an end: and yet he did make some converts: whereas among the Jews he underwent many perils; so much greater was their hostility against him.—“His spirit,” it says, “was roused within him when he saw the city all full of idols.” Nowhere else were so many objects⁸⁶⁷

867 The old text has πειρασμοὺς, perhaps for σεβασμούς. Mod. text, τοσαῦτα εἴδωλα.

868 Old text, οὕτως αὐτοῦ φθεγγομένου ὑβριστικῶς εὐθέως (comp. Recapitulation) μακρὰν τοῦτο φιλοσοφίας· ἀπὸ τοῦ κηρύγματος. ὅτι οὐδένα τῦφον εἶχεν. Hence Mod. text, οὐδὲ ἀπεπήδησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ κηρ., εἰπόντες· μακρὸν τοῦτο φιλ. & 169·Οτι οὐδ. τ. εἶχεν· ἄλλως δὲ ὅτι οὐκ ἐνόουν κ. τ. λ. The insertion of the texts removes some of the difficulties. Perhaps ἀπὸ τοῦ κηρ. is opposed to εὐθέως: the one sort straightway expressed their disdain, with a supercilious, “What does this σπερμολόγος mean to say?” the other sort did listen, and condescended to comment on the matter of the preaching, having heard it—ἀπὸ τοῦ κηρ. (as in the phrase ἀπὸ τοῦ δειπνοῦ)—saying, “He seemeth,” etc. Of these Chrys. may have said, ὅτι οὐδένα τῦφον εἶχον, opp. to ὐβριστικῶς. But all the mss. have εἶχεν, and so we have rendered it.

869 Here the mss. have the text v. 18, and v. 19, 20 after “female divinities also.”

870 The view of Chrys. that the Greeks supposed Paul to designate by the Anastasis some goddess, has been shared by many more recent interpreters, but seems very improbable. The apostle could hardly have spoken so abstractly of the resurrection as to give rise to such a misapprehension. Paul doubtless spoke of Jesus’ own resurrection and of its relation to that of believers (vid. 1 Cor. xv.), although in the text the absence of αὐτοῦ permits us to find only the idea of the general resurrection expressed.—G.B.S.

871 mss. and Edd. οὐχ ὥστε μαθεῖν, ἀλλ᾽ ὥστε κολάσαι. But this cannot be Chrysostom’s meaning: for in the opening of the Hom. he remarks, that there was nothing of persecution here (comp. the opening of Hom. xxxix.), and in the Recapitulation, that the Athenians at this time were under Roman Law. Also in the following sentence, he explains that their questions were prompted by the hope of learning, ῞Ορα γοῦν (i. e. to show that this was their meaning) καὶ ἐν ἐλπίδι τοῦ μαθεῖν. In the Recapitulation indeed, he says, they brought him ὡς καταπλήξοντες, but this is a different thing from ὥστε κολάσαι. Therefore we have transposed the order of the words. The clause ἔνθα αἱ φονικαὶ δίκαι (and in the Recapitulation ἔνθα τὰς φ. δ. ἐδίκαζον, which we retain from B.), seems to be meant to show that they did not bring him there for trial.

872 The principal points to be noted for the interpretation of v. 23 are as follows: (1) Pausanias (a.d. 174) and Philostratus (a.d. 244) testify to the existence at Athens of altars with the inscription: ἀγνώστῳ θεῷ. (2) “Upon important occasions, when the reference to a god known by name was wanting, as in public calamities of which no definite god could be assigned as the author, in order to honor or propitiate the god concerned by sacrifice, without lighting on a wrong one, altars were erected which were destined and designated ἀγνώστῳ θέ& 254·.” (Meyer.) (3) By these inscriptions the Athenians referred to no particular divinities, but to supposed benefactors or avengers to whom they, in their religious system, could attach no name. (4) No reference is to be found in these inscriptions to the God of the Jews. The true text: ὃ οὖν ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε, τοῦτο ἐγὼ καταγγέλω ὑμῖν (instead of the masculine ὅν—τοῦτον of the cursives and the T. R.) does not require the supposition of such a reference. They acknowledged an unknown—lying beyond their pantheon. Paul declares what this is: the true God as revealed in Jesus Christ. They would only partially and gradually understand his full meaning.—G.B.S.

873 προστετ. E.V. “before appointed” (προτετ).

874 Edd. καὶ τὴν δημιουργίαν ἐδήλωσε καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. Comp. Recapitulation, whence it appears that he means “Both heaven and earth, and mankind also were created, not generated or emanated.”

