times of ignorance, now declareth unto men that they should everywhere do penance [1]. Because He hath appointed a day wherein He will judge the world in equity by the Man whom He hath appointed, giving faith to all by raising Him up from the dead.” St. Paul wished to teach them more about our Lord, but he was interrupted and could proceed no further.
The result was that only a few of them believed. Among these few was Dionysius the Areopagite[2], one of the most learned men of his time. After Paul had preached the Gospel at Athens, he went to Corinth.
There he preached first to the Jews, but they would not hear him, but rather blasphemed and contradicted all he said. Then Paul, filled with a holy indignation, spoke to them: “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From henceforth I will go to the Gentiles.” He then preached to the pagans of Corinth, many of whom were converted. Having remained in Corinth a year and six months, teaching and preaching, he returned to Antioch via Caesarea and Jerusalem.
COMMENTARY.
The necessity of revelation. Athens was the most cultured city of the ancient pagan world. All arts and sciences flourished there to a high degree, but in religious matters there reigned the grossest superstition and most senseless idolatry, the inhabitants paying divine honour to images made by themselves. This shows us that even those among the pagans of the old world who were most advanced in civilization had fallen very far short of the knowledge of the True God, and that, in spite of their progress in art and science, they would never have arrived at knowing God, had He not, in an extraordinary and supernatural way, revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. Without this supernatural revelation, the world would have sunk deeper and deeper into the abyss of superstition, impiety, and immorality.
Sorrow for the sins of others. “The spirit of Paul was stirred within him” when he saw that Athens was wholly given over to idolatry. His feeling of grief proceeded from his love both of God and of his
- ↑ Do penance. And be converted to Him, the Only True God. To move the Athenians to do penance, the apostle put before them the judgment of the world, which God will hold by “One Man”, i. e. Jesus Christ, whom He raised from the dead.
- ↑ Dionysius the Areopagite, Who later on was made bishop, and died a martyr’s death.
