Bible Trivia Question
What's the Answer?
What inscription was on the altar at Mars Hill?
To the God of War
To the God of Prosperity
To the Unknown God
Find this question in our Paul's Missionary Journeys Bible Quiz
Click to reveal the answerThe answer is: To the Unknown God
Acts 17:23
When the Apostle Paul strode into Athens, he encountered a society rich in spiritual zeal but often vague in its focus. The inscription "To the Unknown God" on the altar signified a deep recognition of the divine, even amid the plethora of idols surrounding the city. It’s fascinating to note that the Athenians were so concerned about potentially offending a god they couldn't identify that they built these altars as a catch-all; rather like keeping your bases covered just in case you miss an invite to a party!
This curious stone provides a poignant backdrop for Paul’s message, emphasizing the notion that an unnameable deity could indeed be known - through Jesus. The inscription draws an intriguing line to our threshold of understanding God, suggesting ways many cultures wrestle with divine identity and the limits of human comprehension, even as they reach out.
Interestingly, ancient Greek philosophy often grappled with such questions, too, with thinkers like Socrates positing deeper inquiries into the nature of virtue and the gods. Paul, certainly no stranger to this intellectual setting, adeptly stirs the conversation among the Athenian philosophers – using their own altar to bridge the gap between varied worldviews.
Ultimately, this moment on Mars Hill is a celebration of curiosity, exploration, and the human thirst for connection to the divine - reminding us that, at least in Athens, acknowledging one's gaps in understanding was as much a part of faith as certainty itself!
Similar Bible Trivia Questions
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Supplied with water
What did Samson carry to the top of the hill overlooking Hebron?
Water pots
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Samson carried the city gates to the top of a hill
True
Jesus was crucified on a hill known as Golgotha?
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Which Old Testament character showed his faith by offering his son on an altar to God?
Solomon
David
Jacob
Whose father was prepared to sacrifice him on an altar?
Joshua
Isaac
Samson
What sort of stone was an altar not to be made from?
Hewn stone
Dirty stone
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On whose threshing floor did God instruct David to build an altar?
Othniel's
Araunah's
Naboth's
Why did Elijah choose 12 stones to build his altar?
The number of years Ahab had reigned
One for each tribe of Israel
That's all he could find