1582 英翻中(使徒行傳16) Respondinding to God's Word 回应上帝的话 22/05/2026
Chapter 16 RESPONDING TO GOD’S WORD Acts 17 whole chapter 第16課 回应上帝的话 使徒行传17全章
This
chapter describes Paul’s ministry in three cities and how some of the people in
those cities responded to the Word of God. These pictures are snapshots, not
murals, for Dr. Luke did not give us many details. However, as we study these
three different responses, we can certainly see our modern world and better
understand what to expect as we seek to witness for Christ today.
本章描述保罗在三座城市的事工，以及这些城鎮中的人對上帝的话语如何回应。是快照的照片，而不是壁画，因为路加博士没有提供细节。但是，当研究这三座城鎮的三种不同的反应时, 可以看到我们的现時代，并更能理解今天寻求为基督作见证的遠景。
1. Thessalonica—Resisting
the Word (17:1–9) Following the famous Egnatian Way, Paul and Silas went one
hundred miles from Philippi to Thessalonica. (Timothy is not mentioned again
until Acts 17:14, so he may have remained in Philippi.) As far as we can tell,
they did not pause to minister in either Amphipolis or Apollonia. Perhaps there
were no synagogues in those cities, and Paul certainly expected the new
believers in Philippi to carry the message to their neighbors. It was Paul’s
policy to minister in the larger cities and make them centers for evangelizing
a whole district (see Acts 19:10, 26; 1 Thess. 1:8).
1.
帖撒罗尼迦 - 抵抗上帝的道（17：1-9）沿着有名的埃纳提大道，保罗和西拉从腓立比走了一百英里抵達帖撒罗尼迦。 （一直要到使徒行传17:14，才再次提到提摩太，他可能留在腓立比。）盡所能知道的，他们并没有停下来在安妃波里或亞波罗尼亚宣教。也许因為在这些城市里没有犹太廟堂，保罗肯定期望腓立比的新信徒将信息传达给他们的邻居。保罗的宣教的策略是在较大的城市中服事，并使它们成为传福音的中心再傳播到整個憐鄰近的區域（参 使徒行传19：10,26;帖前1：8）。
Paul
knew that Thessalonica (our modern Salonika) was a strategic city for the work
of the Lord. Not only was it the capital of Macedonia, but it was also a center
for business, rivaled only by Corinth. It was located on several important
trade routes, and it boasted an excellent harbor. The city was predominantly
Greek, even though it was controlled by Rome. Thessalonica was a “free city,”
which meant that it had an elected citizens’ assembly, it could mint its own
coins, and it had no Roman garrison within its walls.
保罗知道帖撒罗尼迦（時毫的萨隆尼卡）是為主的工作的战略城市。它不仅是马其顿的首都，也是商业中心，只有哥林多才能与之相媲美。它位于几条重要的贸易路线上，并拥有优秀的港口。尽管它是由罗马控制, 而其主要居民是希腊人。帖撒罗尼迦是 “自由城市”，这意味着它有民选的公民集会，它可以铸造自己的硬币，它的城墙内没有罗马驻军。
Paul
labored at his tent making trade (Acts 18:3; 1 Thess. 2:9; 2 Thess.
3:7–10), but on the Sabbath ministered in the Jewish synagogue where he knew he
would find both devout Jews and Gentiles, “God-seekers” and proselytes. This
witness went on for only three Sabbaths; then he had to minister outside the
synagogue. We do not know exactly how long Paul remained in Thessalonica, but
it was long enough to receive financial help twice from the church in Philippi
(Phil. 4:15–16). Read 1 Thessalonians 1 to learn how God blessed Paul’s
ministry and how the message spread from Thessalonica to other places. It was
not a long ministry, but it was an effective one.
保罗平日辛勤的織帐篷（使徒行传18：3;帖前2：9;帖後3：7-10），但在安息日才在犹太人的廟堂講道，他知道会在那裡发现虔诚的犹太人和外邦人， “寻求上帝的人” 和皈依者。他的見证只持续三個安息日; 那么他必须在犹太廟堂外面宣教。我们不知道保罗留在帖撒罗尼迦的时间究竟有多长，但是从腓立比教会得到两次财务帮助已经足够长了（腓立比书4：15-16）。阅读帖撒罗尼迦前书1章，了解上帝保佑保罗的事工，以及如何将信息从帖撒罗尼迦传到其他地方。这不是一个漫长的宣教，但它是有效的宣教。
Four
key words in Acts 17:2–3 describe Paul’s approach to the synagogue
congregation. First, he reasoned, which means he dialogued with them through
questions and answers. He explained (“opening”) the Scriptures to them and
proved (“alleging”) that Jesus is indeed the Messiah. The word translated
“alleging” means “to lay down alongside, to prove by presenting the evidence.”
The apostle set before them one Old Testament proof after another that Jesus of
Nazareth
is Messiah God.
