Contradictions and Paradoxes in Acts 17:23

Check out Contradictions Catalog of Acts 17:23 for the comprehensive list of verses that contradicts Acts 17:23. Some key contradictions and paradoxes are described below.

According to Luke, this verse means that when he saw people worshiping an unknown god, he wanted to tell them about the true God they didn’t know yet. He was explaining that the God he knew could be the one they were trying to worship without knowing his name.

Acts 17:23: For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. [devotions: or, gods that ye worship]

Contradiction with Exodus 20:3

This verse commands worship of no other gods, which contradicts the worship of an "unknown god" mentioned in Acts 17:23.

Exodus 20:3: Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Contradiction with Deuteronomy 6:5

This verse instructs to love the Lord your God with all your heart, implying exclusive devotion, conflicting with the acknowledgment of an unknown god in Acts 17:23.

Deuteronomy 6:5: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Contradiction with Isaiah 45:5

This verse states there is no God besides the Lord, contrasting the notion of an unknown god in Acts 17:23.

Isaiah 45:5: I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else, [there is] no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

Contradiction with Jeremiah 10:10

Declares the Lord as the true God, opposing the idea of an unknown god considered by the Athenians in Acts 17:23.

Jeremiah 10:10: But the LORD [is] the true God, he [is] the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. [true...: Heb. God of truth] [living God: Heb. living Gods] [everlasting...: Heb. king of eternity]

Contradiction with John 14:6

Jesus asserts being the only way to God, which challenges the worship of an unknown god in Acts 17:23.

John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Contradiction with 1 Corinthians 8:5-6

States there are many so-called gods, but for Christians, only one God, countering the concept of an unknown god in Acts 17:23.

1 Corinthians 8:5-6: For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)

Contradiction with Isaiah 42:8

God declares He will not give His glory to another, contrasting with the Athenians' worship of an unknown god described in Acts 17:23.

Isaiah 42:8: I [am] the LORD: that [is] my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

Paradox #1

The moral conflict in Acts 17:23 might arise from the idea of acknowledging other religions. Some people could see a contradiction in Paul recognizing another god's altar while promoting his own beliefs. This could seem inconsistent with solely worshiping one God, as Christians are generally taught.

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