As I passed by Or, passed along the streets of your city; and beheld your devotions Greek, τα σεβασματα υμων, the objects of your worship, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD
Because Paul here tells the Athenians, that the true God was he whom they ignorantly worshipped under this title, some learned men have supposed that the altar he speaks of was raised to the God of the Jews; concerning whose power, in the destruction of the Egyptians and Canaanites, the ancient Athenians had received some obscure reports; and that, because the Jews carefully concealed his name, and had no image of him, the Athenians erected no statue to him, but worshipped him under the appellation of THE UNKNOWN GOD. Others think this altar was erected by Socrates, to express his devotions to the only true God, (while he derided the plurality of the heathen gods, for which he was condemned to death,) of whom the Athenians had no idea, and whose nature, he insinuated by this inscription, was far above the reach of human comprehension. See Dr. Wellwood's Introduction to his translation of The Banquet of Xenophon. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship Greek, ον ουν αγνοουντες ευσεβειτε, whom therefore ye worship, or, toward whom ye are piously disposed, not knowing him; him declare I Greek, τουτον εγω καταγγελλω, him proclaim I, unto you Thus he fixes the wandering attention of these blind philosophers; proclaiming to them an unknown, and yet not a new God; and alluding to their words, (Acts 17:20,) he seemeth to be a proclaimer of strange gods.