Acts 17:16-21 16Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was aroused within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 17Therefore, he dialogued in the synagogue with the Jews and worshipers, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him, and some were saying, “What does this babbler wish to say?” And others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign divinities,” because he was preaching the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. 19And after taking hold of him, they brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “Can we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20For you bring some astonishing things to our ears. Therefore, we want to know what these things are.” 21Now all the Athenians and the foreigners living there spent their time in nothing but telling or hearing something new..
Athens was one of the great cities and intellectual centers of ancient Greece. By the time of the first century, its prestige and influence had dwindled, but it was still the center of art and intellect in the Roman Empire. To a Gentile, it was still an impressive place, with many beautiful temples, shrines, and statues. But for a Jewish believer, like Paul, it represented the depths of humanity seeking some form of truth and finding it in made-up religions. When he arrived in the city for the first time, he did not seek the impressive buildings but the emptiness of idolatry. Luke notes that Paul’s spirit was aroused (parōxyneto), which can mean having a strong provocation, irritation, or frustration. He saw the waste of human energy and empty spirituality among the people. Verse 17 shows how he responded with renewed energy by going to the local synagogue and speaking with the Jews and God-fearers there. He message would have been the same as he gave to those in the synagogues of the other cities where he had visited. He also went to the marketplace (agora), which was lined with statues and shrines. He may have worked his craft of tent-making to support himself. He came in contact with many Gentiles as they went about their business.
As Paul conversed with people in the marketplace, some philosophers also gathered to dialogue with him. Athens was a famous center of learning and attracted many thinkers. Epicureans followed the philosophy of Epicurus, who lived from 341-270 B.C. They were empiricists who believed in the senses and natural evidence and not abstract ideas. They interpreted the world through pleasure or pain, known as hedonism. People sought things that brought them pleasure. They sought to have a high quality of life that would bring pleasure. Stoics followed the teachings of Cypriot Zeno (ca. 335–263 B.C.) and was named for the stoa or colonnade in the agora where Zeno had taught. They believed that history repeats itself in a cycle. The reasonable approach to life is to live according to nature and its laws. The good life is determined by reason and not passion. Paul was on intellectual par with these philosophers and was able to converse with them. He got two types of responses. On the one hand, people interpreted him as simply spewing words (spermologos), which has the sense of just putting scraps together into some incoherent mess, or simply babbling on. On the other hand, others recognized that Paul was speaking of a new religion about foreign divinities (daimoniōn, which can also mean “demons”). Paul did not deviate from his central message about the resurrected Jesus. The Epicureans did not believe in a spiritual existence, so a teaching about resurrection would seem strange to them. The Stoics believed only in a soul after death, so talk of physical resurrection would seem foolish.
The philosophers took Paul to the Areopagus to learn more. The Areopagus was a hill in Athens that also served as the court. It was named after Ares, the god of war. Ares was equivalent to Mars in the Romans pantheon, so this hill has also been known as Mars Hill. Paul could have been taken to court or simply provided a public lecture about his ideas. The philosophers wanted to know more, so having Paul at the center of learning would give them a better opportunity to quiz him. They accused him of teaching strange things they had not heard before. As intellectuals, they were curious about the implications of this teaching. Verse 21 is simply a summary of what type of activity took place in the Areopagus. People would spend their time talking about new ideas to satisfy their curiosity. Paul was given a great opportunity to explain the gospel to people interested in hearing what he had to say.