Do Pagans worship the True God without knowing it? A Look at St. Paul’s Discourse to the Athenians

Explanation of Acts 17:22-23

Do Pagans worship the True God without knowing it?
A Look at St. Paul’s Discourse to the Athenians

In Chapter 17 of the Acts of the Apostles, we find St. Paul discoursing with the pagan inhabitants of Athens, Greece. The city is immersed in idolatry, and the holy Apostle notices an altar dedicated “to the unknown god”. He uses this as a cue to preach to the Athenians the true God, whom indeed they do not yet know but are apparently disposed, however confusedly, to worship.

This incident is sometimes used by Novus Ordo apologists to support the positive view of paganism that the Vatican II religion has been fostering, and none more than Jorge Bergoglio, the man otherwise known as “Pope Francis”. … READ MORE

The Catholic Understanding of Acts 17:22-23 (from Fr. Cornelius à Lapide’s ‘Great Commentary’ on Sacred Scripture)

Father Cornelius à Lapide, S.J. (1567-1637)
Commentary on Sacred Scripture

From St. Paul’s Discourse to the Athenians at the Areopagus

Acts of the Apostles 17:22-23

Exclusive English Translation

KEY TO CRITICAL SIGNS 

[ ] – square brackets: interpolations of the translator.

{ } – curly brackets: interpolations of the translator within square brackets.

( ) — parentheses: In the text (but not the footnotes), Lapide’s parenthetical remarks

‹‹ ›› – guillemets (double chevrons): editor Crampon’s quotation marks.

“ ” — quotation marks supplied by the translator.

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 17:22

Stans autem Paulus in medio Areopagi, ait: Viri Athenienses, per omnia quasi superstitiosiores vos video.… READ MORE