Acts 17:25Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"He is not served by human hands, as though He needed anything." Do you see how little by little he teaches philosophy? How he laughs at pagan error?

"He Himself gives to all life and breath and everything. And from one blood He made the whole race of men to dwell on all the face of the earth."

This belongs to God. But note that this can also be said of the Son.

Did He not receive service from human hands among the Jews? Not from hands, but from the soul, and He required this not because He needed it.

"Do I," He says, "eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?" (Ps 49:13).

Then, having said, "He is not served by human hands, as though He needed anything," for it is not enough that He needs nothing, though this is a divine property, another must also be present.

Not "as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath." There are two proofs of divinity: God needs nothing, and He gives all things to all.

105. But perhaps our authority is insufficient, and there is little trust in us? Then read the sermon delivered by the Apostle Paul before the Athenians.

If he had wished from the beginning to abolish the worship of idols, the pagans would have turned their hearing away from his preaching.

Therefore he began to speak about the one God, the Creator of the world: "God made the world and everything in it" (Acts 17:24).

They could not deny that the Creator of the world is one, that there is one God, one Creator of all.

The Apostle added that it is not fitting for the Lord of heaven and earth to dwell in what is built by hands. It is utterly incredible that the power of the Godhead could be enclosed by human craft in the dead matter of gold or silver.

This is the God who made the world and everything in it. He, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made by human hands. He does not require the service of human hands. He is all-sufficient, and He Himself has given life, breath, and all things to everything.

Contrary to the pagan hope of pleasing the gods and satisfying religious feeling by splendid temples and abundant sacrifices, he proclaims the true God, Creator and Provider of the world. He Himself gives to all things being, life, and everything needed for life. He does not require the service of human hands, as though He had need of anything, or as though He were a spatially limited and sensible being. He is infinite, all-sufficient, and all-blessed. Temples and sacrifices are needed for men, that they may express their service to Him.

"Nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things."

Here too the infinite superiority of the true God over idols is depicted. By giving all creatures everything they need, He Himself clearly needs nothing.

This stands in contrast to idols. Having neither life nor power, they need people to give them form and establish them.

The true God does not need the service of human hands. He existed before the creation of men, and has always been all-blessed and all-sufficient.

But if God needs nothing, does this mean that it is all the same to Him whether people honor Him and serve Him or not?

Meanwhile the inspired preacher continued his speech. Like clear streams from a life-giving spring, it flowed from his lips and gave life to the minds and hearts of his hearers.

It was a profound philosophy, unknown to them until then, yet at the same time simple to understand. With irresistible power it acted upon the heart.

It was a simple speech, yet each word pierced the soul of those who heard it like lightning. Each was clearly impressed upon their faces.

With extraordinary clarity he set forth the exalted understanding of God to which the greatest sages of the ancient world scarcely dared to ascend.

On the basis of well-known popular poets, he showed the whole unreasonableness of worshiping idols made by human hands.

Having set forth, by such a bold and certainly unexpected rhetorical turn, the common foundational subject of his preaching, the Apostle then begins to unfold it. This is the teaching about the one true God, in broad but powerful strokes.

He is the one and true God, the Creator and Lord of heaven and earth, and of all that is in the world (Gen 1:1 ff.).

"He does not dwell in temples made with hands." This accords with the highest idea of the all-sufficient and all-blessed God, who has no need of anything human. See the note on Acts 7:48-50 and Ps 49.

This decisive contrast is remarkable. Before the Apostle and his hearers rises the magnificent temple of Theseus, adorned with every marvel of human art, the pride and ornament of Athens.

The concept of God is given by the Apostle Paul in adaptation to the concepts of the Athenians. They had a sensible concept of deity, and therefore strove to serve the gods sensibly.

They built wondrous temples for them and made beautiful statues of them. Paul, however, says that God Himself is the highest Creator of the whole world.

Therefore it is clear that He needs neither temples nor, even less, statues. He Himself gives to all life, breath, and everything anyone needs.

Thus, by giving the true concept of God, the Apostle thereby destroyed the false Greek notion of Him.

God, whose temple is the whole world and whose throne is heaven, has no need for Himself of a small earthly temple.

Possessing everything that exists in the universe, He clearly has no need of human offerings either.

Therefore, if He accepts from man a temple and an offering, by this He shows man His condescension, grace, and mercy.

He shows mercy in the very fact that He grants the pious thought and desire. For, as the Apostle instructs, "we are not sufficient of ourselves to think" anything truly good "as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God" (2 Cor 3:5).

He shows mercy in the assistance of Providence for fulfilling the pious desire. He shows mercy in man's approach to God through a temple made gracious.

He shows mercy in accepting the offering, which opens the way to a new mercy: recompense for the offering of faith and zeal.