At Athens, Paul found himself in a different world. Although a Jewish synagogue existed in Athens, the Jewish presence was without influence on the life of the city. Athenians thought of the Jews as primitive foreigners. Probably the Jews themselves had been affected by the indifferent environment and had forsaken some of their Jewish customs, for we read that Paul argued in the synagogue "with the Jews and devout persons."

From the moment he arrived, Paul’s activities extended beyond the synagogue. He evidently decided to confront Athenian paganism head-on, for he went to the marketplace every day to argue with anyone who would listen. He saw it as a city full of idolaters, which provoked him. These were people who considered themselves elite, the world’s leading intellectuals, and yet t…