The Variant Readings of the Western Text of the Acts of the Apostles 131 [b] 21 (Now all Athenians, and those 21 (Now all Athenians and the for- foreigners residing among them eigners residing there had no time had no time for anything other for anything other than speaking than speaking about or listening about the latest novelty or listening to the latest novelty.) to it.) [c] 22 Paul stood in the middle of the 22 Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said, Areopagus and said, [αα] ‘Men of Athens, I see how very re- ‘Men of Athens, I see how very reli- ligious you are in every way, gious you are in every way, [αβ] 23a for as I was passing along and 23a for as I was passing along and carefully examining your objects observing your objects of worship of worship I found among them an I found among them an altar on altar with the inscription “To an which had been written “To an Un- Unknown God”. known God”. [αα'] 23b Well, what you worship in ig- 23b Well, what you worship in ig- norance, this I proclaim to you. norance, this I proclaim to you. [βα] 24 The God who made the world 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, this God, and everything in it, this God, since he is the Lord of heaven and seeing as he is the Lord of heaven earth, does not dwell in temples and earth, does not dwell in tem- made with hands 25a nor is he ples made with hands 25a nor is he served by human hands as if he served by human hands as if he had had need of anything, need of anything [ββ] 25b because this God, who gave 25b since he himself gives to all to all things life and breath and things life and breath and every- everything, 26made out of one thing. 26 He made out of one per- blood every human nation, to son the whole human race, to dwell dwell on the face of the earth on the face of the earth where he where he allotted in advance fixed allotted fixed epochs and bounda- seasons according to the bounda- ries of their territory; 27 to seek the ries of their territory; 27 but above divine being, – ‘if by chance they all, to seek the divine being – ‘if might grope for him or find him’ – possibly they might grope for it or and, indeed, he is not far from any find it’ – though it is not far from one of us. any one of us. [ββ'] 28 For ‘In her we live and move 28 For ‘In him we live and move and have our being, day by day’ and have our being – just as some – just as some of your own poets of your own poets have indeed said have indeed said – ‘Of this one, we – ‘Of this one, we are the offspring’. are the race’. [βα'] 29 Well, that we are the race of 29 So, being the offspring of God, God, we ought not to accept, nor we ought not to suppose that the that the divine being is like gold divine being is like gold or silver or or silver or stone, a sculpted work stone, a sculpted work of human art of human art or human thinking. and thinking.