在使徒行传17：2-3中有四个关键词用來描述保罗接近廟堂的会眾。首先，他以說服，这意味着他通过问题和答案与他们进行对话。保羅向他们解释圣经的（“敞开的”），并证明耶稣确实是弥赛亚的（“主張”）。“主張”
词字的意思是 “在以提供证据来证明的同时提出”。使徒在他们面前提出旧约的证据，证明拿撒勒人耶稣的確是弥赛亚上帝。
Paul was careful to announce (“preach”) the death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is the message of the gospel (1 Cor.
15:1ff.). In the sermons in Acts, you will find an emphasis on the
resurrection, for the believers were called to be witnesses of His resurrection
(Acts 1:21–22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32). “Christianity is in its very essence a resurrection
religion,” says Dr. John Stott. “The concept of resurrection lies at its heart.
If you remove it, Christianity is destroyed.”
保罗谨慎地宣布（“传福音”）耶稣基督的釘十字架和复活，是福音的信息（林前15：1接以後經節。）。在宣講使徒行传時，常常會强调复活，因为信徒被称为复活的见证人（使徒行传1：21-22; 2:32;
3:15; 5:32）。约翰 . 斯托特博士说：“基督教的本质就是复活。若把复活的概念從基督信仰的核心删除，基督信仰就会被摧毁。“
As the result of three weeks’ ministry, Paul saw a
large number of people believe, especially Greek proselytes and influential
women. Among the men were Aristarchus and Secundus, who later traveled with
Paul (Acts 20:4). Luke’s phrase “not a few” (Acts 17:4, 12) is one way of
saying, “It was a big crowd!”
三周的宣教事工的成果，保罗看到相信的群眾，特别是希腊的改皈依者和有影响力的婦女。在这群人中有亞里法古和西公都，后来与保罗一起走上宣教旅程（使徒行传20：4）. 路加的 “不少” 詞語（使徒行传17：4,12）是講 “这麼一大群人！”.
But these results did not bring joy to everybody.
The unbelieving Jews envied Paul’s success and were grieved to see the Gentiles
and the influential women leaving the synagogue. Paul hoped that the salvation
of the Gentiles would “provoke” the Jews into studying the Scriptures and
discovering their promised Messiah (Rom. 11:13–14), but in this case, it only
provoked them into persecuting the infant church.
但該成果并没有帶给人欢乐。不信的犹太人嫉妒保罗的成功，并且對在他們廟堂內自此难见到外邦人和有影响力的妇女感覺憂鬱。保罗希望外邦人的得救能够 “刺激” 犹太人讀圣经, 并发现主為他们所应许的弥赛亚（罗马书11：13-14），可是在此种情况下，反而激勵他们越發迫害新建立的教会。
The Jews wanted to drag the missionaries before
their city assembly (“the people,” Acts 17:5; see 19:30), so they manufactured
a riot to get the attention of the magistrates. Unable to find the
missionaries, the mob seized Jason, host to Paul and his friends, and took him
and some of the believers instead. The Jews’ accusations were similar to the
ones used at the trial of Jesus: disturbing the peace and promoting treason
(Luke 23:2). Their crime was that of “saying that there is another king, one
Jesus.”
犹太人想要在他们的城市集会之前趕走传教士（“群眾”，徒17：5; 參19:30），所以他们制造骚乱以引起地方法官的注意。因无法找到传教士，暴徒只抓住了他的同工耶孫，是接待保罗和他的朋友的信徒，并且带走了他和另一些信徒。犹太人的指控与耶稣受审时使用的指责相似：扰乱和平和促使叛国（路加福音23：2）。他们的罪行是 “说有另外一位君王 --- 耶稣”。
The
Greek word translated “another” means “another of a different kind,” that is, a
king unlike Caesar. When you read Paul’s two Thessalonian letters, you
see the strong emphasis he gave in Thessalonica on the kingship of Christ and
the promise of His return. Of course, our Lord’s kingdom is neither political
nor “of this world” (John 18:36–37), but we cannot expect unsaved pagans to
understand this.
希腊文翻译 “另外”為
“另一种”，即于凯撒的国王不同。当你阅读保罗的帖撒罗尼迦的前後書信，会發現在帖撒罗尼迦对基督的王权和祂再來的应许保羅给予强烈的重视。当然，主的国度既不是政治的也不是 “这世界的”（约翰福音18：36-37），但不能指望未得救的异教徒能理解其意義。
The kingship of Jesus Christ is unlike that of the
rulers of this world. He conquers with ambassadors, not armies, and His weapons
are truth and love. He brings men peace by upsetting the peace and turning
things upside down! He conquers through His cross, where He died for a world of
lost sinners. He even died for His enemies (Rom. 5:6–10)!