875 Καὶ μὴν διὰ τοῦτο ὀφείλομεν. Mod. text inserts a φησὶν, to make this an interlocution, in the sense, “Nay but for this reason, viz., being His offspring, we ought to think of Him as in the likeness of man.” But this cannot be Chrysostom’s meaning. Perhaps Chrys. said, οὐδὲ τοῦτο, viz., after the following sentence, so that the sense will be, “We ought not to think the Godhead like unto gold, etc., the graven work of man’s art. By no means: for certainly we ourselves, our souls, are not like unto such. Nay, more, we ought not to think even this, that the Godhead is like unto aught that man’s imagination can conceive, as the Apostle adds, καὶ ἐνθυμήσεως ἀνθρώπου τὸ Θεῖον εἶκαι ὅμοιον.” (See the Recapitulation.) He proceeds: τί δήποτε; i.e. Why having said χαράγματι τέχνης does he add καὶ ἐνθυμ. ὀνθρ.? The answer, not expressed here, is, “Because neither is it subject to any other human conception,” (διανοί& 139·, Recapitulation). Then, the old text has, οὐκ ἐστι πρὸς φιλοσοφίαν· πῶς οὖν πάλιν τὸ ζητούμενον· τοὺς μὲν οὖν χρον. κ. τ. λ. Here we insert from the Recapitulation a sentence, which, where it stands, is superfluous (p. 236, note 6): ᾽Αλλ᾽ εἴποι ἄν τις, Οὐ τοῦτο νομίζομεν. ᾽Αλλὰ πρὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς ὁ λόγος ἦν αὐτῷ, and then, οὔκετι (so we correct οὐκ ἐστι) πρὸς φιλοσοφίαν. i.e. “Philosophers may say, We do not so think of the Godhead. But he is not dealing with Philosophy, but πρὸς τοὺς πολλούς. Πῶς οὖν οὐχ εὗρον; or the like; Πάλιν τὸ ζητούμενον. Again coming to the question in hand (An ‘Unknown’ God, Whom ye ‘ignorantly worship, he says). Now the times of ignorance,” etc.—Mod. text. “Why did he not immediately come (ἔστη) to Philosophy, and say, God is incorporeal by nature, invisible and without form? Because it seemed superfluous at present to say these things to men who had not yet (μήπω om. E.) learned that there is but one God. Therefore leaving those matters, he addresses himself (ἵσταται) to the matter in hand, and says, Now the times,” etc.

876 Old text inserts here the whole of v. 30, 31, then, καίτοιγέ φησιν, ὥρισεν ἡμ. ἀναστήσας αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν. Κατασείσας αὐτῶν τὴν διανοίαν τῷ φόβῳ, τότε ἐπάγει τοῦτο. It appears from the Recapitulation that κατ. τῷ φ. refers to the preceding verses, being explained by δείξας ἀναπολογήτους: and ἐπάγει τοῦτο to the first clause of v. 30, the overlooking of the times of ignorance. We have arranged the matter accordingly.—Mod. text, v. 30, 31. “See, having agitated their minds by saying, ‘He hath appointed a day,’ and terrified them, then he seasonably adds this, ‘Having raised Him from the dead.’” Which is clearly not Chrysostom’s meaning.

(Recapitulation.) (b) “And while Paul waited,” etc. (v. 16.) It is providentially ordered that against his will he stays there, while waiting for those others. (a) “His spirit,” it says, “within him” παρωξύνετο. It does not mean there anger or exasperation: just as elsewhere it says, “There was παροξυσμὸς between them.” (ch. xv. 30.) (c) Then what is παρωξύνετο? Was roused: for the gift is far removed from anger and exasperation. He could not bear it, but pined away.⁸⁷⁷

877 οὐκ ἔφερεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐτήκετο. The latter word seems incongruous, unless there be a reference to what St. Paul says of the state of his mind while waiting at Athens, in 1 Thess. ii. 1. q.d. this is not the state of feeling in which one is apt to give way to anger and irritation.

878 ἅμα μὲν τοῦ νόμου λυομένου φησὶν λοιπὸν, ἅμα δὲ διδάσκοντες εὐσέβειαν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. i.e. “of which dispersion the consequence was indeed a breaking down, it may be said, of the Law (by intermarriages, etc.), but withal a spreading of the true religion among men.” Mod. text, having mistakenly changed πρὸ to ἀπὸ, inserts ἐξ ἐκείνου “from that time” before τοῦ νόμου: and also omits φησὶν λοιπὸν, which the innovator did not understand.—᾽Αλλ᾽ οὐδὲν ἴσχυσαν (mod. text, ἐκέρδαναν) ἐκεῖνοι. But those Jews, for all their success in spreading their religion, availed nothing, save that they got (more) witnesses (μαρτυρίας perhaps should be μάρτυρας) of their own proper calamities (when the wrath came upon them to the uttermost), i.e. they prepared the way for the Gospel. but for themselves they availed nothing, but only to increase the number of those who should bear witness to the truth of God’s judgment upon them for their unbelief.

