[Footnote 98: ][ (return) ] "Ως before δεισιδ.--so imports. I recognize you as such."--Lange's Commentary.
The assertion that the Athenians were "a religious people" will, to many of our readers, appear a strange and startling utterance, which has in it more of novelty than truth. Nay, some will be shocked to hear the Apostle Paul described as complimenting these Athenians--these pagan worshippers--on their "carefulness in religion." We have been so long accustomed to use the word "heathen" as an opprobrious epithet--expressing, indeed, the utmost extremes of ignorance, and barbarism, and cruelty, that it has become difficult for us to believe that in a heathen there can be any good. From our childhood we have read in our English Bibles, Ye men of Athens, I perceive in all things ye are too superstitious
and we can scarcely tolerate another version, even if it can be shown that it approaches nearer to the actual language employed by Paul. We must, therefore, ask the patience and candor of the reader, while we endeavor to show, on the authority of Paul's words, that the Athenians were a "religious people," and that all our notions to the contrary are founded on prejudice and misapprehension.
First, then, let us commence even with our English version: "Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious." And what now is the meaning of the word "superstition?" It is true, we now use it only in an evil sense, to express a belief in the agency of invisible, capricious, malignant powers, which fills the mind with fear and terror, and sees in every unexplained phenomenon of nature an omen, or prognostic, of some future evil. But this is not its proper and original meaning. Superstition is from the Latin superstitio, which means a superabundance of religion, [99] an extreme exactitude in religious observance. And this is precisely the sense in which the corresponding Greek term is used by the Apostle Paul. Δεισιδαιµονία properly means "reverence for the gods." "It is used," says Barnes, "in the classic writers, in a good sense, to denote piety towards the gods, or suitable fear and reverence for them." "The word," says Lechler, "is, without doubt, to be understood here in a good sense; although it seems to have been intentionally chosen, in order to indicate the conception of fear (δειδω), which predominated in the religion of the apostle's hearers." [100] This reading is sustained by the ablest critics and scholars of modern times. Bengel reads the sentence, "I perceive that ye are very religious" [101] Cudworth translates it thus: "Ye are every way more than ordinarily religious." [102] Conybeare and Howson read the text as we have already given it, "All things which I behold bear witness to your carefulness in religion." [103] Lechler reads "very devout;" [104] Alford, "carrying your religious reverence very far;" [105] and Albert Barnes, [106] "I perceive ye are greatly devoted to reverence for religion." [107] Whoever, therefore, will give attention to the actual words of the apostle, and search for their real meaning, must be convinced he opens his address by complimenting the Athenians on their being more than ordinarily religious.
[Footnote 99: ][ (return) ] Nitzsch, "System of Christ. Doctrine," p. 33.
[Footnote 100: ][ (return) ] Lange's Commentary, in loco.
[Footnote 101: ][ (return) ] "Gnomon of the New Testament."
[Footnote 102: ][ (return) ] "Intellectual System," vol. i. p. 626.
[Footnote 103: ][ (return) ] "Life and Epistles of St. Paul," vol. i. p. 378.
[Footnote 104: ][ (return) ] Lange's Commentary.