Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/842

 times of  ignorance,  now  declareth  unto  men  that  they  should everywhere do  penance. Because He  hath  appointed  a day wherein He  will  judge  the  world  in  equity  by  the  Man  whom He hath  appointed,  giving  faith  to  all  by  raising  Him  up  from the dead.”  St.  Paul  wished  to  teach  them  more  about  our  Lord, but he  was  interrupted  and  could  proceed  no  further.

The result  was  that  only  a few  of  them  believed. Among these few  was  Dionysius  the  Areopagite,  one  of  the  most  learned men of  his  time. After Paul  had  preached  the  Gospel  at  Athens, he went  to  Corinth.

There he  preached  first  to  the  Jews,  but  they  would  not hear him,  but  rather  blasphemed  and  contradicted  all  he  said. Then Paul,  filled  with  a holy  indignation,  spoke  to  them: “Your blood be  upon  your  own  heads;  I am  clean. From henceforth I will go  to  the  Gentiles.”  He  then  preached  to  the  pagans  of Corinth,  many  of  whom  were  converted. Having remained  in Corinth  a year  and  six  months,  teaching  and  preaching,  he  returned to Antioch  via  Caesarea  and  Jerusalem.

The necessity  of  revelation. Athens  was  the  most  cultured  city  of the  ancient  pagan  world. All arts  and  sciences  flourished  there  to  a high  degree,  but  in  religious  matters  there  reigned  the  grossest  superstition and  most  senseless  idolatry,  the  inhabitants  paying  divine  honour to images  made  by  themselves. This shows  us  that  even  those  among the pagans  of  the  old  world  who  were  most  advanced  in  civilization had fallen  very  far  short  of  the  knowledge  of  the  True  God,  and  that, in spite  of  their  progress  in  art  and  science,  they  would  never  have arrived at  knowing  God,  had  He  not,  in  an  extraordinary  and  supernatural way,  revealed  Himself  in  Jesus  Christ. Without this  supernatural revelation, the  world  would  have  sunk  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  abyss of superstition,  impiety,  and  immorality.

Sorrow for  the  sins  of  others.  “The  spirit  of  Paul  was  stirred within him”  when  he  saw  that  Athens  was  wholly  given  over  to  idolatry. His feeling  of  grief  proceeded  from  his  love  both  of  God  and  of  his