Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 17]
pious or religious or the bad sense of superstitious. Thayer
suggests that Paul uses it "with kindly ambiguity." Page thinks
that Luke uses the word to represent the religious feeling of the
Athenians (_religiosus_) which bordered on superstition. The
Vulgate has _superstitiosiores_. In 25:19 Festus uses the term
\deisidaimonia\ for "religion." It seems unlikely that Paul
should give this audience a slap in the face at the very start.
The way one takes this adjective here colours Paul's whole speech
before the Council of Areopagus. The comparative here as in verse
21 means more religions than usual (Robertson, _Grammar_, pp.
664f.), the object of the comparison not being expressed. The
Athenians had a tremendous reputation for their devotion to
religion, "full of idols" (verse 16).
17:23 {For} (\gar\). Paul gives an illustration of their
religiousness from his own experiences in their city. {The
objects of your worship} (\ta sebasmata hum•n\). Late word from
\sebazomai\, to worship. In N T. only here and 2Th 2:4. The use
of this word for temples, altars, statues, shows the conciliatory
tone in the use of \deisidaimonesterous\ in verse 22. {An
altar} (\b•mon\). Old word, only here in the N.T. and the only
mention of a heathen altar in the N.T {With this inscription}
(\en h•i epegegrapto\). On which had been written (stood
written), past perfect passive indicative of \epigraph•\, old and
common verb for writing on inscriptions (\epigraph•\, Lu
23:38). {To an Unknown God} (\AGNOSTO THEO\). Dative case,
dedicated to. Pausanias (I. 1, 4) says that in Athens there are
"altars to gods unknown" (\b•moi the•n agn•st•n\). Epimenides in
a pestilence advised the sacrifice of a sheep to the befitting
god whoever he might be. If an altar was dedicated to the wrong
deity, the Athenians feared the anger of the other gods. The only
use in the N.T. of \agn•stos\, old and common adjective (from \a\
privative and \gn•stos\ verbal of \gin•sk•\, to know). Our word
agnostic comes from it. Here it has an ambiguous meaning, but
Paul uses it though to a stern Christian philosopher it may be
the "confession at once of a bastard philosophy and of a bastard
religion" (Hort, _Hulsean Lectures_, p. 64). Paul was quick to
use this confession on the part of the Athenians of a higher
power than yet known to them. So he gets his theme from this
evidence of a deeper religious sense in them and makes a most
clever use of it with consummate skill. {In ignorance}
(\agnoountes\). Present active participle of \agnoe•\, old verb
from same root as \agn•stos\ to which Paul refers by using it.
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