Part 269 (2/2)

III

PREACHING IN THE MACEDONIAN CITIES.

_Riot in Thessalonica. Success in Beroea_.

Now when they had pa.s.sed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: and Paul, as his custom was, went in unto them, and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the scriptures, arguing that it behooved the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and that this Jesus, ”whom,” said he, ”I proclaim unto you, is the Christ.”

And some of them were persuaded, and joined Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great mult.i.tude, and of the chief women not a few. But the Jews, being moved with jealousy, took unto them certain vile fellows of the rabble, and gathering a crowd, set the city in an uproar; and a.s.saulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them forth to the people. And when they found them not, they dragged Jason and certain brethren before the rulers of the city, crying, ”These men who have turned the world upside down are come hither also; whom Jason hath received: and these all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.”

And they troubled the mult.i.tude and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. And when they had taken bail from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Beroea: who when they were come {404} thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more n.o.ble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so. Many of them therefore believed; also of the Greek women of honorable estate, and of men, not a few.

But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of G.o.d was proclaimed of Paul at Beroea also, they came thither likewise, stirring up and troubling the mult.i.tudes. And then immediately the brethren sent forth Paul to go as far as to the sea: and Silas and Timothy abode there still. But they that conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timothy that they should come to him with all speed, they departed.

IV

PAUL AT ATHENS.

_The Leader of the New Faith Speaks on Cla.s.sic Ground_.

Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, he was aroused, as he beheld the city full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with them that met with him. And certain also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, ”What would this babbler say?” others, ”He seemeth to be a teacher of strange G.o.ds”: because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.

{405}{406}

[Ill.u.s.tration]

THE PARTHENON, ONE OF THE TEMPLES ON THE ACROPOLIS AT ATHENS

From a photograph belonging to the Forbes Library, Northampton, Ma.s.s., and used by special permission

”Crowning the Acropolis was the Parthenon, the glorious temple which rose in the proudest period of Athenian history to the honor of Minerva, and which ages of war and decay have only partially defaced.

The sculptures on one side of the pediments represented the birth of the G.o.ddess; those on the other depicted her contest with Neptune.

Under the outer cornices were groups exhibiting the victories achieved by her champions. Round the inner frieze was the long series of the Panathenaic procession.” The Acropolis, with its splendid temples, was on Paul's right and in full view as he preached on the Areopagus.

[End ill.u.s.tration]

{407}

And they took hold of him, and brought him unto the Areopagus, saying, ”May we know what this new teaching is, which is spoken by thee? For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.” (Now all the Athenians and the strangers sojourning there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.) And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said,--

”Ye men of Athens, in all things I perceive that ye are very religious.

For as I pa.s.sed along, and observed the objects of your wors.h.i.+p, I found also an altar with this inscription,

TO AN UNKNOWN G.o.d.

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