耶稣基督的王权與世界上的统治者不同。祂差派大使來征服而不是军队，祂的武器是真理和爱。祂使用破坏和平, 把事情颠倒给人带来和平！祂以十字架征服了魔鬼，在骷髏地祂为世上失喪的罪人而死。甚至为祂的仇敌而死（罗马书5：6-10）！
The mob was agitated because they could not find
Paul and Silas, so they settled for second best and obtained a peace bond
against them. Jason had to put up the money and guarantee that Paul and Silas
would leave the city and not return. It is possible that Jason was a relative
of Paul’s, which would make the transaction even more meaningful (Rom. 16:21).
Paul saw this prohibition as a device of Satan to hinder the work (1 Thess.
2:18), but it certainly did not hinder the Thessalonian church from “sounding
out the word” and winning the lost (1 Thess. 1:6–9).
暴民因找不到保罗和西拉而激动不已，于是他们籌劃其次的和解辦法，企圖用和平攻擊而綑綁他们。耶孫必须出钱，并保证使保罗和西拉离开不再回到这座城。耶孫可能是保罗的亲戚，使談判更有可能成功的機會（罗马书16:21）。保罗視這種禁止是撒但阻碍宣教工作的手段（帖前2:18），但它确不能阻碍帖撒罗尼迦教会以
“上帝話語的能力” 去赢得喪失的人（帖前1：6-9）。
2. Berea—Receiving the Word (17:10–15)
Under cover of night, Paul and Silas left the city
and headed for Berea, about forty-five miles away. It does not appear that
Timothy was with them, as he was probably working in Philippi. Later, he would
join Paul in Athens (Acts 17:15) and then be sent to Thessalonica to encourage
the church in its time of persecution (1 Thess. 3: 1ff.). Since Timothy was a
Gentile, and had not been present when the trouble erupted, he could minister
in the city freely. The peace bond could keep Paul out, but it would not apply
to Paul’s young assistant.
2.
在庇哩亞(Berea) --- 接受圣言（17：10-15）
在夜幕掩护下，保罗和西拉离开了城市，前往约四十五英里远的庇哩亞。看起来提摩太并没有和他们在一起，因为他可能在腓立比工作。后来，他会在雅典加入保罗的團隊（使徒行传17:15），然后被派到帖撒罗尼迦去鼓励正在受迫害的教會（帖前3：1隨後面的經節）。由于提摩太是外邦人，并且在搔擾爆发时没有在场，他可以自由地在該城宣教。和平綑綁保罗可以逼使他出境，但它不适用于保罗的年轻助手。
Paul went into the synagogue and there discovered a
group of people keenly interested in the study of the Old Testament Scriptures.
In fact, they met daily to search the Scriptures to determine whether or not
what Paul was saying was true. Paul had been overjoyed at the way the people in
Thessalonica had received the Word (1 Thess. 2:13), so these “noble Bereans”
must have really encouraged his heart. All of us should imitate these Bereans
by faithfully studying God’s Word daily, discussing it, and testing the
messages that we hear.
保罗走进会堂，发现对旧约圣经有浓厚兴趣研究的一群人。事实上，他们每天都会去查考圣经，以确定保罗所说的是否属实。保罗喜欢帖撒罗尼迦人接受圣言的態度（帖前2:13），所以这些 “高贵的庇哩亚人” 肯定真的鼓舞了保羅的心。對庇哩亞人每日查考上帝话语的忠心, 所有的信徒都该以為模樣，來讨论它，并檢驗我们所听到的信息。
God used His Word so that many people trusted
Christ. One of the men who was converted was Sopater, who later assisted Paul
(Acts 20:4). He may be the same man (Sosipater) who later sent greetings to the
Christians in Rome (Rom. 16:21).
上帝用祂的话语，让许多人信靠基督。其中一个悔改的人是所巴特(Sopater)，他后来协助保罗（徒20：4）。他與后来向罗马的基督徒致意的所西巴德（Sosipater）可能是同一个人（罗马书16:21）。
Once again, Satan brought the enemy to the field as
the unbelieving Jews from Thessalonica came to Berea and stirred up the people
(note 1 Thess. 2:13–20). How did these men hear that Paul and Silas were
ministering in Berea? Perhaps the growing witness of the Berean believers
reached as far as Thessalonica, or it may be that some troublemaker took the
message to his friends in Thessalonica. Satan also has his “missionaries” and
they are busy (2 Cor. 11:13–15).
撒旦再一次把敌人带到曠野，因为有来自帖撒罗尼迦的不信的犹太人, 到庇哩亚激动人心（請注意 帖前2：13-20）。这些人怎么能听到保罗和西拉在庇哩亚的宣教事工？也许，是庇哩亞的信徒越来越多地见证，直到帖撒罗尼迦教會，或者可能是麻烦的制造者把該信息传给了他在帖撒罗尼迦的朋友。撒但也有它的 “传教士”，它们很忙（林后 11:13-15）。
The
believers in Berea outwitted the enemy by taking Paul to the sea and putting
him on a ship bound for Athens. Once more,
Paul had to leave a place of rich ministry and break away from dear people he
had come to love. Silas and Timothy later joined Paul in Athens, and then
Timothy was sent to Thessalonica to help the saints there (1 Thess. 3:1–6).
