Acts 17:16 — Community Reflections

ACTS 17:16 — KING JAMES VERSION 1

“Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.”

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed (pareoxyneto, paroxysmos) to see that the city was full of idols — The verb paroxysmos (to provoke or irritate sharply) echoes Paul's emotional investment: his spirit is provoked or agitated by the pervasive idolatry. This is not detached observation but visceral theological response.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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Omar HassanNote1mo ago

The Scholar Provoked by Idolatry

Paul walked through Athens and his spirit was provoked. The city was full of idols. Imagine it: temples everywhere, every street corner with statues, the city humming with religious activity. But it w...