Acts 17:17 goes on to say of Paul, “He was reasoning therefore in the synagogue with the Jews and those who worshipped, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.” Here we see that in the synagogue Paul reasoned with the Jews and with those who worshipped, who probably were Greeks who worshipped God. In addition to reasoning in the synagogue, Paul reasoned every day in the marketplace with whomever happened to be there. From this we see that Paul reasoned in two places—in the synagogue with the Jews and in the marketplace with the Greeks.
Acts 17:18 says, “And some also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were confronting him, and some were saying, What does this babbler want to say? And others, He seems to be an announcer of strange demons—because he was bringing good news of Jesus and the resurrection.” The Epicurean philosophers were the followers of the Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 B.C.), whose philosophy was materialism, not recognizing the Creator and His providence over the world, but seeking sensuous pleasures, especially in eating and drinking. Paul’s word to the Philippians (Phil. 3:18-19) and the Corinthians (1 Cor. 15:32) referred to them.
The Stoic philosophers were members of a school of philosophy founded by Zeno (340-265 B.C.). They were pantheists who believed that everything was governed by fate and that all happenings were the result of the divine will. Therefore, man should calmly accept them, free from all passion, grief, or joy. They emphasized that the highest good is virtue and that virtue is the reward to the soul. Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians also referred to them (Phil. 4:11).
According to Acts 17:18, some said of Paul, “What does this babbler want to say?” Literally, the Greek word translated “babbler” means “seed picker”: a bird that picks up seeds in the street and markets; hence one who picks up and retails scraps of news (M. R. Vincent).
Others in 17:18 said concerning Paul, “He seems to be an announcer of strange demons.” They said this because he was bringing good news of Jesus and the resurrection. Paul’s kind of preaching was a strong indication that he was constituted of Jesus and of His resurrection. Paul was constituted of the all-inclusive Jesus Christ and of His resurrection. He was a person saturated with the Spirit of Jesus. Therefore, he preached Jesus and the resurrection.
Verses 19 through 21 say, “And they took hold of him and led him to the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new teaching is which is being spoken by you? For you are bringing strange things to our ears. We intend to know therefore what these things mean. Now all the Athenians and the strangers sojourning there spent their time for nothing other than telling or hearing something new.” Areopagus was Mars’ Hill, the seat of the ancient and venerable Athenian court, which judged the most solemn problems of religion. That Paul was led to the Areopagus indicates that his preaching was very prevailing and that it stirred up the city, becoming the latest news. As we shall see, Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and addressed the Athenians. In the following message we shall consider the content of Paul’s word spoken on the Areopagus.