{For} (gar). Paul gives an illustration of their
religiousness from his own experiences in their city. {The
objects of your worship} (	a sebasmata hum(936e)). Late word from
sebazomai, to worship. In N T. only here and  2Th 2:4 . The use
of this word for temples, altars, statues, shows the conciliatory
tone in the use of deisidaimonesterous in verse  22 . {An
altar} ((936d)on). Old word, only here in the N.T. and the only
mention of a heathen altar in the N.T {With this inscription}
(en h(9369) epegegrapto). On which had been written (stood
written), past perfect passive indicative of epigraph(935c), old and
common verb for writing on inscriptions (epigraph(885c),  Lu
23:38 ). {To an Unknown God} (AGNOSTO THEO). Dative case,
dedicated to. Pausanias (I. 1, 4) says that in Athens there are
"altars to gods unknown" ((936d)oi the(936e) agn(9373)t(936e)). Epimenides in
a pestilence advised the sacrifice of a sheep to the befitting
god whoever he might be. If an altar was dedicated to the wrong
deity, the Athenians feared the anger of the other gods. The only
use in the N.T. of agn(9373)tos, old and common adjective (from a
privative and gn(9373)tos verbal of gin(9373)k(935c), to know). Our word
agnostic comes from it. Here it has an ambiguous meaning, but
Paul uses it though to a stern Christian philosopher it may be
the "confession at once of a bastard philosophy and of a bastard
religion" (Hort, _Hulsean Lectures_, p. 64). Paul was quick to
use this confession on the part of the Athenians of a higher
power than yet known to them. So he gets his theme from this
evidence of a deeper religious sense in them and makes a most
clever use of it with consummate skill. {In ignorance}
(agnoountes). Present active participle of agnoe(935c), old verb
from same root as agn(9373)tos to which Paul refers by using it.
{This set I forth unto you} (	outo ego kataggell(9320)humin). He is
a kataggeleus (verse  18 ) as they suspected of a God, both old
and new, old in that they already worship him, new in that Paul
knows who he is. By this master stroke he has brushed to one side
any notion of violation of Roman law or suspicion of heresy and
claims their endorsement of his new gospel, a shrewd and
consummate turn. He has their attention now and proceeds to
describe this God left out of their list as the one true and
Supreme God. The later MSS. here read hon--touton (whom--this
one) rather than ho--touto (what--this), but the late text is
plainly an effort to introduce too soon the personal nature of
God which comes out clearly in verse  24 .