Silas was also sent on a special mission somewhere in Macedonia (Philippi?),
and later both men met Paul in Corinth (Acts 18:1–5).
庇哩亞的信徒以欺骗敌人的方法将保罗送上去雅典的船。保罗再一次不得不离开有充分宣教機會的工場，並离开他所愛的亲爱的人。西拉和提摩太后来在雅典加入保罗團隊，然后提摩太被派到帖撒罗尼迦帮助那里的圣徒（帖前3：1-6）。西拉也曾以特別宣教被派出到马其顿的某些地方事奉（腓立比？），后来两人在哥林多会见了保罗（徒18：1-5）。
3.
Athens—Ridiculing the Word (17:16–34) Paul arrived in the great city of
Athens, not as a sightseer, but as a soul-winner. The late Noel O. Lyons, for
many years director of the Greater Europe Mission, used to say, “Europe is
looked over by millions of visitors and is overlooked by millions of
Christians.” Europe needs the gospel today just as it did in Paul’s day, and we
dare not miss our opportunities. Like Paul, we must have open eyes and broken
hearts.
3. 雅典 - 嘲讽上帝的道（17：16-34）保罗抵达雅典的大城市，不是來观光，而是为灵魂的得救爭辯。已故的诺尔·O·里昂多年来一直担任欧洲大使命的负责人，他曾经说过：“欧洲有數百万游客，也有数百万被忽視的基督徒。” 欧洲今天需要傳福音的宣教士，就像保罗當年的做法一样。不敢错过這机会。像保罗當時一样，我們必须睁开眼睛，破碎的心灵去宣教.
The
city. Athens was in a period of decline at this time,
though still recognized as a center of culture and education. The glory of its
politics and commerce had long since faded. It had a famous university and
numerous beautiful buildings, but it was not the influential city it once had
been. The city was given over to a “cultured paganism” that was nourished by
idolatry, novelty (Acts 17:21), and philosophy.
城市。雅典目前处于衰退时期，但仍被认为是文化和教育的中心。其政治和商业的辉煌早已消退。它有着著名的大学和众多美丽的建筑，但它不再是曾经那麼有影响力的城市。雅典是 “偶像崇拜”的城鎮，被偶像崇拜，新奇（徒17:21）和哲学所潤养。
“The Greek
religion was a mere deification of human attributes and the powers of nature,”
wrote Conybeare and Howson in their classic Life and Epistles of St. Paul. “It
was a religion which ministered to art and amusement, and was entirely
destitute of moral power” (280–281). The Greek myths spoke of gods and
goddesses that, in their own rivalries and ambitions, acted more like humans
than gods, and there were plenty of deities to choose from! One wit jested that
in Athens it was easier to find a god than a man. Paul saw that the city was
“wholly given to idolatry,” and it broke his heart.
康貝(Conybeare)和好孫(Howson)在他们 “经典的圣保罗生活和书信” 一書中写道：“希腊宗教只不过是人性和自然力量的被神化。” 它这是有利于艺术和娱乐的宗教，完全没有道德力量”（280-281等頁）。希腊神话中提到了神和女神，他们在自己的竞争和野心中，扮演的角色更像人类而不是神，而且有很多神灵可供选择！有一位机智人士质疑说，在雅典找神比尋一個男人容易。保罗看到該城 “完全充滿偶像崇拜”，心碎不已。
We
today admire Greek sculpture and architecture as beautiful works of art, but in
Paul’s day, much of this was directly associated with their religion. Paul knew that idolatry was demonic (1 Cor. 10:14–23) and that the many
gods of the Greeks were only characters in stories who were unable to change
men’s lives (1 Cor. 8:1–6). With all of their culture and wisdom, the Greeks
did not know the true God (1 Cor. 1:18–25).
今日欣赏希腊雕塑和建筑視为美丽的艺术作品，但在保罗时代，其中大部分与宗教直接相关。保罗知道偶像崇拜是恶魔（哥林多前书10：14-23），许多希腊人的神只是故事中的偶像, 是无法改变人生命的角色（哥林多前书8：1-6）。凭着他们所有的文化和智慧，希腊人不知道真正的上帝（哥林多前书1：18-25）。
As for novelty, it was the chief pursuit of both
the citizens and the visitors (Acts 17:21). Their leisure time was spent
telling or hearing “some new thing.” Eric Hoffer wrote that “the fear of
becoming a ‘has been’ keeps some people from becoming anything.” The person who
chases the new and ignores the old soon discovers that he has no deep roots to
nourish his life. He also discovers that nothing is really new; it’s just that
our memories are poor (Eccl. 1:8–11).
