Abstract
The aim of this article is to investigate the allusion to the possibility of touching God ψηλαϕάω in Paul's Areopagus speech (Acts 17:27). The article aims at assessing the Lukan notion of God's nearness in space and time. The Areopagus discourse is investigated against the background of its imbeddednes in the holistic context of Acts. God's nearness is studied in light of common Hellenistic parallel epiphanies. It focuses on dream types in Acts, epiphanies of Jesus, epiphanies of God, and in conclusion the expression ''filled with the Spirit".
Highlights
After having been blinded by Odysseus with a glowing stick, the Cyclops goes to sit at the entrance of the cave, with outstretched hands, hoping that, groping, he might at least still catch some of the men and kill them (Od 9, 416)
He is a blind man stretching out his hands to find out by feeling, groping and touching what the surrounding world looks like
Afterwards Peter is initially still in doubt as to the meaning of the vision, but when the people from Caesarea tell Peter about Comelius and the order of the angel to invite him to Comelius' house, Peter accepts the invitation. When he arrives at the IS Another example is Acts 27:23 where Paul, aboard the ship which should transport him to Rome, tells the sailors: "For this very night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and be said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar
Summary
After having been blinded by Odysseus with a glowing stick, the Cyclops goes to sit at the entrance of the cave, with outstretched hands, hoping that, groping, he might at least still catch some of the men and kill them (Od 9, 416). He is a blind man stretching out his hands to find out by feeling, groping and touching what the surrounding world looks like In this famous scene from the Odyssey, the same word is used as that in Luke many centuries later, in the speech Paul delivers at the Areopagus in Athens (~T)Aaaw). In Magie und Heidentum in der Apostelgeschichte des Lukas, H J Klauck wonders whether Luke might here have betrayed the Christian image of God and man for the sake of a strategic advantage. He answers this question: "Ganz sicher nicht.
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