For the Prophets everywhere affirm this, that to create is God’s prerogative. Not as those affirm⁸⁷⁹

879 This, as it stands seems to be meant rather for the Manichæans than the heathen philosophers, to whom, he has just before said, the very notion of creation was strange. But the whole exposition is most inadequately given, through the carelessness or incompetency of the reporter. To be referred to the heathen, it should be ἄλλον μὲν εἶναι κύριον (as Jupiter) οὐ ποιητὴν δέ: and this is favored, perhaps, by the unnecessary τὴν δὲ (omitted by A. B.) as remaining from οὐ ποιητὴν δὲ ἀγέννητον ὕλην ὑποτίθεντες.

880 ᾽Ενταῦθα λοιπὸν αἰνιγματωδῶς εἶπε τὸ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔστησε—i.e. in speaking of God, he at the same time hints at the coequal Godhead of the Son: for He also is Creator and Lord. See p. 233 in the comments on v. 23, and v. 25, 26.

881 ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι μερικὴ, οὐδὲ ψυχὴ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. “This is very obscure, and seems remote from the matter in hand. Hales ap. Sav. thinks it has come into the text from some other place. I should rather think the passage either mutilated or corrupt.” Ben. “There is nothing either obscure or corrupt in the passage.” Ed. Par. The meaning seems to be, As the whole creation is the work of One God, not μερικῶς but τὸ καθόλου, so are all mankind, universally, His work; the soul too, as well as the body.

882 This and the following sentences seem to be fragments belonging to the preceding exposition. But the whole is too confused and mangled to admit of any satisfactory restoration.

883 Πῶς καὶ ἄνθρωπος γέγονε. Or (see note 2.) “How He (the Son) became man”—as belonging to some other place; e.g. after οὐδέπω τὰ μέγαλα εἶπεν. Or this may be put in the place of πῶς θεραπεύεται, note 8. Mod. text. “Having before shown, how the heaven was made, then he declared,” etc.

884 ἀπεφήνατο: above, το μηδένος δεῖσθαι, ὅπερ ἀπεφήνατο.

885 This also may be part of the argument against the Arians, which Chrys. seems to have brought into his exposition. See note 2.

886 This is clearly out of place. Perhaps πῶς καὶ ἄνθρωπος γέγονε (note 5.) belongs here.

887 Κατὰ τὰς ὁροθεσίας. Perhaps Chrys. may have read κατὰ τὰς ὁρ. in his copy of the Acts: as Cod. Bezæ and S. Irenæus, κατὰ τὴν ὁροθεσίαν.

888 Mod. text spoiling the sense; “And this he says showing that not even now had they, having sought, found: although He was as plain to be found as anything would be that was (set) in the midst to be handled.”

889 Old text: Τουτέστιν, οἰκείους, ἐγγυτάτους ὥσπερ παροίκους καὶ γείτονας ὅταν λέγῃ: so Cat. The two last words are out of place; we insert them with the text-words after ῞Ινα γὰρ μὴ. The sense is: He does not mean, with the heathen poet, that mankind came from God by generation or emanation: but that we are very near to Him.

For lest, when he says, “Being the offspring of God” (v. 29), they should again say, Thou bringest certain strange things to our ears,⁸⁹⁰

890 Here mss. and Edd, have οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἀνθρώποις ἐναντίον, as if it meant, “nothing so goes against men as strangeness.” We place it in what seems a more suitable connection: “We ought not to think,” etc. for so far from “the Godhead” being “like unto such,” nothing is so much the reverse of like unto men, who “are his offspring.”

891 τί γάρ; ὑπὲρ τοῦτο Θεός; οὐδὲ τοῦτο· ἀλλὰ τέως τοῦτο· A. B. C , τί γὰρ τὸ ὑπὲρ τοῦτο θεός· οὐδὲ κ. τ. λ. Cat. om. τί γὰρ τὸ, and ἀλλὰ τέως τοῦτο. Mod. text, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὲρ τοῦτο. τί δαὶ τὸ ὑπὲρ τοῦτο; Θεός· ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ τοῦτο, ἐνεργείας γάρ ἐστιν ὄνομα· ἀλλὰ τέως τοῦτο.

892 Possibly the connection may be, “He is not addressing himself to the notions of philosophers, (supra, note 1, p. 234). for them he insinuated τὸ ἀσώματον by the ᾽Εν αὐτῷ ζῶμεν, the intimate presence of Deity, the denial of body by the denial of διάστημα which is necessarily implied in the notion of body. But he speaks to the many, and puts it to them in this way, We, being in respect of the soul, akin to God, ought not to think,” etc.—Mod. text omits πρὸς τοὺς πολλούς.

