Abstract

For many years, scholars have noted striking similarities between the account of Paul's visit to Athens in Acts and ancient accounts of the trial of Socrates. There have been at least five distinct proposals about the significance of these similarities, but each has substantial shortcomings. In this article, I argue that Luke's purpose is to place Paul's Areopagus speech in dialogue with the thought of Socrates as it is represented in traditions about his trial, especially Plato's Euthyphro and Apology.

Highlights

  • Echoes of Socrates in Luke’s Account of Paul’s Visit to AthensFor many years, scholars studying Luke’s account of Paul’s visit to Athens in Acts have noticed that aspects of this scene evoke the figure of Socrates

  • Luke states that Paul spends much of his time in Athens at the marketplace (Acts . ), the very location where Socrates famously pestered the citizens of Athens

  • Luke reports that some of the Athenians respond to Paul by suggesting that he is a ‘preacher of foreign divinities’ who brings a ‘new

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Summary

Introduction

Echoes of Socrates in Luke’s Account of Paul’s Visit to Athens. Scholars studying Luke’s account of Paul’s visit to Athens in Acts have noticed that aspects of this scene evoke the figure of Socrates. A wide variety of points of correspondence have been proposed, but there are three that frequently recur in the literature and appear to form the backbone for these proposals. Luke states that Paul spends much of his time in Athens at the marketplace ), the very location where Socrates famously pestered the citizens of Athens. Luke describes Paul’s activity in Athens with the verb διαλέγομαι ), which evokes Socrates’ customary practice of engaging in dialogues. Luke reports that some of the Athenians respond to Paul by suggesting that he is a ‘preacher of foreign divinities’ who brings a ‘new

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