至于談到珍奇，那是該城公民和游客的主要追求的（使徒行传17:21）。他们的闲暇时间被用来说或听到 “一些新的东西”。埃里克 . 霍夫尔写道：“他們害怕成为 '已经(陳舊)'，却使他們什麼都不像。” 追赶新的而忽略旧的人, 很快发现他的根不夠深来滋养他的生活。他还发现没有什么是新的; 只是我们的记忆的差錯（传道书1：8-11）。
The city was also devoted to philosophy. When you
think of Greece, you automatically think of Socrates and Aristotle and a host
of other thinkers whose works are still read and studied today. Newspaper
columnist Franklin P. Adams once defined philosophy as “unintelligible answers
to insoluble problems,” but the Greeks would not have agreed with him. They
would have followed Aristotle, who called philosophy “the science which
considers truth.”
雅典也致力于哲学。当你想到希腊时，你会自动想到苏格拉底和亚里士多德以及其他一些思想家，他们的作品今天仍然被阅读和研究。报纸专栏作家富兰克林. P.亚当斯曾经将哲学定义为 “對不可解决问题的无法理解的答案”，但希腊人不会同意他的看法。他们会追随亚里士多德，他把哲学称为 “真理的科学”。
Paul had to confront two opposing philosophies as
he witnessed in Athens, those of the Epicureans and the Stoics. We today
associate the word Epicurean with the pursuit of pleasure and the love of “fine
living,” especially fine food. But the Epicurean philosophy involved much more
than that. In one sense, the founder Epicurus was an “existentialist” in that
he sought truth by means of personal experience and not through reasoning. The
Epicureans were materialists and atheists, and their goal in life was pleasure.
To some, “pleasure” meant that which was grossly physical, but to others, it
meant a life of refined serenity, free from pain and anxiety. The true
Epicurean avoided extremes and sought to enjoy life by keeping things in
balance, but pleasure was still his number one goal.
保罗在雅典作見證時必須面對两个相對的哲学，即享樂主義(Epicureans)和斯多亞(又稱受苦)派的哲学。我们今天将享樂主義与追求快乐和对熱愛 “好的生活”相提並論，尤其是食物的享受。但是享樂主義的哲学所涉及的远不止这些。从某种意义上说，创始人伊壁鸠鲁是 “存在主义者”，因为他以自身经验, 而不是經過推理来寻求真理。伊壁鸠鲁是唯物主义者和无神论者，他们的人生目标是快乐。对某些人来说，“快乐” 意味着身体非常健康，但对其他人来说，这意味着一种不尋常的平静生活，没有痛苦和焦虑。真正的享樂主義是避免极端, 并试图以保持平衡来享受生活，但快乐仍然是他的头号目标。
The Stoics rejected the idolatry of pagan worship
and taught that there was one “World God.” They were pantheists, and their
emphasis was on personal discipline and self-control. Pleasure was not good and
pain was not evil. The most important thing in life was to follow one’s reason
and be self-sufficient, unmoved by inner feelings or outward circumstances. Of
course, such a philosophy only fanned the flames of pride and taught men that
they did not need the help of God. It is interesting that the first two leaders
of the Stoic school committed suicide.
受苦派拒绝外邦人崇拜的偶像，并教导说有 “世界的神”。他们是泛神论者，他们的注重个人嚴格訓練和自我控制。享乐不好，痛苦不是邪恶的。生活中最重要的事情是遵循自己的理性和自足，不被内心感受或外在环境所动摇。当然，这样的哲学只会煽起骄傲的火焰，并且教导人们不需要上帝的帮助。有趣的是受苦学派的前两位领导人都自杀了。
The Epicureans said “Enjoy life!” and the Stoics
said “Endure life!” but it remained for Paul to explain how they could enter
into life through faith in God’s risen Son.
享樂主義说：“享受生活！” 受苦派说：“忍受生活！” 但仍等待保罗來解释了他们如何經过相信上帝复活的儿子而进入祂的生活。
The witness. “Left at Athens alone” (1 Thess. 3:1), Paul viewed the idolatrous city
and his spirit was “stirred” (same word as “contention” in Acts 15:39—
“paroxysm”). Therefore, he used what opportunities were available to share the
good news of the gospel. As was his custom, he “dialogued” in the synagogue
with the Jews, but he also witnessed in the marketplace (agora) to the Greeks.
Anyone who was willing to talk was welcomed by Paul to his daily “classes.”
見证。 “保羅單獨在雅典留下”（帖前3：1），保罗看到了崇拜偶像的城市，他的心靈受到“搅动”（在使徒行传15：39 ---- 是 “发作”,
也是 “争论”）。因此，他利用這大好机会來分享福音的好消息。按照他的习惯，他在廟堂里與犹太人 “对话”，但他也在市场（集市）向希腊人作见证。任何愿意讲话的人, 保羅的每日 “課堂”
; 都受到保罗对他的欢迎。
It did not take long for the philosophers to hear
about this “new thing” that was going on in the agora, and they came and
listened to Paul and probably debated with him. As they listened, they gave two
different responses. One group ridiculed Paul and his teachings and called him
a “babbler.” The word literally means “birds picking up seed,” and it refers to
someone who collects various ideas and teaches as his own the secondhand
thoughts he borrows from others. It was not a very flattering description of
the church’s greatest missionary and theologian.
