very religious, for as I passed along and
looked at your objects of worship, I found an altar with the
inscription,

_TO AN UNKNOWN GOD_

Whom, therefore, you worship without knowing, him I proclaim to you. The
God who made the world and all things in it is Lord of heaven and
earth and does not live in temples made by men. He is not served by
men's hands, as though he needed anything, for he it is who gives to all
men life and breath and all things. He has made all nations from one
family that they may live over the whole earth. He has also fixed for
them when and where they are to live, that they should seek God in the
hope that, as they feel after him, they may find him, for he is not far
from each one of us; for it is in him that we live, and move, and have
our being, as in fact, some of your own poets have said, 'We also are
his children.'

[Illustration: _St. Paul Preaching at Athens_

Painted by Raphael]

"Therefore, as the children of God, we ought not to think of the divine
nature as being like gold or silver or stone, carved by man's art and
invention. God overlooked the ages of ignorance, but now he commands all
men everywhere to repent, for he has fixed a day on which he will judge
the world justly by the one whom he has appointed, and he has given
proof of this to all mankind by raising him from the dead."

When they heard of raising one from the dead, some sneered, but others
said, "We will hear what you have to say about that some other time." So
Paul went out from among them. Some men, however, joined him and
believed, among whom were Dionysius, a member of the Court of the
Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and several others. After this Paul
left Athens and went to Corinth.

PAUL WRITES TO HIS FRIENDS AT THESSALONICA

Paul and Silas and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians which
lives in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

May good-will and peace be granted to you.

We thank God always for you all and mention you in our prayers, for we
constantly remember before our God and Father your active faith and
loving service and firm hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

You yourselves know, brothers, that our visit to you was not without
results. At Philippi, as you remember, we had the courage through divine
help to tell you the good news of God even though we had been ill
treated and insulted. We loved you so much and you had become so dear to
us that we would gladly have given