Paul at Athens

¹⁶ Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was greatly angered when he saw that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he had discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place day after day with any who happened to be there. ¹⁸ And some of the ^[a]Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to engage in conversation with him. And some said, “What could this idle babbler [with his eclectic, scrap-heap learning] have in mind to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities”—because he was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹ They took him and brought him to the ^[b]Areopagus (Hill of Ares, the Greek god of war), saying, “May we know what this [strange] new teaching is which you are proclaiming? ²⁰ For you are bringing some startling and strange things to our ears; so we want to know what they mean.” ²¹ (Now all the Athenians and the foreigners visiting there used to spend their [leisure] time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)

Sermon on Mars Hill

²² So Paul, standing in the center of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I observe [with every turn I make throughout the city] that you are very religious and devout in all respects. ²³ Now as I was going along and carefully looking at your objects of worship, I came to an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN ^[c]UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you already worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴ The God who created the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; ²⁵ nor is He ^[d]served by human hands, as though He needed anything, because it is He who gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.^{(A) 26} And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands and territories. ²⁷ This was so that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grasp for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. ²⁸ For in Him we live and move and exist [that is, in Him we actually have our being], as even some of ^[e]your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ ²⁹ So then, being God’s children, we should not think that the Divine Nature (deity) is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination or skill of man. ³⁰ Therefore God overlooked and disregarded the former ages of ignorance; but now He commands all people everywhere to repent [that is, to change their old way of thinking, to regret their past sins, and to seek God’s purpose for their lives], ³¹ because He has set a day when He will judge the inhabited world in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed and destined for that task, and He has provided credible proof to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”^(B)

³² Now when they heard [the term] resurrection from the dead, ^[f]some mocked and sneered; but others said, “We will hear from you again about this matter.” ³³ So Paul left them. ³⁴ But some men joined him and believed; among them were Dionysius, [a judge] of the Council of Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Paul Is Sent to Rome

27 Now when it was determined that ^[a]we (including Luke) would sail for Italy, they turned Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion of the Augustan Regiment named Julius. ² And going aboard a ship from Adramyttian which was about to sail for the ports along the [west] coast [province] of Asia [Minor], we put out to sea; and Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, accompanied us. ³ The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, treating Paul with [thoughtful] consideration, allowed him to go to his friends there and be cared for and refreshed. ⁴ From there we put out to sea and sailed to the leeward (sheltered) side of Cyprus [for protection from weather] because the winds were against us. ⁵ When we had sailed across the sea along the coasts of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia [on the south coast of Asia Minor]. ⁶ There the centurion [Julius] found an Alexandrian ship [a grain ship of the Roman fleet] sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. ⁷ For a number of days we sailed slowly and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus; then, because the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the leeward (sheltered) side of Crete, off Salmone; ⁸ and hugging the shore with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea [on the south side of Crete].

⁹ Now much time had been lost, and ^[b]navigation was dangerous, because even [the time for] the fast (Day of Atonement) was already over, so Paul began to strongly warn them, ¹⁰ saying, “Men, I sense [after careful thought and observation] that this voyage will certainly be a disaster and with great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” ¹¹ However, the centurion [Julius, ranking officer on board] was persuaded by the pilot and the owner of the ship rather than by what Paul said. ¹² Because the harbor was not well situated for wintering, the majority [of the sailors] decided to put to sea from there, hoping somehow to reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

¹³ So when the south wind blew softly, thinking that they had obtained their goal, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, hugging the coast.

Shipwreck

¹⁴ But soon afterward a violent wind, called Euraquilo [a northeaster, a tempestuous windstorm like a typhoon], came rushing down from the island; ¹⁵ and when the ship was caught in it and could not head against the wind [to gain stability], we gave up and [letting her drift] were driven along. ¹⁶ We ran under the shelter of a small island [twenty-five miles south of Crete] called Clauda, and with great difficulty we were able to get the ship’s ^[c]skiff on the deck and secure it. ¹⁷ After hoisting the skiff [on board], they used ^[d]support lines [for frapping] to undergird and brace the ship’s hull; and fearing that they might run aground on the shallows of Syrtis [off the north coast of Africa], they let down the ^[e]sea anchor and lowered the sails and were driven along [backwards with the bow into the wind]. ¹⁸ On the next day, as we were being violently tossed about by the storm [and taking on water], they began to jettison the cargo; ¹⁹ and on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle (spare lines, blocks, miscellaneous equipment) overboard with their own hands [to further reduce the weight]. ²⁰ Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm kept raging about us, from then on all hope of our being saved was [growing worse and worse and] gradually abandoned.

²¹ After ^[f]they had gone a long time without food [because of seasickness and stress], Paul stood up before them and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice and should not have set sail from Crete, and brought on this damage and loss. ²² But even now I urge you to keep up your courage and be in good spirits, because there will be no loss of life among you, but only loss of the ship. ²³ For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, ²⁴ and said, ‘Stop being afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has given you [the lives of] all those who are sailing with you.’ ²⁵ So keep up your courage, men, for I believe God and have complete confidence in Him that it will turn out exactly as I have been told; ²⁶ but we must run [the ship] aground on some island.”

²⁷ The fourteenth night had come and we were drifting and being driven about in the ^[g]Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors began to suspect that they were approaching some land. ²⁸ So they took soundings [using a weighted line] and found [the depth to be] twenty fathoms (120 feet); and a little farther on they sounded again and found [the depth to be] fifteen fathoms (90 feet). ²⁹ Then fearing that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern [to slow the ship] and kept wishing for daybreak to come. ³⁰ But as the sailors were trying to escape [secretly] from the ship and had let down the skiff into the sea, pretending that they were going to lay out anchors from the bow, ³¹ Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain on the ship, you cannot be saved.” ³² Then the soldiers cut away the ropes that held the skiff and let it fall and drift away.