对于哲学家们来说，在市场集会上听到
“新事物” 不會是少見的事，他们来听保罗講，並与他辩论。当他们听的时侯，提出了两种不同的回應。有一群人嘲笑保罗和他的教诲，并称他为 “喋喋不休的人(babbler)”。其字面的意思是 “鸟啄食种子”，它指的是收集別人的各种想法, 作為自己教导他人的第二手思想的人。这不是对教会最伟大的传教士和神学家的恭维的作法。
The second group was confused but interested. They
thought Paul believed as they themselves did in many gods, because he was
preaching “Jesus and Anastasis” (the Greek word for “resurrection”). The word
translated “preached” in Acts 17:18 means “to preach the gospel.” Those who say
that Paul modified h evangelistic tactics in Athens, hoping to appeal to the
intellectuals, have missed the point. He preached the gospel as boldly in
Athens as he did in Berea and would do in Corinth.
另一群人對保羅的講道感到困惑，但很有兴趣。他们认为保罗所相信的是他们自己的许多神，因为他传讲了“耶稣与移民”（希腊词 “复活”）。在使徒行传17章18節中把 “传道” 翻译成“传福音”。有人说保罗在雅典修改他传福音的詞彙，為的是希望吸引知识分子，这一点不對。他在雅典大胆地传福音，就像他在庇哩亚所做的一样，并且可能像在哥林多所做的.
The defense. The Council of the Aeropagus was responsible to watch over both
religion and education in the city, so it was natural for them to investigate
the “new doctrine” Paul was teaching. They courteously invited Paul to present
his doctrine at what appears to have been an informal meeting of the council on
Mars’ Hill. Paul was not on trial; the council members only wanted him to
explain what he had been telling the people in the agora. After all, life in
Athens consisted in hearing and telling new things, and Paul had something new!
辩护。亞略巴古( Aeropagus)的理事会负责监督城市的宗教和教育事務，因此他们很自然地會去调查保罗傳說的 “新教义”。他们彬彬有礼地邀请保罗在火星山上的理事会的非正式会议上提出他的理论。保罗没有受审; 理事会成员只希望他解释他在集市中告诉人们的講道。毕竟，雅典的生活包括听取和讲述新事物，保罗有些新的东西！
Paul’s message is a masterpiece of
communication. He started where the
people were by referring to their altar dedicated to an unknown god. Having
aroused their interest, he then explained who that God is and what He is like.
He concluded the message with a personal application that left each council
member facing a moral decision, and some of them decided for Jesus Christ.
保罗的信息是交通的偉大作品。他开始就提到为人不知的上帝的奉献祭坛。以引起他们的兴趣，然后闡明上帝是谁，祂的屬性。最後他以个人的應用來结束信息，让理事会成员們都面临道德决定，其中有些决定相信耶稣基督。
Paul opened his address with a compliment: “I see
that in every way you are very religious” (Acts 17:22 niv). They were so
religious, in fact, that they even had an altar to “the unknown god,” lest some
beneficent deity be neglected. If they did not know this god, how could they
worship him? Or how could he help them? It was this God that Paul declared.
保罗在致辞開始時就稱讚他們, “我从各方面都看出你們非常的虔诚”（徒17:22新國際版）。事实上，他们如此虔诚, 以致使他们甚至對祭坛上的女神成為 “未知的神”, 失去了她的慈悲賜予。如果他们不认这神，他们怎么能崇拜它？或者它怎么能帮助他们？保罗所宣告的神是上帝。
In this message, which is similar to his sermon at
Lystra (Acts 14:15–17), Paul shared four basic truths about God.
這与在路司得所傳的的信息有些类似（徒14：15-17），保罗分享了有关上帝的四件基本真理。
(1.)
The greatness of God: He is Creator (v. 24). Every thinking person asks, “Where did I come from? Why am I here?
Where am I going?” Science attempts to answer the first question, and
philosophy wrestles with the second, but only the Christian faith has a satisfactory
answer to all three. The Epicureans, who were atheists, said that all was
matter and matter always was. The Stoics said that everything was God, “the
Spirit of the Universe.” God did not create anything; He only organized matter
and impressed on it some “law and order.”
(1) 上帝的伟大：祂是创造者（24节）。愛思想的人都想问：“我是从哪里来的？为什么我會在这里？我要到哪里去?” 科学试图回答第一个问题，而哲学与第二个问题交纏在一起，但只有基督信仰对它們都有满意的解答。作为无神论者的庇比利亚人说，一切都是物质和物质所造。受苦派说，一切都是神，“宇宙中的聖灵”。神没有创造任何东西; 祂只组织了一些，明白說是 “法律和秩序”。
But Paul boldly affirmed, “In the beginning, God!”
