So Paul went out from among them.
και ουτως ο παυλος εξηλθεν εκ μεσου αυτων
6 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Why did Paul, who had succeeded in persuading the Athenians so that they said, "We will hear you again about this," hasten to leave Athens when there was no danger? Probably he did not expect much benefit there. On the other hand, he was led by the Spirit to Corinth. "So." How? Having persuaded some and been mocked by others.
When you have persuaded them that God is one, then with His help you will show that salvation has been given to us through Christ.
Begin with what Christ accomplished while abiding in the body. Point out the marks of the divine nature, so that it may be seen that He is more than man.
Show that death was conquered by the power of Him alone, and that after death He rose from Hades.
Faith grows little by little. When people see that He surpassed men, they will believe that He is God.
If you do not establish that He could not have accomplished His deeds without divine power, how will you prove that divine power was in Him?
As a remedy for error, he pointed to the thirst for repentance. Then he came to Christ, but for the time being he still preferred to call Him not God, but man.
He says: “By the Man whom He has ordained, God has given assurance to all, raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).
In discussion, one must take into account the character of the hearers. Otherwise people will mock rather than listen.
Would the Athenians have believed that the Word became flesh (Jn 1:14) and that the Virgin conceived of the Spirit, see Mt 1:18-23 and Lk 1:26-38, if they laughed when they heard of resurrection from the dead?
Yet Dionysius the Areopagite believed, and others believed in the Man, see Acts 17:34, so that they might believe in Him as God.
What difference does it make in what order someone believes? Perfection is not required at the beginning. From the beginning one comes to what is perfect.
By such preaching Paul instructed the Athenians. We too must keep this order with the Gentiles.
But the Apostle had not even managed to pronounce the name of the Savior of the world when his speech produced such unfavorable agitation among his hearers that it was immediately interrupted.
His words said that the Man ordained by God to carry out the universal judgment over the world had risen from the dead.
These words stirred laughter in the representatives of pagan wisdom, probably especially in the followers of Epicurean philosophy. They seemed to them ridiculous and senseless.
Some of them laughed openly and directly at these words. Others, keeping a serious expression, said mockingly, “We will hear you again about this.”
Thus the Apostle was forced to stop his speech and leave the Areopagus, apparently without any fruit from his preaching there.
Yet his speech made an impression on some members of the Areopagus. After he left the Areopagus, they entered into closer communion and a longer conversation with him.
Through him they were converted to faith in Christ.
Among those in Athens who believed in Christ were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris.
The disturbance in the assembly continued. Seeing that further preaching was impossible, the Apostle left the Areopagus. Soon the whole gathering dispersed. The stone seats of the Areopagus members, as hard as their hearts, were empty again.
"So," and "in this manner," that is, compelled to break off his unfinished speech amid frivolous mockery from various sides, Paul went out from among them, that is, from the Areopagus.
The Apostle’s famous speech in Athens was interrupted by the laughter of frivolous hearers. Then the more courteous said, “We will hear you again about this.”
By this they made it clear that they too were no longer disposed to listen to Paul.
Apparently the teaching on the resurrection was especially unpleasant and unwelcome to them. This is understandable.
At words about the future judgment, every unbeliever can easily say, “We shall see later what will happen.”
Yet despite the frivolous majority of his hearers, there were also some who heeded the Apostle’s wise speech.
Here the writer of Acts names the honorable member of the Areopagus, Dionysius. He later became bishop of Athens and afterward died as a martyr in Gaul, in Paris.
Damaris was his wife. In speaking of their conversion and that of others, the writer of Acts shows that among the rest there were converts both from men and from women.
According to Saint John Chrysostom, “Although the Athenians loved to hear new things, they were not attentive to the preaching.
“They showed no zeal. They were only concerned always to have some subject for conversation. This was the reason they withdrew from Paul.
“Nevertheless, he persuaded Dionysius the Areopagite and some others. Those who cared for the good ordering of their life quickly received the word, but the others did not.
“It seemed enough to Paul that he had at least sown the seeds. Probably he did not expect much benefit here. On the other hand, he was led by the Spirit to Corinth.”
According to blessed Theophylact, “The Athenians especially mocked the resurrection: the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Cor 2:14).
Besides this, he adds that the teaching of salvation was communicated to Dionysius through Paul, while he was guided, as a disciple by a teacher, by the great Hierotheus.
“It is clear that Paul’s wise speech in the Areopagus, among representatives of civilization in the most educated city, did not end with abundant fruit.
“The world through its wisdom did not know God in the wisdom of God; see 1 Cor 1:21,” writes Bishop Michael.
But Paul was not disturbed by this. So also modern preachers among the intelligentsia should not be disturbed by apparent lack of success.
The work of preachers of the faith is to sow, and the Lord will give the needed increase; see 1 Cor 3:6.
So it was in Athens, where the Holy Church now shines so gloriously with all the fruits of Christ’s faith and piety.
Greek text, 7 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS