Postscript on Acts 17
(View Gordon's first CHN on Acts 17.)
The Greek word ‘deisidaimonesterous’ is translated in Acts 17:22 as ‘very religious’ (although Rob Doyle, theology lecturer at Moore College, cheekily suggests a translation of ‘demon-possessed’). Here's the whole sentence from the ESV translation: “So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: ‘Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious’”.
Three Greek-English lexicons (Louw and Nida; Thayer; and Arndt and Gingrich) of the New Testament and an FF Bruce commentary on Acts later, I've confirmed what I suspected. That is, that this expression ‘very religious’ can't be used as an example of Paul smoothing the way for the bitter pill that is the gos-pill.
Summarizing what the lexicons say and adding a bit more, FF Bruce comments as follows:
This characterization of the Athenians by Paul was not necessarily meant to be complimentary: we are told that it was forbidden to use complimentary exordia in addressing the Areopagus court, with the hope of securing its goodwill. [Bruce here gives a footnote: “Cf. Lucian, Anacharsis 19”.]. The expression Paul used could also mean “rather superstitious”; it was as vague a term in Greek as “religion” is in English, and what was piety to Greeks was superstition to Jews (and vice versa). [Bruce has a footnote suggesting the reader compare with the noun ‘deisidaimonia’ in Acts 25:19.]
FF Bruce, The Book of the Acts, in the New International Commentary on the New Testament series, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1988, p 335.
Being an inquisitive soul, I read a bit further and found that Bruce had noticed something else I noticed—which is that Paul scarcely laid 'em in the aisles with his knockdown delivery:
There is no mention of any baptisms at Athens, nor is Paul said to have planted a church there. Although Athens was in the Roman province of Achaia, it is a family resident in Corinth that Paul describes as “the firstfruits of Achaia” (1 Cor 16:15). If the response to his preaching in Athens was scanty, the reason may lie with the Athenians' refusal to take him seriously ...
The Athenians of today have made up for their ancestors' indifference by engraving the text of Paul's Areopagitica on a bronze tablet at the foot of the ascent to the Areopagus, and by naming a neighbouring thoroughfare in honor of the apostle.
So there you go. It's always reassuring to find one of the great ones confirming something you thought you'd noticed. I don't know where old FF gets off, though, suggesting that the present-day Athenians have compensated by putting up a plaque and naming a road. Call me eccentric, but I'd have said that the way to make up for ignoring Paul is to start paying attention to his message, and start preparing to meet the risen Lord Jesus on the day of his terrible and glorious judgement of the whole of creation.