Lexical Summary agnóstos: Unknown, Unrecognized Original Word: ἄγνωστος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance unknown. From a (as negative particle) and gnostos; unknown -- unknown. see GREEK a see GREEK gnostos NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom alpha (as a neg. prefix) and the same as ginóskó Definition unknown NASB Translation unknown (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 57: ἄγνωστοςἄγνωστος, (from Homer down), unknown: Acts 17:23 (cf. B. D. American edition under the word Topical Lexicon Occurrence in Scripture Greek number 57 appears one time in the New Testament, in Acts 17:23, where Paul cites an Athenian altar inscribed “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.” Historical and Cultural Background First-century Athens held countless shrines to deities large and small. Greek writers record altars “to unknown gods,” erected either to cover any overlooked deity or to appease a divinity thought to have acted without being identified. Such monuments expressed both religious pluralism and spiritual uncertainty. Paul, steeped in Hebrew revelation that names the one true God (Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 45:5), steps into this vacuum of ignorance to reveal the God who can, in fact, be known. Paul’s Apologetic Strategy Acts 17:23: “For as I walked around and observed your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you.” 1. Identification: Paul affirms the Athenians’ evident religiosity, earning a hearing without endorsing their idolatry. Theological Significance 1. Revelation over speculation – Humanity gropes after deity (Acts 17:27), yet God graciously initiates self-disclosure (Psalm 19:1-4; Hebrews 1:1-2). Implications for Ministry Today • Engage culture respectfully, recognizing genuine (though misdirected) spiritual hunger. Related Old Testament Parallels • Jacob at Bethel (Genesis 28:16-17)—encountering a God previously unrecognized. Connection to Christ The altar to the “unknown god” foreshadows humanity’s universal need for revelation. Jesus Christ fulfills that need as the definitive self-expression of God, the One who makes the unknown known and the unseen visible (John 14:9). Summary Strong’s Greek 57 highlights the chasm between human religious imagination and God’s revealed truth. Paul’s use of the term in Acts 17:23 demonstrates how the gospel confronts ignorance with knowledge, idolatry with revelation, and speculation with certainty in Christ. Forms and Transliterations ΑΓΝΩΣΤΩ αγνώστω ἀγνώστῳ αγονος άγονος AGNoSTo AGNŌSTŌLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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