Acts 17:23
For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Paul deftly highlights the Athenians' own spiritual uncertainty, pointing to their "unknown god" altar not as a testament to their piety, but as proof they sensed a divine reality beyond their known deities. This unnamed deity wasn't just unknown, but "unknowable," revealing a profound gap in their understanding that Paul was poised to fill with the truth of the Creator God.
As Paul walks through Athens, he observes the city's extensive devotion to various gods, noticing an altar specifically dedicated "To the unknown god." This discovery provides him with a perfect segway to introduce the true God, whom they worship without knowing, setting the stage for his proclamation of the gospel to these philosophers.
Imagine walking through a bustling city, filled with altars to every god you can name. But then, you spot an altar with a peculiar inscription: 'To an Unknown God.' What does this say about the people who built it?
Paul's encounter in Athens isn't just about finding a literal altar. It’s about recognizing a deep, unspoken truth within the hearts of the Athenians.
Acknowledging the Void
More Than Just Ignorance
Paul stands before the intellectually proud Athenians and doesn't start by tearing down their beliefs. Instead, he finds common ground on an altar of all places. How did he turn their 'unknown' into a declaration of the 'known'?
Paul's genius here lies in his ability to meet people where they are, using their own cultural context to reveal God.
The Tactful Proclamation
Understand the original words
bōmon · Greek Noun
A place of sacrifice or offering dedicated to a deity; biblically, it symbolizes the point of intersection between the divine and the human, often misused in idolatrous worship.
sebasmata · Greek Noun
The act of showing reverence, honor, or homage to a deity or object of devotion; true worship is exclusively due to the one Creator God.
katangellō · Greek Verb
To announce or preach the gospel; it involves the public and authoritative declaration of the truth of God's revelation.
Paul masterfully uses the Athenians' own religious practices – specifically, their acknowledgment of an 'unknown god' through an altar – to introduce them to the true God. This reveals his strategy of meeting people where they are, leveraging their existing beliefs and uncertainties to point them toward the fuller revelation found in Christ.
c. 600 BC
Epimenides' Purification of Athens
During a plague, the prophet Epimenides suggested Athenians sacrifice sheep at the Areopagus and offer them to whichever god the sheep lay down near, leading to altars being set up without specific names.
c. 4th century BC
Athenian Altars to Unknown Gods
Writers like Pausanias and Philostratus mention the existence of altars dedicated to 'unknown gods' in Athens, reflecting a sense of religious uncertainty.
c. AD 46-140
Plutarch's Egyptian Inscription
Plutarch records an inscription on a veil in Sais, Egypt: 'I am all that has been, and all that is, and all that shall be; and no mortal hath lifted my veil,' echoing a sense of the unknowable divine.
c. AD 100-300
Mithraic Altar Inscription
An altar found in Ostia, Italy, dedicated to Mithras, bears the inscription 'SIGNUM INDEPREHENSIBILIS DEI' (The Symbol of the Undiscoverable God), reflecting a similar concept of an unknowable divine power.
This passage speaks to how humanity knows God exists through creation, yet often suppresses that truth, similar to how the Athenians acknowledged a divine power they didn't fully know.
John 1:18Jesus is the one who makes God known, fulfilling the very purpose Paul declares to the Athenians who had an altar to the 'unknown God'.
John 4:22-24Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that worship is not tied to a specific place or ritual but to the Spirit and truth, highlighting that the Athenians' attempt to worship an unknown God was a sincere but misguided pursuit of true worship.
Isaiah 45:1-7This prophecy describes God choosing and empowering a non-believer (Cyrus) for His purposes, showing God's sovereignty and His ability to use even the unknown to accomplish His will, a concept Paul touches upon in Athens.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25Paul discusses the 'foolishness' of the cross to Greeks and Jews, contrasting human wisdom with God's power, mirroring his approach in Athens where he used their concept of an 'unknown god' to reveal the wisdom of the true God.
ellicottActs 17:23: "For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you."
(23) I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. —Better, I observe you as being in all things more fearful of the gods than others. It is not easy to express the exact force of the Greek adjective. “Superstitious” is, perhaps, too strong on the side of blame; “devout,” on the side of praise. The word w…
barnesActs 17:23: "For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you."
For as I passed by - Greek: "For I, coming through, and seeing, etc." And beheld - Diligently contemplated; attentively considered ἀναθεωρῶν anatheōrōn. The worship of an idolatrous people will be an object of intense and painful interest to a Christian. Your devotions - τὰ σεβάσματα ta sebasmata. Our word…
Paul deftly highlights the Athenians' own spiritual uncertainty, pointing to their "unknown god" altar not as a testament to their piety, but as proof they sensed a divine reality beyond their known deities. This unnamed deity wasn't just unknown, but "unknowable," revealing a profound gap in their understanding that Paul was poised to fill with the truth of the Creator God.
As Paul walks through Athens, he observes the city's extensive devotion to various gods, noticing an altar specifically dedicated "To the unknown god." This discovery provides him with a perfect segway to introduce the true God, whom they worship without knowing, setting the stage for his proclamation of the gospel to these philosophers.
As Paul walks through Athens, he observes the city's extensive devotion to various gods, noticing an altar specifically dedicated "To the unknown god." This discovery provides him with a perfect segway to introduce the true God, whom they worship without knowing, setting the stage for his proclamation of the gospel to these philosophers.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Acts 17:23 is available in the Sola app.
Revealing the True Identity
c. AD 50— this verse
Paul's Ministry in Athens
The apostle Paul visits Athens, engages with philosophers, and preaches the Gospel, ultimately encountering and using the inscription on an altar to an unknown god as a point of reference for his sermon.
"For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you." — Paul deftly highlights the Athenians' own spiritual uncertainty, pointing to their "unknown god" altar not as a testament to their piety, but as proof they sensed a divine reality beyond their known…
