Actuum Apostolorum 17
1 Cum autem perambulassent Amphipolim, et Apolloniam, venerunt Thessalonicam, ubi erat synagoga Iudæorum.
After passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica. Here the Jews had a synagogue;
2 Secundum consuetudinem autem Paulus introivit ad eos, et per sabbata tria disserebat eis de Scripturis,
and, following his usual custom, Paul joined them, and for three Sabbaths addressed them, drawing his arguments from the scriptures.
3 adaperiens et insinuans quia Christum oportuit pati, et resurgere a mortuis: et quia hic est Iesus Christus, quem ego annuncio vobis.
He laid before them and explained that the Christ must undergo suffering and rise from the dead; and ‘It is this man,’ he declared, ‘who is the Christ – this Jesus about whom I am telling you.’
4 Et quidam ex eis crediderunt, et adiuncti sunt Paulo, et Silæ, et de colentibus, Gentilibusque multitudo magna, et mulieres nobiles non paucæ.
Some of the people were convinced, and threw in their lot with Paul and Silas, as did also a large body of Greeks who were accustomed to join in the Jewish services, and a great number of leading women.
5 Zelantes autem Iudæi, assumentesque de vulgo viros quosdam malos, et turba facta, concitaverunt civitatem: et assistentes domui Iasonis quærebant eos producere in populum.
But the Jewish leaders, becoming jealous, engaged some worthless fellows from the streets, and, getting a mob together, kept the city in an uproar. They attacked Jason’s house, with the intention of bringing Paul and Silas before the Popular Assembly;
6 Et cum non invenissent eos, trahebant Iasonem, et quosdam fratres ad principes civitatis, clamantes: Quoniam hi, qui urbem concitant, et huc venerunt,
and, not finding them there, they proceeded to drag Jason and some of the Lord’s followers before the city magistrates, shouting out, ‘These men, who have turned the world upside down, have now come here,
7 quos suscepit Iason, et hi omnes contra decreta Cæsaris faciunt, regem alium dicentes esse, Iesum.
and have been harboured by Jason! They are all defying the decrees of the Emperor. They say that someone else is king – a man called Jesus!’
8 Concitaverunt autem plebem: et principes civitatis audientes hæc,
On hearing this, the people and the city magistrates were much concerned;
9 et accepta satisfactione a Iasone, et a ceteris, dimiserunt eos.
and, before letting them go, they took bail from Jason and the others.
10 Fratres vero confestim per noctem dimiserunt Paulum, et Silam in Berœam. Qui cum venissent, in synagogam Iudæorum introierunt.
That very night the followers sent Paul and Silas off to Beroea; and on reaching that place, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
11 Hi autem erant nobiliores eorum, qui sunt Thessalonicæ, qui susceperunt verbum cum omni aviditate, quotidie scrutantes Scripturas, si hæc ita se haberent.
These Jews of Beroea were better disposed than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message with great readiness, and daily examined the scriptures to see if what was said was true.
12 Et multi quidem crediderunt ex eis, et mulierum Gentilium honestarum, et viri non pauci.
As a consequence, many of them became believers in Christ, besides a considerable number of Greek women of position, and of men also.
13 Cum autem cognovissent in Thessalonica Iudæi, quia et Berœæ prædicatum est a Paulo verbum Dei, venerunt et illuc commoventes, et turbantes multitudinem.
But, when the Jewish leaders in Thessalonica found out that God’s message had been delivered by Paul at Beroea, they came there too, exciting and disturbing the minds of the people.
14 Statimque tunc Paulum dimiserunt fratres, ut iret usque ad mare: Silas autem, et Timotheus remanserunt ibi.
The followers immediately arranged for Paul to go away to the coast, but both Silas and Timothy stayed behind in Beroea.
15 Qui autem deducebant Paulum, perduxerunt eum usque Athenas, et accepto mandato ab eo ad Silam, et Timotheum ut quam celeriter venirent ad illum, profecti sunt.
The friends who escorted Paul took him as far as Athens, and, after receiving a message for Silas and Timothy to join him as quickly as possible, they started on their return.
16 Paulus autem cum Athenis eos exspectaret, incitabatur spiritus eius in ipso, videns idololatriæ deditam civitatem.
While Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his heart was stirred at seeing the whole city full of idols.
17 Disputabat igitur in synagoga cum Iudæis, et colentibus, et in foro, per omnes dies ad eos, qui aderant.
So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who joined in their worship, as well as daily in the public Square with those who happened to be there.
