her.” And the spirit left her. Then her masters, seeing that the hope of their gain was gone, seized Paul and Silas, and brought them into the market-place before the magistrates, saying: “These men, being Jews, disturb our city.”
Then the people rose against them, their garments were torn off, and the magistrates commanded them to be beaten with rods, and then to be thrown into prison. At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and praising God, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the walls of the prison were shaken to their foundations. Immediately the doors flew open, and the bonds of the prisoners were rent asunder.
The keeper of the prison, awaking in terror from his sleep, and seeing the doors open, drew his sword to kill himself, because he thought that the prisoners had fled. But Paul cried out to him: “Do thyself no harm, for we are all here!” Upon this the jailer, calling for a light, went in trembling, and fell down at the feet of Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out, and said to them: “Masters, what must I do that I may be saved?” They answered: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved!” That same hour he took them and washed their wounds, and he and all his household were baptized.
Next morning the magistrates sent orders to the jailer to release Paul and Silas, but when they learnt that the two apostles were Roman citizens, they came themselves to ask pardon for having ill-treated them.
After this, Paul and his companion visited many cities of Macedonia.
From there Paul went to Athens (Fig. 96, p.792)[1], the most celebrated city of Greece. Seeing that city wholly given up to idolatry, his heart was stirred within him; he disputed publicly in the synagogues with the Jews, and in the market-place every day with all who were present.
There came to Paul certain philosophers, who conducted him to the Areopagus[2], saying: “May we know what this new doctrine
- ↑ Athens. The centre of pagan philosophy and art. “Here”, says St. Augustine, “here in the home of the greatest poets, orators and philosophers, whose proud renown filled the world, and governed the schools, here did the apostle preach Christ crucified, who was to the Gentiles foolishness, and to the Jews a stumbling-block.”
- ↑ Areopagus. The great Athenian Court-house on the hill of Mars where the assizes were held. The Acropolis lay on the hill opposite.
