The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-07-13
TIE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
International Lesson for July 10, ls93--
Paul at Athens-Acts fs.22.3t.


International Lesson for July 10, lse3-.
Paul ut Athens-Acts fss22-3t.
tSpctiulyArrnnged from peioubets Notes.
GOLDEN Tgx-.-Goo is Q spirit and they
that worship Him must worship Btn in spirit
and in truth-John 4:N ,,. 4 'ra1
T1ME-A. d. Sc Levin thinfs' IL Was in
November, from the fact that x th.she an
cients navigation in those seas cloned Novem-
ber IL r.
MOVEMENTS OF THE Mrss,osARIEs.-Luke
wns left at Phlippi, rs We icarn from the use
Of the third person instead Of the first, froto
the time Paul left that city, and return TO The
FIRST person. I'VE" ''us." when Paul reaches
Philippi again on his return journey (eg;5, g.
Silas and Timothy were left at Berea Tl7:1D,
and Pau went alone TO Athens.
LESSON NOTES
Founding of the Thessalonian
Church.-After Paul's release from
prison, he, with Sifas 'and Timothy,
went along the great Roman road,
about one hundred miles in south.
west direction to Thessalonica, the
chief city of Macedonia. It is now
called Salonica, or Saloniki, of modern
Turkey, and is city of ninety thou
sand to one hundred thousand inhab-
itants, of whom fifty thousand are
Jews Here Paul pre- achcd for several
weeks, when a disturbance arose
which compelled the missionaries to
leave. But there was a goodly num-
Der of converts, especially among the
Greeks.
The Epistles to the Thessalonians.-
The first epistle to the Thessalonians
was written by Paul to this church
from Corinth, only few months after
his first visit there "a. d. SO, 53), on
the same missionary journey. 1t is the
oldest book of the New Testament, the
earliest document of the Christian re-
ligion. The second epistle was writ
ten soon after "a. D. bs).
The Founding of the Church in
Berea. = Driven from Thessalonica,
Paul went sixty miles further to the
southwest on the way to Greece, to q
city called Berea. Here many Jews
and Greeks, and especially many hon.
orable women, as in Thessalonica, be-
came disciples.
Paul at Athens.-As usual, persecu-
tion arose against the new religion;
and Paul, leaving S1as and Timothy at
urely, hastcned secretly on in south
erly direction till he came to the
famous city of Athens, the capital of
the intellectual world, as Rome was of
the political, and Jerusalem of the re-
ligious.
The city of Athens is situated about
five miles inland northeast of the
Saronic gulf, an arm of the Egean sea-
1t lies between two small rivers, the
Cephissus and the Illyssus. Four fa-
nous mountains lie around it, and four
still more famous hills are within the
city-the Acropolis, the Areopagus, or
Mars hill the Pnyx, on which the as
semblies of the people were held and
Demosthenes spoke his grafton, and the
Museum.
The People of Athens.-The name of
Athens was synonymous with the most
graceful conceptions of art and the
profoundest study Of philosophy. There
human wisdom had sat enthroned. All
succeeding generations and civilized
nations have acknowledged her in
tellectual supremacy. Athens was the
mother of the fine arts, the patron of
poetry, the founder of systems of phi
losophy. She gave birth to the prod
ucts of genius in almost every depart
ment of literature and art, which have
scarcely, if ever, been surpassed. Paul
waited eagerly the coming of his COM
panions. While waiting, probably for
some weeks, he walked around this
celebrated city, among it's countless
statues and idols, and his heart was
stirred within him. Ee began to dis
course to the Jews in the synagogue,
and with the people gathered in the
thronged market place. He excited so
much interest that the attention even
of the Epicureans and Stoics, the lead
ers in philosophy and religion, was
drawn towards him. After discussing
with them for time, they requested
him to leave the curious and thronging
crowds of the market, which was not a
proper arena for discussion; and for
the convenience of both parties, and in
order to give him a fair hearing, they
led him up the steps of the Areopagus,
Mars hill, to the platform on its sum-
NIT, where were assembled "the no
blest blood of Athens, the first poll
ticians the first orators, the first phi
losophers; court the most august, not
only of Athens, but of Greece, and in
deed of the whole world" 1t was at
this bar that Socrates was arraigned
and condemned on the ground of inno-
waiting upon the state religion. Here
Paul was allowed to speak from the
tribune of a regular court. where both