Why did some Jews and Greeks believe Paul's message in Acts 17:4? Passage Under Consideration “Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a great multitude of God-fearing Greeks and not a few leading women.” — Acts 17:4 Immediate Setting in Thessalonica Paul and Silas arrived by way of the Via Egnatia, entered the only known first-century synagogue in the region (confirmed by marble fragments bearing Hebrew inscriptions unearthed beneath modern Thessaloniki’s Agora), and reasoned there on three consecutive Sabbaths (Acts 17:2). The city was a busy Roman free city whose religious life mixed imperial cult, traditional Greco-Roman deities, and an active Jewish community with access to the Septuagint. Paul’s Method: Reasoning, Explaining, Proving Luke strings together three verbs: “reasoned” (διελέξατο), “explaining” (διανοίγων), and “proving” (παρατιθέμενος) that “the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead” (Acts 17:3). • Reasoned: a dialogical style familiar to Jews (midrash) and Greeks (dialexis). • Explaining: opening the text—Isa 53; Psalm 16:10; 2 Samuel 7; Micah 5:2—all in the Septuagint on the synagogue scrolls. • Proving: marshaling eyewitness testimony (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) he personally received within a few years of the cross; Thessalonian hearers would later recall, “our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5). Fulfillment of Messianic Prophecy Jewish attendees knew the Servant’s substitutionary suffering (Isaiah 53:5-6) and the promise that God’s Holy One would not see decay (Psalm 16:10). Paul argued Jesus uniquely fits all converging lines—birthplace (Micah 5:2), lineage (2 Samuel 7:12-16), death details (Psalm 22), and resurrection. The Dead Sea Scrolls (4QIsaᵇ, 1QIsaᵃ) preserve these texts essentially as read that very Sabbath, underscoring textual continuity. The Holy Spirit’s Convicting Work Luke routinely pairs proclamation with the Spirit’s internal testimony (Acts 2:37; 16:14). 1 Thessalonians, written only months later, credits their conversion to “the Holy Spirit with great assurance” (1 Thessalonians 1:5). Intellectual assent alone cannot explain the radical abandonment of synagogue prestige or Greco-Roman patronage; supernatural regeneration completes the picture (John 16:8-11). Prepared Jewish Hearts Diaspora Jews longed for deliverance from Roman oppression and spiritual malaise. Rabbinic sources (b. Sanhedrin 97b) record heightened first-century messianic expectation. Paul’s message matched their Scriptures more coherently than popular revolutionary claimants (Josephus, War 6.5.4). The God-Fearing Greeks: Spiritual and Sociological Readiness God-fearers (σεβόμενοι) already rejected polytheism, attended synagogue, but lacked full covenantal status. Archaeology in Philippi and Thessalonica has yielded inscriptions naming “θεοσεβεῖς” attached to benevolent societies—evidence of Greek seekers orbiting Jewish communities. Paul offered them direct covenant inclusion through faith in Messiah without proselyte circumcision (cf. Acts 15), satisfying both theological hunger and social equality. Influence of Prominent Women Upper-class Macedonian women enjoyed unusual civic visibility (inscriptions honor Aristarchis, Berenice, etc.). Luke notes “leading women” because their patronage carried weight in household‐based society. The gospel’s elevation of women (Galatians 3:28) provided moral and relational incentive. Credibility of the Resurrection Paul referenced publicly known eyewitnesses still alive (1 Corinthians 15:6). Roman crucifixion victims did not inspire worship—unless incontrovertible evidence of resurrection overturned cultural expectations. Empty-tomb testimony circulated within three decades (Mark 16). No contradictory ossuary or body was ever produced, despite a hostile Sanhedrin—the very body with archival access to temple records. Philosophical Coherence Stoic and Platonic streams both sought logos‐centered order and immortality of the soul. Paul’s proclamation delivered a historical, bodily resurrection that wedded Jewish linear history with Greek metaphysical hope, answering both guilt and death (Acts 17:31 references this again in Athens). Moral and Cultural Dissatisfaction with Paganism First-century moral critiques by contemporary satirists (Juvenal, Satire VI) and philosophers (Epictetus, Discourses 2.20) reveal widespread acknowledgment of the inadequacy of Roman religio. The gospel’s ethical monotheism and forgiveness met a recognized vacuum. Synagogue as Intellectual Crossroads Synagogues functioned as archives, law courts, and lecture halls. By offering exegetical demonstration rather than mere assertion, Paul met the expectations of that academic environment, building credibility. Trustworthiness of the Scriptures Presented Septuagint scrolls existed in Thessalonica by at least the second century BC; papyri finds such as P.Oxy 1007 show Isaiah lines nearly identical to the Masoretic and Dead Sea readings. Listeners could verify quotations on the spot, witnessing textual integrity. Providential Signs and Miracles Acts 15:12 parallels show that miracles accompanied missionary activity. While Luke does not record a particular sign in Thessalonica, 1 Thessalonians 1:5-6 hints at observable “power” and “joy of the Holy Spirit,” likely including healings or deliverance consistent with other city missions (Acts 14:8-10; 16:18). Divine Election and Human Responsibility Luke’s summary “were persuaded” (ἐπείσθησαν) implies genuine but human assent, yet later Scripture attributes the root cause to God’s choosing (1 Thessalonians 1:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). Both strands work together: proclamation initiates, Spirit regenerates, hearers respond. Archaeological Corroboration of the Setting • The city’s first-century cardo and decumanus lines confirm Paul’s probable ingress from Philippi. • An inscription honoring “politarchs” (city magistrates) found in the Vardar Gate corroborates Luke’s unique term πολιτάρχαι in Acts 17:6. This precise civic title, unknown in classical literature until the inscription’s 19th-century discovery, vindicates Luke’s accuracy and bolsters trust in his whole narrative. Converging Reasons Summarized 1. Scriptural fulfillment logically expounded. 2. Eyewitness‐anchored resurrection evidence. 3. The Holy Spirit’s inner persuasion. 4. Pre-existing messianic expectation among Jews. 5. Spiritual hunger and social inclusion for God-fearing Greeks. 6. Elevated status for women. 7. Philosophical and moral dissatisfaction with paganism. 8. Public credibility of Luke’s historical details. 9. Possible validating miracles. 10. Divine election sealing the response. Outcome These intertwined factors explain why “some Jews,” “a great multitude of God-fearing Greeks,” and “not a few leading women” embraced Paul’s gospel in Thessalonica, demonstrating the timeless pattern by which God draws a diverse people to the risen Messiah. |
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