The Uproar in Thessalonica

1As they made their iourney thorow Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagoge of the Iewes. 2And Paul (as his maner was) wete in vnto them, and vpon thre Sabbathes he spake vnto them of the scripture, opened it vnto the, 3and alleged, that Christ must nedes haue suffred, & ryse agayne from the deed: and this Iesus, whom I preach vnto you (sayde he) is ye same Christ. 4And some of the beleued, and were ioyned vnto Paul and Sylas, a greate multitude also of the deuoute Grekes, and of the chefe wemen not a fewe.

5But the styffnecked Iewes had indignacion, and toke vnto them certayne euell men which were vagabundes, and gathered a company, and set the cite in a rore, and preassed vnto the house of Iason, and soughte to brynge them out vnto the comon people. 6But whan they founde them not, they drue Iason, and certayne brethren vnto the rulers of the cite, and cryed: These that trouble all the worlde, are come hither also, 7whom Iason hath receaued preuely. And these all do contrary to the decrees of the Emperoure, sayenge, that there is another kynge, one Iesus. 8They troubled the people, and the rulers of the cite, that herde this. 9And whan they had receaued a sufficient answere of Iason and of the other, they let them go.

The Character of the Bereans

10But the brethren immediatly sent awaye Paul and Sylas by night vnto Berea. Whan they came there, they wete in to the synagoge of the Iewes 11(for they were the Eldest amonge the at Thessalonica) which receaued the worde maruelous wyllingly, and searched the scriptures daylie, whether it were euen so. 12Then beleued many of them, and worshipfull wemen off the Grekes, and men not a fewe. 13But whan the Iewes off Thessalonica had knowlege, that the worde off God was preached off Paul at Berea, they came, and moued the people there also. 14Howbeit the brethren sent Paul awaye then immediatly, to go vnto the see. As for Sylas and Timotheus, they abode there styll. 15They that conueyed Paul, brought him vnto Athens. And whan they had receaued a commaundement vnto Sylas and Timotheus, that they shulde come vnto him in all the haist, they wente their waye.

Paul in Athens

16But whyle Paul wayted for them at Athens, his sprete was moued in him, whan he sawe the cite geue so to the worshippinge of ymages. 17And he spake vnto the Iewes and deuoute personnes in the synagoge, & in ye market daylie vnto the that came to him. 18But certayne Philosophers of ye Epicurees and Stoikes disputed with him. And some sayde: What will this babler saye? But some sayde: He semeth to be a tidinges brynger of new goddes (That was, because he had preached vnto the the Gospell of Iesus, & of the resurreccion.) 19And they toke him, and broughte him before the councell house, and sayde: Maye we not knowe, what new doctryne this is that thou teachest? 20For thou bryngest strauge tidinges to oure eares? We wolde knowe therfore, what this meaneth. 21As for all they of Athens, and straungers & gestes, they gaue theselues to nothinge els, but either to tell, or to heare some newes.

Paul’s Address in the Areopagus

22Paul stode on the myddes of the comon place, and sayde: Ye me of Athens, I se that in all thinges ye are to supersticious. 23I haue gone thorow, & sene youre gods seruyce, and founde an altare, where vpo was wrytten: To the vnknowne God. Now shewe I vnto you ye same, whom ye worshippe ignorauntly. 24God which made ye worlde, and all that therin is, for so moch as he is LORDE of heauen and earth, dwelleth not in temples made of handes, 25nether is he worshipped with mens handes, as though he had nede of eny man, seynge he himself geueth life and breth vnto all men euery where: 26and hath made of one bloude all the generacion of men to dwell vpo all the face of ye earth: and hath assygned borders appoynted before, how longe and farre they shulde dwell, 27that they shulde seke the LORDE, yf they mighte fele and fynde him. And truly he is not farre from euery one of vs. 28For in him we lyue, moue, and haue oure beynge, as certayne of youre awne Poetes also haue sayde: We are his generacion. 29For as moch then as we are the generacion of God, we oughte not to thinke that the Godheade is like vnto golde or syluer, or ymagery worke of the crafte or ymaginacion of man. 30And truly God hath ouersene the tyme of ignoraunce: But now he commaundeth all men euery where to repente, 31because he hath appoynted a daye, in the which he wyl iudge the copasse of the worlde, with righteousnesse, by that one man in who he hath appoynted it: and offred faith vnto all men, after that he had raysed him vp from the deed.

32Whan they herde of the resurreccion of the deed, some mocked. But some sayde: We wyl heare the agayne of this matter. 33So Paul departed from amonge them. 34Howbeit certayne men claue vnto him, and beleued: amonge whom was Dionisius, one of the councell: and a woman named Damaris, and other with them.