Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-08

Paul, when he was forced to end his
work abruptly at Beroea, was aided by
some of his converts to secure a passage
from seaport, perhaps dunn. for
Athens. After making the journey of
'2bout 800 miles by water" to the sea-
port of the intellectual capital of the
ancient world, the apostle found him
se.f alone. waiting for the time when he
could return to Macedonia and the
churches that he loved. But the car
nest ambassador of Jesus Christ could
not wait for the return of Timothy,
whom he had sent to comfort the
Thessalonians. He recognized the fact
that Athens was no longer the center
of democracy and liberty. for it ap-
peared to be more like museum and
sanctuary with its statues, which Pau
sanius tells us were more numerous
than human beings. Paul saw in the
profuSion of sculptures nothing more
than mere idols, that offended his
spiritual ideal of one God.
The great apostle was not a man who
c. Id keep silent about their numerous
idols. He denounced them in the syna-
gogues. where the Jewish worshiperS
would sympathize with his views of the
statues but he met opposition when he
talked with men in the agora, or mar
ket place, which served Athens as
gathering place for their citizens and as
modern newspaper. The people as
sembled there to hear the news and to
listen to the philosophers and political
leaders discuss their ideas, Paul for
the first time met the polished and Gull
tured philosophy of Greece. The
Stoics and Epicureans were always
ready to meet any newcomer and de-
fend their views. The Stole aimed at
tho cf,foe11nef of evil I,Iy colf-cOT1trO1 that
hardened into pride, despair and
pantheism. The Epicureans we're
atheistic, light-hearted, flippant, selfish
and degenerated into mere love of
pleasure" These men considered that
Paul was "a babbler." a picker-up of
odds and ends, half-educated man
with smattering of true notions. Their
inquiSitive spirit prompted them to in
vite the apostle to give an exposition
of Christianity before the Areopagus.
Ramsay makes out a pretty good case
for the idea that Paul was really
brought before the council to see if he
was entitled to a lecturers certificate.
that would permit him to lecture upon
religion and philosophy. The reason
for his address is in doubt. but there
is no question that Paul's address upon
Mars Hill is masterpiece of real elo-
quence.
The Mars Hill Message.
For the first time Christianity was
preached to philosophers and the people
of Athens, who crowded about the hill
top from which Paul spoke to one of
the greatest audiences of his life. He
made supreme effort to present the
teachings of Christianity in a light that
would appeal to various groups of
thinkers, who had assembled to hear his
sermon. In his opening. he recognized
that the Greeks were a deeply religious
people-some scholars insist that Paul
refers to them as a superstitious people
He refers to an altar erected to the I'M
known god. 1t is quite possible that he
may have seen the altar to the name
less god that was erected after Epi-
menides had purified the city of the
pestilence that ragged in the city about
$50 B. c. The authorities appealed to
this Cretian at that hour, just as they
did within a few weeks to our great
relief organization for American aid to
master the epidemic that is prostrating
the modern city with fever.
He outlined a natural theology as
basis of his appeal to them Just AS he
used the Old Testament in his appeals
to the Jews. He proceeded to show
how Christianity substituted the perfect
for the imperfect, the true for the false