³³ While they waited for the day to dawn, Paul encouraged them all [and told them] to have some food, saying, “This is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly on watch and going without food, having eaten nothing. ³⁴ So I urge you to eat some food, for this is for your survival; for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.” ³⁵ Having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all, and he broke it and began to eat. ³⁶ Then all of them were encouraged and their spirits improved, and they also ate some food. ³⁷ All told there were two hundred and seventy-six of us aboard the ship. ³⁸ After they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing the ^[h]wheat [from Egypt] overboard into the sea.

³⁹ When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, and they decided to run the ship ashore there if they could. ⁴⁰ So they cut the cables and severed the anchors and left them in the sea while at the same time ^[i]unlashing the ropes of the rudders; and after hoisting the foresail to the wind, they headed steadily for the beach. ⁴¹ But striking a ^[j]reef with waves breaking in on either side, they ran the ship aground. The prow (forward point) stuck fast and remained immovable, while the stern began to break up under the [violent] force of the waves. ⁴² The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would dive overboard and swim [to land] and escape; ⁴³ but the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from [carrying out] their plan. He commanded those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to the shore; ⁴⁴ and [he commanded] the rest to follow, some on [floating] planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it was that all of them were brought safely to land.

¹⁷ For Christ did not send me [as an apostle] to baptize, but [commissioned and empowered me] to preach the good news [of salvation]—not with clever and eloquent speech [as an orator], so that the cross of Christ would not be ^[a]made ineffective [deprived of its saving power].

The Wisdom of God

¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God’s grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written and forever remains written,

²⁰ Where is the wise man (philosopher)? Where is the scribe (scholar)? Where is the debater (logician, orator) of this age? Has God not exposed the foolishness of this world’s wisdom? ²¹ For since the world through all its [earthly] wisdom failed to recognize God, God in His wisdom was well-pleased through the ^[b]foolishness of the message preached [regarding salvation] to save those who believe [in Christ and welcome Him as Savior]. ²² For Jews demand signs (attesting miracles), and Greeks pursue [worldly] wisdom and philosophy, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified, [a message which is] to Jews a stumbling block [that provokes their opposition], and to Gentiles foolishness [just utter nonsense], ²⁴ but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks (Gentiles), Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.^{(B) 25} [This is] because the foolishness of God [is not foolishness at all and] is wiser than men [far beyond human comprehension], and the weakness of God is stronger than men [far beyond the limits of human effort].

²⁶ Just look at your own calling, believers; not many [of you were considered] wise according to human standards, not many powerful or influential, not many of high and noble birth. ²⁷ But God has selected [for His purpose] the foolish things of the world to shame the wise [revealing their ignorance], and God has selected [for His purpose] the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong [revealing their frailty]. ²⁸ God has selected [for His purpose] the insignificant (base) things of the world, and the things that are despised and treated with contempt, [even] the things that are nothing, so that He might reduce to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may [be able to] boast in the presence of God. ³⁰ But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God [revealing His plan of salvation], and righteousness [making us acceptable to God], and sanctification [making us holy and setting us apart for God], and redemption [providing our ransom from the penalty for sin], ³¹ so then, as it is written [in Scripture], “He who boasts and glories, let him boast and glory in the Lord.”^(C)

Paul’s Reliance upon the Spirit

2 And when I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming to you the ^[c]testimony of God [concerning salvation through Christ], I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom [no lofty words of eloquence or of philosophy as a Greek orator might do]; ² for I made the decision to ^[d]know nothing [that is, to forego philosophical or theological discussions regarding inconsequential things and opinions while] among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified [and the meaning of His redemptive, substitutionary death and His resurrection]. ³ I came to you in [a state of] weakness and fear and great trembling. ⁴ And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom [using clever rhetoric], but [they were delivered] in demonstration of the [Holy] Spirit [operating through me] and of [His] power [stirring the minds of the listeners and persuading them], ⁵ so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom and rhetoric of men, but on the power of God.

⁶ Yet we do speak wisdom among those spiritually mature [believers who have teachable hearts and a greater understanding]; but [it is a higher] wisdom not [the wisdom] of this present age nor of the rulers and leaders of this age, who are passing away; ⁷ but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom once hidden [from man, but now revealed to us by God, that wisdom] which God predestined before the ages to our glory [to lift us into the glory of His presence]. ⁸ None of the rulers of this age recognized and understood this wisdom; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; ⁹ but just as it is written [in Scripture],

¹⁰ For God has unveiled them and revealed them to us through the [Holy] Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things [diligently], even [sounding and measuring] the [profound] depths of God [the divine counsels and things far beyond human understanding]. ¹¹ For what person knows the thoughts and motives of a man except the man’s spirit within him? So also no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the [Holy] Spirit who is from God, so that we may know and understand the [wonderful] things freely given to us by God. ¹³ We also speak of these things, not in words taught or supplied by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual thoughts with spiritual words [for those being guided by the Holy Spirit].

¹⁴ But the natural [unbelieving] man does not accept the things [the teachings and revelations] of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness [absurd and illogical] to him; and he is incapable of understanding them, because they are spiritually discerned and appreciated, [and he is unqualified to judge spiritual matters]. ¹⁵ But the spiritual man [the spiritually mature Christian] judges all things [questions, examines and applies what the Holy Spirit reveals], yet is himself judged by no one [the unbeliever cannot judge and understand the believer’s spiritual nature]. ¹⁶ For who has known the mind and purposes of the Lord, so as to instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ [to be guided by His thoughts and purposes].^(E)