WHEN St. Paul stood upon Mars' Hill he opened his sermon with a bold and arresting statement. "Ye men of Athens," he said, "I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious" (Acts 17:22). He then proceeded to tell them that as he passed by and watched their devotions he found an altar dedicated to an unknown god.
Having arrested the attention and aroused the interest of the men of Athens, the apostle commenced to enlighten them. Inspired by God, Paul's words were those of an orator. He informed them that God is the creator of heaven and earth. Perhaps at this point he swept his hand towards the lovely buildings crowning the Acropolis, for he said, "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands." In these few short sentences Paul referred to the source of all art and the origin of all beauty as God.
The ancient Greeks were a highly cultured people. Their standards of art, literature, and architecture have remained unsurpassed to the present day. No one can visit Athens without being impressed with the delicate beauty of the lovely buildings, which even in their imperfect and sadly battered state hold the attention by their graceful lines and substantial proportions.