God made the world and everything in it, and He is Lord of all that He has
made. He is not a distant God, divorced from His creation, nor is He an
imprisoned God, locked in creation. He is too great to be housed in man-made
temples (1 Kings 8:27; Isa. 66:1–2; Acts 7:48–50), but He is not too great to
be concerned about man’s needs (Acts 17:25). We wonder how the Council members
reacted to Paul’s statement about temples, for right there on the Acropolis
were several shrines dedicated to Athena.
保罗却大胆地肯定：“起初，上帝！”上帝创造了世界和其中的一切，祂是所创造的萬物的主宰。祂不是接觸不到的上帝, 與祂所创造的是分離的，也不是被困锁在创造中所监禁的上帝。 （太1：8; 赛66：1-2; 使徒行传7：48-50），但祂並不是太偉大，以致不能关心人的需要（使徒行传17：25）。很想知道安理会成员會怎麼樣对保罗有关于寺庙的陳說的反应，因为在雅典卫城內有几座献给雅典娜的神廟。
(2)
The goodness of God: He is Provider (v. 25). Men may pride themselves in serving God, but it is God who serves man.
If God is God, then He is self-sufficient and needs nothing that man can
supply. Not only do the temples not contain God, but the services in the
temples add nothing to God! In two brief statements, Paul completely wiped out
the entire religious system of Greece!
(2)
上帝的善良：祂是供給（第25节）。可能人会为自己事奉上帝感到自豪，但却是上帝是为人服务。如果上帝是上帝，那么祂是自给自足的，并不需要人的提供。不僅寺庙包容不了上帝，而且寺庙中的奉獻对上帝毫无意義！在保羅的两个简短的講道中，他完全摧毁了整个希腊的宗教体系！
It is God who gives to us what we need: “life, and
breath, and all things.” God is the source of every good and perfect gift (James
1:17). He gave us life and He sustains that life by His goodness (Matt. 5:45).
It is the goodness of God that should lead men to repentance (Rom. 2:4). But
instead of worshipping the Creator and glorifying Him, men worship His creation
and glorify themselves (Rom. 1:18–25).
是上帝赐给我们日用所需要的：“生命，气息和万物。”上帝是美善而完美礼物的来源（雅各书1:17）。祂赐给我们生命，借着祂的良善维持這生命（太5:45）。是上帝的恩惠引导人悔改（罗马书2：4）。但是，人却不崇拜造物主并赞美祂，而是崇拜祂的创造物并荣耀自己（罗马书1：18-25）。
(3)
The government of God: He is Ruler (vv. 26–29). The gods of the Greeks were distant beings who had no concern for the
problems and needs of men. But the God of creation is also the God of history
and geography! He created mankind “from one man” (Acts 17:36 niv) so that all
nations are made of the same stuff and have the same blood. The Greeks felt
that they were a special race, different from other nations, but Paul affirmed
otherwise. Even their precious land that they revered came as a gift from God.
It is not the power of man, but the government of God, that determines the rise
and fall of nations (Dan. 4:35).
(3) 上帝是掌權的：祂是统治者（26-29等节）。希腊人的神是遥远的存在者, 它不关心人的问题和需要。但创造的上帝也是历史和地理上的上帝！祂创造了人类 “从一人開始”（使徒行传17:36），因此, 所有的国家都是由相同的血肉的人所結合，并有相同的血统。希腊人认为他们是出於特殊的种族，与其他国家不同，但保罗並不這樣认定。甚至他们所崇愛的宝贵的土地也是来自上帝的礼物。不會是人的力量，而是上帝的大能，决定了国家的兴衰（但4:35）。
God is not a distant deity; “He [is] not far from
every one of us” (Acts 17:27). Therefore, men ought to seek God and come to
know Him in truth. Here Paul quoted from the poet Epimenides: “For in him we
live, and move, and have our being.” Then he added a quotation from two poets,
Aratus and Cleanthes: “For we are also his offspring.” Paul was not saying that
all people on earth are the spiritual children of God, for sinners become God’s
children only by faith in Jesus Christ (John 1:11–13). Rather, he was affirming
the “Fatherhood of God” in a natural sense, for man was created in the image of
God (Gen. 1:26). In this sense, Adam was a “son of God” (Luke 3:38).
上帝是親切的神。 “祂离我们任何人都不远”（使徒行传17:27）。因此，人应该寻求上帝，并真实地认识祂。保罗在这里引用了诗人埃皮蒙尼德的话：“因为我們在上帝里面，生活，行动，和有我们的存在。” 然后他补充了另两位诗人Aratus和Cleanthes的引语：“因为我们也是上帝的後裔。” 保罗并没有说地球上的所有人都是上帝屬靈的兒女，因为罪人只有因信耶稣基督而成为祂的儿女（约翰福音1：11-13）。相反，保羅从自然意义上肯定了 “上帝的父亲的屬性”，因为人是藉上帝的形象造的（创1:26）。从这點來看，亚当是 “上帝的儿子”（路加福音3:38）。
This
led to Paul’s logical conclusion: God made us in His
image, so it is foolish for us to make gods in our own image! Greek religion
was nothing but the manufacture and worship of gods who were patterned after
men and who acted like men. Paul not only showed the folly of temples and the
temple rituals, but also the folly of all idolatry.
