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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume 3
and leads from God; but truth gives light to the mind, and life to the
soul.
The unbelieving Jews of Thessalonica, filled with jealousy and
hatred of the apostles, and not content with having driven them from
their labors among the Thessalonians, followed them to Berea, and
again stirred up the excitable passions of the lower class to do them
violence. The teachers of the truth were again driven from their field of
labor. Persecution followed them from city to city. This hasty retreat
from Berea deprived Paul of the opportunity he had anticipated of
again visiting the brethren at Thessalonica.
Although the opposers of the doctrine of Christ could not hinder
its actual advancement, they still succeeded in making the work of
the apostles exceedingly hard. God, in his providence, permitted
Satan to hinder Paul from returning to the Thessalonians. Yet the
faithful apostle steadily pressed on through opposition, conflict, and
persecution, to carry out the purpose of God as revealed to him in the
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vision at Jerusalem: “I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles.”
From Berea Paul went to Athens. He was accompanied on his
journey by some of the Bereans who had been newly brought into the
faith, and who were desirous of learning more from him of the way of
life. When the apostle arrived at Athens, he sent these men back with
a message to Silas and Timothy to join him immediately in that city.
Timothy had come to Berea previously to Paul’s departure, and with
Silas had remained to carry on the work so well begun there, and to
instruct the new converts in the principles of their holy faith.
The city of Athens was the metropolis of heathendom. Paul did
not here meet with an ignorant, credulous populace, as at Lystra; but
he encountered a people famous for their intelligence and education.
Statues of their gods and the deified heroes of history and poetry met
the eye in every direction; while magnificent architecture and paintings
also represented the national glory and the popular worship of heathen
deities.
The senses of the people were entranced by the beauty and glory
of art. Sanctuaries and temples, involving untold expense, reared their
lofty forms on every hand. Victories of arms, and deeds of celebrated
men, were commemorated by sculptures, shrines, and tablets. All
these things made this renowned city like a vast gallery of art. And
as Paul looked upon the beauty and grandeur surrounding him, and