Introduction Paul and Silas have been asked to

Introduction • Paul and Silas have been asked to leave Philippi by the magistrates. They will be leaving a viable church made up of Jews and Gentiles as will be true in many of the churches Paul established. • Paul, Silas and Timothy will be traveling south through Amphipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica, then to Berea. • Silas and Timothy stay in Berea and Paul goes on to Athens. Agora of Thessalonica Excavated

• Acts 17: 1 -3 • 17: 1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. NIV-- “proving” is wrong paratithemi = “to set before” “to demonstrate” “to give evidence” More Excavations at Thessalonica

• What was a synagogue? • Why do you think that Paul went to the Jewish synagogues to teach? Paul’s Teaching: • The CHRIST had to suffer and RISE AGAIN from the dead. • This JESUS whom Paul preached WAS THE CHRIST

• The fact that Paul mentions that Thessalonica has a Jewish synagogue and that he did not mention a synagogue in Philippi has led most interpreters to believe that Philippi had none, that and the fact that the place of Sabbath worship was the riverside. Evidently, for whatever reason. Philippi did not seem to have many Jews in it. • Paul’s message to the Jews in Thessalonica was that the Messiah had to suffer, die and rise from the dead. This is still a great stumbling block to Jews. Roman Road at Thessalonica

v 2 Why do you think that reasoning from the scriptures is less popular today than it was in the past? What has happened in our culture to make people so unwilling to use the scriptures for proof of what they believe?

Scriptures In Acts Reasoning • “He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, . . . “ - Acts 9: 29 • “This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them” - Acts 15: 2 • “and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures” Acts 17: 3

Reasoning • “. . . vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures. . . Acts 18: 28 • Paul. . . arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. - Acts 19: 8; • “From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. ” 28: 23

• How can we encourage and motivate people in our modern society to study and reason and examine the scriptures?

• Acts 17: 3 -4 • "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ, " he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. • “Not a few…” Luke sometimes uses this expression instead of “Many. ” • Women were more prominent in Gentile society than in Jewish society. • These God-fearing Greek men and women were members of this synagogue. Women of Ancient Greece

• Acts 17: 5 -7 • 5 But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. • Riots for civil protest have been common in the Gentile world since early times. • If you need a crowd to help you protest something, you can always find people to join you just for the excitement.

v 5 Envious Jews Caused Trouble: 1) They used some evil men to gather a mob 2) They set the city in an uproar 3) They attacked the house of a man named Jason. 4) They tried to bring Paul and Silas out to the mob.

• Acts 17: 6 -9 • 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus. " 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: • v 7 What was true about the accusations against the Christians and what was not ? • Do you think that the Jews really believed these accusations?

• Here again we find the enemies of the Christian leaders falsely accusing them. • Paul and his companions have been expecting this and have been hidden by other disciples. • Jason has done no more that welcome them into his home. He will not be punished for that. I think the bond is to keep him available as a material witness if they find Paul and his company. • But they will be gone.

• Acts 17: 10 -12 • 10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. This is the question Synagogue at Berea (See three ancient steps? )

v 11 Bereans more Noble-Minded: 1) They received the WORD of GOD with all readiness of mind 2) They SEARCHED the scriptures DAILY to determine whether what was being said was true. (cf Jn. 5: 39; 1 Jn 4: 1).

• Every synagogue has Jews and God-fearing Greeks, including women who are prominent in the community. • These Bereans are described as more noble of character that the Thessalonians because they were more careful Bible students. They were not going to accept any teaching that did not agree with their scriptures, which at this time was what we call the Old Testament. • Paul taught them every day and they checked everything he said against the scriptures. Another Synagogue at Berea

• I think it was because these Bereans were assured that Paul spoke the truth about Jesus that many of them believed. • These Bereans are a good example for us. We must not take everything a preacher tells us at face value. We must compare it with scripture. If it is not taught in scripture it must be rejected. • When we teach, we should also encourage our students to compare what we teach with the Bible and we should accept correction when we are wrong. Sign on Berean Synagogue Wall

Modern Athens • Acts 17: 13 -15 • 13 When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

DISCUSSION • v 14 Why not have Paul stay and QUESTION: face the agitators (Vs 14)? • Sometimes Christians left in the face of danger sometimes not, how should staying or leaving be decided?

• Paul has to stay one step ahead of those who want to shut him up. • Paul is always the one they are after. Silas and Timothy can safely stay in Berea until they are ready to leave. • Paul does not like to be alone. He sends word by those who escorted him to Athens for Silas and Timothy to join him soon. • They, however did not join him in Athens but much later in Corinth. • While Paul waits, he is distressed by all the idols. Ancient Athens – Artist’s Concept

• Acts 17: 16 -17 • 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. • As he did everywhere else, he teaches in the synagogue. • He spends his days in the large marketplace reasoning about Jesus with anyone who will listen. The new pluralism: -Old = people have the right to believe what they want and practice their religion. . . -New = must affirm that all ways are equally valid. . . -Why reject Greek religion? Agora (Marketplace) Ancient Athens

Christians in a Pluralistic World 15 The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. Dionysus: -“the liquid fire in the grape” -“the blood pounding in the veins of a young animal” -“All the mysterious and uncontrollable tides which ebb and flow in the life of nature. ” Dionysus: -Worship involved wild, drunken sex orgies -Ritual prostitution was common -Later became Roman Bacchus

Christians in a Pluralistic World 15 The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. ! e s l a F s ’ It Dionysus: Critique - Your Idol Doesn’t exist - Your Worship is immoral - Your Idol Cannot save - It Can’t even promotefertility or ferment wine

• Acts 17: 17 -19 • 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say? " Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods. " They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. • Athens was noted a a center of philosophy. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Epicurus were just a few of the famous philosophers who had taught here.

Epicureans 1) They denied that God created the world. 2) They denied God’s providence. 3) They said that the soul is material and is destroyed at death 4) Their motto was “Eat, drink , and be merry”

Stoics 1) The existing universe is God 2) That the soul dies. 3) Virtue has its own rewards. 4) Vice has its own punishment 5) Their motto was “Deny Self”.

• “What is this babbler trying to say? ” The word translated “babbler” is an interesting word in the Greek. It literally means “seed picker. ” They were implying that Paul was an eclectic philosopher, picking up elements of his philosophy from many sources, much as a bird hunts everywhere for seeds and eats them. • A foreign god would be any god not in the Greek or Roman pantheon. • They were familiar with the Egyptian gods, but Jesus was a new god to them