Acts 17:22-23 22So standing in the midst of the Areopagus, Paul said: “Men, Athenians, I observe that in every way you are religious. 23For as I passed along and carefully observed your objects of worship, I found also an altar in which was written: ‘To the unknown god.’ Therefore, what you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
The courage and confidence of Paul are evident in this story. In his travels, he stood before great crowds, religious leaders, and government officials and clearly proclaimed the gospel to everyone. The audience at the Areopagus of Athens was different from others up to this point. Athens was a place of intellectual inquiry, discussion, and argumentation. People were used to rhetorical presentations. It was also a place of idolatry, with the many shrines and temples everywhere, especially where people gathered. Luke summarizes Paul’s speech, like he does other speeches and sermons in Acts. Paul likely said much more than a couple of paragraphs, which would have taken only a few minutes to say. He stood in the middle of the gathering, which made him the focus of attention. He was the orator giving a speech to a curious group of philosophers and debaters. He was not on trial, but he was both defending the gospel with judicial rhetoric and seeking to convince the audience to accept his perspective with deliberative rhetoric.
His speech began with a positive observation that would have endeared the audience to the rest of what he said. His opening appeal in verse 22 functions as the exordium of the speech, whereby he attempted to gain a good standing with the audience by appealing to something positive about them. He noted their religious interest, which was obvious with all the idols in the city. He interpreted these idols as more than nice art. They expressed the people’s search for deeper meaning and connection with the divine.
As he continued in the speech, verse 23 serves as his transition to his chosen topic. Instead of criticizing the idolatry of the Athenians, which would have put a wall of separation between his message and the people, he found a positive connection. His method was ingenious and one that can be imitated for missionaries going to a new location. When he arrived in the city, he saw many idols and shrines. One particular altar caught his attention. The Athenians liked to cover their basis and protect themselves when it came to gods, so someone thought of having an altar to “the unknown god.” They did not want to miss any possible deity.
Verse 23 ends with the propositio of the speech, the main thesis to be proven and the speaker hopes the audience will accept. Paul was walking a fine line between alienating the Athenians and informing them of what they did not know. He was in a position of power because he knew what they did not. He was going to bring them new revelation. They were searching for something they did not know where to find. Paul had an open door, though it seemed small in comparison to the complex religious scene of this city. The Athenians had some sense of a god they could not name but did not know anything about this god. Paul would use this broad sense of general revelation to move toward more detailed special revelation.