The term "Unknown God" is primarily associated with the Apostle Paul's address at the Areopagus in Athens, as recorded in the Book of Acts. This encounter is a significant moment in the New Testament, illustrating the early Christian engagement with Gentile cultures and philosophies.

Biblical Reference:

The primary scriptural reference to the "Unknown God" is found in Acts 17:22-23 :

"So Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, 'Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you.'"

Historical and Cultural Context:

Athens, during the time of Paul, was a center of philosophy, art, and religion. The city was filled with idols and altars dedicated to various deities. The Athenians, known for their religious curiosity and philosophical pursuits, erected an altar to an "Unknown God" as a precautionary measure to ensure that no deity was left unacknowledged, thus avoiding any potential divine wrath.

Theological Significance:

Paul's reference to the "Unknown God" serves as a strategic entry point for introducing the Athenians to the God of the Bible. By acknowledging their religious practices, Paul bridges the gap between their existing beliefs and the revelation of the one true God. He uses their altar as a starting point to declare the nature and identity of God, who is not confined to temples made by human hands (Acts 17:24-25).

Paul's message emphasizes the transcendence and immanence of God. He declares that God is the Creator of the world and everything in it, and that He does not dwell in man-made temples. This contrasts sharply with the polytheistic and idolatrous practices of the Athenians, who believed in gods that were limited and localized.

Doctrinal Implications:

The encounter at the Areopagus underscores the universality of the Gospel message. Paul asserts that God "commands all people everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30), highlighting the call to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as a universal requirement. The "Unknown God" is revealed to be the God who has made Himself known through Jesus Christ, His Son, whom He raised from the dead (Acts 17:31).

This passage also illustrates the Christian doctrine of general revelation. Paul acknowledges that God has not left Himself without witness, as He is evident in creation and the moral order of the world. However, special revelation through Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation.

Apologetic Approach:

Paul's approach at the Areopagus serves as a model for Christian apologetics. He begins with a point of contact within the culture, respects the religious sentiments of his audience, and then redirects their spiritual search towards the truth of the Gospel. This method demonstrates the importance of understanding and engaging with the cultural context while faithfully presenting the core message of Christianity.

Conclusion:

The account of the "Unknown God" in Acts 17 is a profound example of how the early Christians communicated the Gospel to a diverse and pluralistic society. It highlights the adaptability of the Christian message and the necessity of proclaiming the truth of God in every cultural context.Unknown God

UNKNOWN GOD

un-non', (agnostos theos): In Acts 17:23 (St. Paul's speech in Athens) the American Standard Revised Version reads: "I found also an altar with this inscription, To AN UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore ye worship in ignorance, this I set forth unto you." the King James Version and the English Revised Version margin translate "to the Unknown God," owing to the fact that in Greek certain words, of which theos is one, may drop the article when it is to be understood. In the present case the use of the article. is probably right (compare Acts 17:24). In addition, the King James Version reads "whom" and "him" in place of "what" and "this." The difference here is due to a variation in the Greek manuscripts, most of which support the King James Version. But internal probability is against the King James Version's reading, as it would have been very easy for a scribe to change neuters (referring to the divine power) into masculines after "God," but not vice versa. Hence, modern editors (except yon Soden's margin) have adopted the reading in the Revised Version (British and American).

Paul in Athens, "as he beheld the city full of idols," felt that God was truly unknown there. Hence the altar with the inscription struck him as particularly significant. Some Athenians, at any rate, felt the religious inadequacy of all known deities and were appealing to the God who they felt must exist, although they knew nothing definite about Him. No better starting-point for an address could be wished. What the inscription actually meant, however, is another question. Nothing is known about it. Altars dedicated "to unknown gods" (in the plural) seem to have been fairly common (Jerome on Titus 1:12; Pausanias, i.1, 4; Philaster, Vita Apoll., vi.3), and Blase (Commentary ad loc.) has even suggested that the words in Acts were originally in the plural. But this would spoil the whole point of the speech, and the absence of references to a single inscription among thousands that existed can cause no surprise. Those inscriptions in the plural seem to have been meant in the sense "to the other deities that may exist in addition to those already known," but an inscription in the sing. could not have this meaning. Perhaps a votive inscription is meant, where the worshipper did not know which god to thank for some benefit received. That a slur on all the other Athenian objects of worship was intended is, however, most improbable, but Paul could not of course be expected to know the technical meaning of such inscriptions.

See ATHENS.

Buston Scott Easton

2316. theos -- God, a god
... theos Phonetic Spelling: (theh'-os) Short Definition: God, a god Definition: (a)
God, (b) a god, generally. 2316 (of unknown origin) -- properly,, Creator and ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2316.htm - 7k

Marcion's Gnostic Pretensions Vain, for the True God is Neither ...
... as well as the natural gratification which is inherent in novelty, that I wanted
to refute, and thence further to challenge a proof of this unknown god. ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter ix marcions gnostic pretensions vain.htm

Not Enough, as the Marcionites Pretend, that the Supreme God ...
... Now in that section of our work which concerned the question of the unknown god,
two points were made clear enough"both that he had created nothing: and that ...
/.../tertullian/the five books against marcion/chapter xvii not enough as the.htm

That the Philosophers have Attained to Some Portion of Truth.
... religious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar
with the inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xix that the philosophers have.htm

Titus i. 14-Dec
... For when Paul was discoursing to the Athenians, in the course of his harangue he
quoted these words, "To the Unknown God": and again, "For we also are His ...
/.../homily iii titus i 14-dec.htm

Of the Name of God
... This, Socrates, an heathen, professed to be all his knowledge, that he knew he did
know nothing, and therefore he preached an unknown God to the Athenians, to ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/lecture vii of the name.htm

Concerning the one God Only to be Worshipped, Who, Although his ...
... Book IV. Chapter 25."Concerning the One God Only to Be Worshipped, Who, Although
His Name is Unknown, is Yet Deemed to Be the Giver of Felicity. ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 25 concerning the one god.htm

The Self-Communication of God
... Unknown which is God. There the Will lays hold of God in a mysterious manner,
and the Unknown God imparts His impress to the Will. ...
/.../eckhart/meister eckharts sermons/v the self-communication of god.htm

Circumcision Unknown Before Abraham.
... Chapter XIX."Circumcision unknown before Abraham. ... Wherefore also God has announced
that you have forsaken Him, the living fountain, and digged for yourselves ...
/.../chapter xix circumcision unknown before abraham.htm

God Cannot be Embraced in Words or by the Mind.
... [3096] For in walking about, and beholding the objects of your worship, I
found an altar on which was inscribed, To the Unknown God. ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xii god cannot be embraced.htm

The Knowledge that God Is, Combined with the Knowledge that He is ...
... "That God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him diligently." Most
part of our service speaks an unknown God, and carries such an inscription upon ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/lecture xi the knowledge that.htm

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