893 Here the mss. and Edd. have the sentence ἀλλ᾽ εἴποι ἄν τις—ὁ λόγος αὐτῷ, which we have transferred above, p. 234, note 1. In the next sentence, εἰ γὰρ ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἐσμεν ὅμοιοι ἐκείνοις τὸ κατὰ ψυχήν, A. B. C. omit the negative, which Cat. and mod. text retain.

894 Εἰ γὰρ ἢ τέχνη ἢ διάνοια εὗρε, A. B. C. but Cat. om. εἰ γὰρ, mod. text ἢ γὰρ τέχνη ἢ δ. εὗρε. Διὰ τοῦτο οὕτως εἶπεν: A. also has this last clause, which is unknown to B. C. Cat. In the translation we assume the reading to be, Εἰ γὰρ ὅπερ ἢ τ. ἢ δ. εὗρε—διὰ τοῦτο οὕτως “τέχν. ἢ ἐνθ. ἀ.”—ὅπερ οὖν ἢ τ. ἢ δ. ἀ. εὗρε, τοῦτο ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἐν λίθω οὐσία θεοῦ.

895 i.e. in v. 27. “that they should seek the Lord…being, as He is, not far from every one of us.” But text refers it to the following clause, by adding εἰπών.

896 Πᾶσι γὰρ ταύτην παρεῖχε πίστιν, i.e. God; but C. and mod. text παρεῖχον, as if it meant “the Apostles gave assurance of Christ’s resurrection,” overlooking the πίστιν παρασχὼν of the text.’

These words were spoken indeed to the Athenians: but it were seasonable that one should say to us also, “that all men everywhere must repent, because he hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world.” See how he brings Him in as Judge also: Him, both provident for the world, and merciful and forgiving and powerful and wise, and, in a word possessing all the attributes of a Creator. “Having given assurance to all men,” i.e. He has given proof in the rising (of Jesus) from the dead.⁸⁹⁷

897 Mod. text “The things spoken have given proof of His rising from the dead.”

898 A. B. C. μετὰ γὰρ ταῦτα καθολικὰς εἰδέναι αὐτῷ. The sense would be satisfied by μετὰ τὸ τὰς καθ. εἰδέναι αὐτῷ χάριτας. Mod. text. “Together with the reckoning up of what God has done for us in common (benefits), so many that none is able even to number them, and giving Him thanks for all these, let us all bethink us of what has been done for each one of us, and reckon them up day by day. Since then these,” etc.

899 τῶν ἰατρῶν τῶν ἐκεῖ. Mod. text omits τῶν, and adds μένειν, καὶ: “the physicians ordering him to stay there.” The mss., except A. which has preserved the true reading εἴρξατο, have ἤρξατο, whence Erasm. Ben. cœpit gargarizare—just what the boy refused to do. He would not take the gargle, nor any other medicine or food.—For σβέννυται we restore with mod. text σβεννύναι —ὡς δῆθεν φιλοσοφῶν either as above, or “to show his strength of mind forsooth.”—ὑπὲρ φιλονεικίας, B. φιλοτιμίας. (Erasmus’ translation is altogether wide of the sense.)

900 ἀπλῶς δὲ (καὶ mod. text.) ἀσημα. Meaning perhaps, “being speechless, he read and heard, but could not give tokens of understanding what he learned.”

901 mss. καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῷ κατηρᾶτο, καὶ τελευτῆσαι ηὔχετο καὶ ἡ μητήρ· ἔτι γὰρ ἔτυχε ζῶν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ. Mod. text. “His mother prayed for him to die, and his father cursed him, for he was yet living.”

902 τυχὸν ἀπλάστως ζητούντων: meaning perhaps, in earnest, not for form’s sake. The occasion of this strictness was doubtless the affair of Theodorus the Sicilian, see t. i. 343 B. and 470 D. (Πρὸ δέκα τούτων ἐτῶν ἑαλωσαν ἐπὶ τυραννίδι τινές κ. τ. λ.) For the history of the treasonable and magical practices against Valens at Antioch, in which Theodorus was implicated, and of the severities exercised in consequence of that attempt, see Ammianus Marcell. xxix. init. Comp. Zosimus iv. 13, 3, Sozomen vi. 35, Socrates iv. 19.

903 εἶτα ἔνδοθεν λαβὼν ἀπῄει· ἀπεπάγη τῷ δέει It is not easy to see what this means, unless the sense intended be, “the soldier paced backward and forward, so that we were intercepted between his walk and the river.”—Mod. text, εἶτα ἔ. λ, ἀπῄει καὶ ἀπεπήγει τῷ δέει Erasm. qui hoc animadvertens abiit, et timere nos fecit. Ben. Hinc. vero socius. illo occultato abiit et timore tabescebat. We must certainly read ἀπεπάγην, or ἀπεπάγημεν.

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