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ministers. Why not? He ministers to mankind; He is everywhere and ready to assist
all."
The Apostle's words in Acts 17: 24, 25 become even more pointed in the light of
this Stoic's remarks.
Some of the philosophers that heard Paul speak said: "What will this babbler say?"
The word "babbler" here is spermologos, primarily a small bird like a sparrow, a
"seed-picker". It was later applied to beggars who picked up what food they could in the
Agora, and then to those who, like parasites, lived by flattery.
Others who heard Paul said:
"He seemeth to be a setter-forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus
and the resurrection" (17: 18).
The word "gods" here is daimonion, and it is practically impossible for Luke to have
written this word without thinking of Socrates, who had been charged with kaino
daimonia eispheron, "bringing in new demons". As we have noted earlier, to the
Athenian a "demon" was not a "devil", but a lesser divinity; and the emphasis which the
Apostle placed on "Jesus and the resurrection" made them think that he was introducing
another of the many "demons" with which the pagan world abounded. There are some,
even, who think that they imagined "Jesus and Anastasis" to be two gods, and it is
certainly true that there were altars at Athens to such qualities as Fame and Modesty,
Impetuosity and Persuasion.
We next read (verse 19) that "they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying,
May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?" The magnetic word
here was the word "new" for Luke adds:
"All the Athenians and strangers which were there, spent their time in nothing else,
but either to tell, or to hear something NEWER (kainoteron)" (Acts 17: 21).
Demosthenes noted this characteristic of the Athenians, and another writer gave them
the nickname kechenaioi, or "gapers". Demades suggested that the crest of Athens ought
to have been a great tongue.
And so the Apostle standing in the midst of Mars' Hill, surrounded by men for whom
any reference to the O.T. Scriptures would have been useless, seizes upon the presence of
an altar to the unknown god, to preach to these philosophers a wonderful gospel appeal--
an appeal, however, which cannot be rightly appreciated without some understanding of
the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers.
Bishop Wordsworth has given a good summary of the Apostle's address as follows:
"This speech contains a statement of the Unity of the Godhead (verse 23), against
Polytheism; of the Creations of all things by Him, against the Epicurean theory of a
fortuitous concourse of atoms; of its Government by Him, against the Stoic doctrine of