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Acts 17: Paul Before the Areopagus Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2013-07-03 Acts 17: Paul Before the Areopagus Michael R. Preece Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, and the Other Religion Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Preece, Michael R., "Acts 17: Paul Before the Areopagus" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. 3688. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3688 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Acts 17: Paul Before the Areopagus Michael R. Preece A thesis submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Thomas A. Wayment, Chair Gaye Strathearn Ray Huntington Religious Education Brigham Young University June 2013 Copyright © 2013 Michael R. Preece All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Acts 17: Paul Before the Areopagus Michael R. Preece Religious Education, BYU Master of Arts Luke’s record of Paul in Athens is among the most interesting and widely studied topics in the life of the Apostle Paul. Luke recorded that Paul taught in the Athenian marketplace, where he was asked to present his doctrines before the Areopagus. Many have commented on the controversial aspects of Paul’s speech before the council as recounted by Luke. Much of this scholarly commentary has been centered on the speech itself and the historical authenticity of the account. The purpose of this thesis is to reexamine the context and the setting of the speech as recorded by Luke in the biblical text. By reexamining the context of the speech, this thesis will help clarify Paul’s purpose in engaging in philosophical dialogue with his audience while omitting the profound Christocentric doctrines as found in the Pauline Epistles. This thesis argues that an understanding of the setting and the audience played a pivotal role in the content of the Areopagus speech. Paul’s audience was very different than the one he was writing to in his Epistles; therefore, the speech matches the setting and the audience. This thesis demonstrates the significance of the audience by examining Paul’s education before his conversion to Christianity, whether Paul was taken before the Areopagus on trial, what the functions of the Areopagus were over its history, where Paul was taken to explain his doctrine, and what role the audience played in how and what Paul taught on that occasion. Keywords: Paul, Luke, Acts, audience, Areopagus, Mars Hill, Stoa Basileios, Stoics, Epicureans ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for all those who helped me complete this thesis. First, I want to express my love and appreciation for my parents who have always encouraged me to strive for excellence in education and in life. They have expressed their love and support throughout this endeavor, but most importantly they have given me an example of what Christ- like discipleship looks like. I also want to thank the members of my committee for their many hours of service in helping me, and this thesis, reach their potential. I want to thank Dr. Strathearn for her example of a disciple and scholar. Her testimony and careful critique have been a strength to me and my writing. I want to thank Dr. Huntington for his compassion, support, and encouragement for me to succeed. And a special thanks to Professor Wayment for the many hours spent answering my questions and for helping me to remove the “preacher” that is too often found in my writing. Lastly, I want to thank my wonderful family. I want to thank Miles for his curiosity and his love to learn which has inspired me to have a more youthful desire to never tire of learning something new. I want to thank Benny for his ability to make me smile after a long day of study or work. But most importantly, I want to thank my amazing wife. She has spent hours listening to my ramblings and discoveries through this process. Her encouragement has moved me to finish this thesis. Not only does she listen, but she has a love for the topic because she loves the author. I love you, sweetheart. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ vi List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. vi Chapter One Paul: A Product of His Time ..................................................................................... 1 Paul in Athens ............................................................................................................................. 2 Paul’s Education ......................................................................................................................... 5 Purpose of Thesis and Desired Outcome .................................................................................. 11 Chapter Two Historiographic Essay ............................................................................................. 14 Early Scholarship ...................................................................................................................... 15 The Dibelius Effect ................................................................................................................... 18 After Dibelius ........................................................................................................................... 20 The Last Thirty Years ............................................................................................................... 25 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 30 Chapter Three Paul on Trial? ........................................................................................................ 31 Epilabomenoi ............................................................................................................................ 31 Scholarly Disagreement ............................................................................................................ 34 The Areopagus: A Trial Scene? ................................................................................................ 35 Polite Invitation ..................................................................................................................... 35 A Serious Yet Informal Inquiry ............................................................................................ 37 Formal Inquiry ...................................................................................................................... 39 Paul on Trial .......................................................................................................................... 41 The Most Likely Scenario ..................................................................................................... 43 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 45 Chapter Four The Council of Areopagus: Location Theories ...................................................... 47 Before the Council, Not the Mars Hill ...................................................................................... 48 Historical Significance of the Council of Areopagus ............................................................... 51 Functions of the Areopagus ...................................................................................................... 53 The Archon Basileus ................................................................................................................. 55 iv Location of the Address ............................................................................................................ 56 Mars Hill ............................................................................................................................... 57 The Stoa Basileios ................................................................................................................. 59 An Argument for the Stoa as the Location of the Speech ........................................................ 61 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 67 Chapter Five Hellenization of Christianity? ................................................................................. 69 Speeches in Acts ....................................................................................................................... 72 Lukan Influence in Acts 17 ....................................................................................................... 73 Acts 17: The Hellenization of Christianity? ............................................................................
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