這導致保罗的逻辑结论：上帝使我们成为祂的形象，因此以我們自己的形象來造神是愚蠢的！希腊的宗教只不过是制造和崇拜那些仿照人和像人一样行事的神。保罗不仅展示了寺庙和寺庙仪式的愚蠢，也展示了所有偶像崇拜的愚蠢。
(4)
The grace of God: He is Savior (vv. 30–34). As he brought his message to a close, Paul summarized the clear
evidences of God’s grace. For centuries, God was patient with man’s sin and
ignorance (see Acts 14:16; Rom. 3:25). This does not mean that men were not
guilty (Rom. 1:19–20), but only that God held back divine wrath. In due time,
God sent a Savior, and now He commands all men to repent of their foolish ways.
This Savior was killed and then raised from the dead, and one day, He will
return to judge the world. The proof that He will judge is that He was raised
from the dead.
(4) 上帝的恩典：祂是救主（30-34等节）。当保羅的信息告一段落时，保罗总结了上帝恩典的确据。几个世纪以来，上帝忍耐人的罪和无知（參 使徒行传14:16; 罗马书3:25）。并不是說人无罪（罗马书1：19-20），而是上帝忍住祂的愤怒。在适当的时候，上帝差遣了救主，並且现在祂命令所有的人對他们愚蠢的行为要悔改。上帝所賜的救主被杀，然后复活，有一天，祂会再来世界施行审判。耶穌救主的復活是祂将要來审判的確据.
It
was the doctrine of the resurrection that most of the members of the Council
could not accept. To a Greek, the body was only a prison, and the sooner a
person left his body, the happier he would be. Why
raise a dead body and live in it again? And why would God bother with a
personal judgment of each man? This kind of teaching was definitely
incompatible with Greek philosophy. They believed in immortality, but not in
resurrection.
大多数安理会成员都不能接受复活的教義。因為对于希腊人来说，身体只是鍊狱，人能越早脫离身体，他就会越开心。为什么還要藉復活再次回到身体, 并生活在它里面？为什么上帝会为人的受審判而烦恼呢？ 該教義與希腊哲学绝对不符合。他们相信不死，但不相信复活。
There were three different responses to the
message. Some laughed and mocked and did not take Paul’s message seriously.
Others were interested but wanted to hear more. A small group accepted what
Paul preached, believed on Jesus Christ, and were saved. We wonder if the
others who postponed their decision eventually trusted Christ. We hope they
did.
對復活信息有三种不同的回应。有些人笑了，嘲笑，并没有对待保罗的信息认真。其他人有兴趣但希望听到更多。另一小群人接受了保罗所传讲的信息，相信耶稣基督，并得救了。我们想知道若另一些人的推延是否最终會理性的决定相信基督。希望他们這樣做。
When
you contrast the seeming meager results in Athens with the great harvests in
Thessalonica and Berea, you are tempted to conclude that Paul’s ministry there
was a dismal failure. If you do, you might find yourself drawing a hasty
and erroneous conclusion. Paul was not told to leave, so we assume he lingered
in Athens and continued to minister to both believers and unbelievers. Proud,
sophisticated, wise Athens would not take easily to Paul’s humbling message of
the gospel, especially when he summarized all of Greek history in the phrase
“the times of this ignorance.” The soil here was not deep and it contained many
weeds, but there was a small harvest.
当你将雅典的那些看似微不足道的成果与帖撒罗尼迦和庇哩亚的丰收相比较时，你很可能會被引誘得到這樣的结论
--- 保罗在雅典的事工是令人沮丧的失败。如果你这样想，可能会发现自己草率地做出错误的结论。保罗没有被迫要离开，所以假设他仍願在雅典暫時的逗留, 并可以继续的为信徒和非信徒作宣教的事工。特别是当保羅用 “无知的时代” 来概括希腊的所有历史时, 自傲，聪明，智慧的雅典人不会轻易地接受保罗所讲福音的卑微信息。这塊土壤并不深，它帶有杂草，但只能有小小的收获。
And, after all, one soul is worth the whole world!
毕竟，一人灵魂的得救是值得整个世界慶幸！
We still need witnesses who will invade the “halls
of academe” and present Christ to people who are wise in this world but
ignorant of the true wisdom of the world to come. “Not many wise men after the
flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called” (1 Cor. 1:26), but some are
called, and God may use you to call them.
進入 “学术殿堂”，仍然需要见证人, 并将基督逞献给那些在世界上自認為有智慧的人，但他們却對未来世界的真正智慧是一無所知。 “追求肉体的人智慧不多，自認有力量，自認是高贵的, 很少被上帝呼召”（哥林多后书1:26），但有些人的被呼召，上帝可能会用你来呼召他们。
Take the gospel to your “Athens.”
把福音带到你的 “雅典”。
