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ATHENAGORAS OF ATHENS
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8
Acts 17:16-34

1 Corinthians 15:12-17

 

“…if Christ be not raised,
your faith is vain;

ye are yet in your sins.”

 

ATHENAGORAS OF ATHENS
 
Athenagoras of Athens was one of the three great Greek philosophers (alongside Aristides and Justin Martyr) who converted to Christianity in the second century AD. Once a pagan philosopher, he became one of the most eloquent apologists of the early church, presenting a written plea for the toleration of Christians to the Roman emperors around AD 177. His intellectual training became a powerful tool for bearing witness to the Gospel before the most influential rulers of his day.
 
Athenagoras presented his “Apology” before Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic philosopher-emperor whose “Meditations” remain widely read. In his defence, Athenagoras argued that Christians surpassed the piety of the best pagan philosophers. Philosophy could sharpen the mind, but it could not transform the heart. He asked pointedly: “Who among their students have so purged their souls as, instead of hating their enemies, to love them; and, instead of speaking ill of those who revile them, to bless them; and to pray for those who plot against their lives?”
 
The philosophical schools lacked the power to cleanse hatred and resentment, but Christ could change and transform from within.
 
Athenagoras also wrote “On the Resurrection of the Dead,” addressing sceptical philosophers who scoffed at the idea of bodily resurrection. He insisted that true resurrection restores both soul and body, reintegrating them for eternity. Humanity is not complete without this union: as body and soul experience life together, so they will experience eternity together. His writings remind us how the early saints lived with eternity in view, longing for life with Christ. How different this is from much of modern Christianity, which often focuses only on the here and now, forgetting the eternal values of the kingdom of God.
 
THOUGHT: Am I living out my Christian faith with eternity’s values in view, or only for the present moment?
PRAYER: Father, may my profession of Christ be more than mere words. Let my life manifest true Christlikeness: loving my enemies, blessing those who revile me and living with eternity in view. Transform me by Thy Spirit, that I may reflect the life of Christ in all I do.

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