18 Quidam autem Epicurei, et Stoici philosophi disserebant cum eo, et quidam dicebant: Quid vult seminiverbius hic, dicere? Alii vero: Novorum dæmoniorum videtur annunciator esse: quia Iesum, et resurrectionem annunciabat eis.
Among others, some Epicurean and Stoic Philosophers joined issue with him. Some asked ‘What is this prater wanting to make out?’, while others said ‘He seems to be a preacher of foreign Deities.’ (This was because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection).
19 Et apprehensum eum ad Areopagum duxerunt, dicentes: Possumus scire quæ est hæc nova, quæ a te dicitur, doctrina?
So they laid hold of him and took him to the Court of Areopagus. ‘May we hear,’ they asked, ‘what new teaching this is which you are giving?
20 Nova enim quædam infers auribus nostris: Volumus ergo scire quidnam velint hæc esse.
For you are bringing some strange things to our notice, and we should like to know what they mean.’
21 (Athenienses autem omnes, et advenæ hospites, ad nihil aliud vacabant nisi aut dicere, aut audire aliquid novi.)
(All Athenians and the foreigners staying in the city found no time for anything else but telling, or listening to, the last new thing.)
22 Stans autem Paulus in medio Areopagi, ait: Viri Athenienses per omnia quasi superstitiosiores vos video.
So Paul took his stand in the middle of the Court, and said – ‘People of Athens, on every hand I see signs of your being very devout.
23 Præteriens enim, et videns simulacra vestra, inveni et aram, in qua scriptum erat: IGNOTO DEO. Quod ergo ignorantes colitis, hoc ego annuncio vobis.
For as I was going about, looking at your sacred shrines, I came upon an altar with this inscription – “To an Unknown God.” What, therefore, you worship in ignorance, that I am now proclaiming to you.
24 Deus, qui fecit mundum, et omnia quæ in eo sunt, hic cæli et terræ cum sit Dominus, non in manufactis templis habitat,
The God who made the world and all things that are in it – he, Lord as he is of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by hands,
25 nec manibus humanis colitur indigens aliquo, cum ipse det omnibus vitam, et inspirationem, et omnia:
neither do human hands minister to his wants, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives, to all, life, and breath, and all things.
26 fecitque ex uno omne genus hominum inhabitare super universam faciem terræ, definiens statuta tempora, et terminos habitationis eorum,
He made all races of the earth’s surface – fixing a time for their rise and fall, and the limits of their settlements –
27 quærere Deum si forte attrectent eum, aut inveniant, quam vis non longe sit ab unoquoque nostrum.
That they might search for God, if by any means they might feel their way to him and find him. And yet he is not really far from any one of us;
28 In ipso enim vivimus, et movemur, et sumus: sicut et quidam vestrorum Poetarum dixerunt: Ipsius enim et genus sumus.
for in him we live and move and are. To use the words of some of your own poets – “His offspring, too, are we.”
29 Genus ergo cum simus Dei, non debemus æstimare auro, aut argento, aut lapidi, sculpturæ artis, et cogitationis hominis, Divinum esse simile.
Therefore, as the offspring of God, we must not think that the Deity has any resemblance to anything made of gold, or silver, or stone – a work of human art and imagination.
30 Et tempora quidem huius ignorantiæ despiciens Deus, nunc annunciat hominibus ut omnes ubique pœnitentiam agant,
True, God looked with indulgence on the days of people’s ignorance, but now he is announcing to everyone everywhere the need for repentance,
31 eo quod statuit diem, in quo iudicaturus est orbem in æquitate, in viro, in quo statuit, fidem præbens omnibus, suscitans eum a mortuis.
because he has fixed a day on which he intends to judge the world with justice, by a man whom he has appointed – and of this he has given all people a pledge by raising this man from the dead.’
32 Cum audissent autem resurrectionem mortuorum, quidam quidem irridebant, quidam vero dixerunt: Audiemus te de hoc iterum.
On hearing of a resurrection of the dead, some began jeering, but others said that they wanted to hear what he had to say about that another time.
33 Sic Paulus exivit de medio eorum.
And so Paul left the Court.
34 Quidam vero viri adhærentes ei, crediderunt: in quibus et Dionysius Areopagita, et mulier nomine Damaris, et alii cum eis.
There were, however, some people who joined him, and became believers in Christ. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Court of Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and several others.
