In Acts 17, as Paul and Silas continued on their second missionary journey, they arrived at Thessalonica. There Paul spent three weeks teaching the Thessalonian Jews that Jesus had suffered and died and was then raised from the dead. Paul also proclaimed to the Thessalonian Jews that Jesus is the Messiah. Some of the Jews and many of the Greeks were persuaded and believed that which was said and joined Paul and Silas. However, unlike the Athenian Jews, those Thessalonian Jews that did not believe became jealous and created a mob and set the city of Thessalonica into an uproar. The Jews who did not believe set out to look for Paul and Silas, but they could not find them. They attacked Jason's house and dragged Jason and some of the believers before the city rulers, claiming that Jason had entertained the two men who were “acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor, saying that there is another king named Jesus” . The city officials became disturbed by this information, and took bail from Jason and the believers, then let them go.
The same night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Beroea. Once in Beroea, they went to the Jewish synagogue and found the Berean Jews to be more receptive than the Jews of Thessalonica. Being of noble-mind, the Berean Jews were more willing to study the scriptures and examine them every day to determine the truth. Therefore, many of them believed what was being taught. As referenced in our textbook, it appears that the Berean Jews exercised strong-sense critical thinking skills; as they evaluated not only their beliefs, but also the beliefs of Paul. After the Jews of Thessalonica learned that Paul had proclaimed the word of God in Beorea, the Thessalonian Jews went to Beorea to stir up the city. The believers then sent Paul to Athens, leaving Silas and Timothy behind. Paul then sent word for Silas and Timothy to join him in Athens as soon as possible.
Once Paul arrived in Athens, he was unhappy to see that the...