Paul was not impressed with the culture of Athens; he was irritated by the idolatry.
To know God as Sovereign Creator, one must understand that God is transcendent. Not only is it impossible to contain God (17:24), he is entirely self-sufficient and in need of nothing from his creation (v. 25). Rather than we supplying his needs, he supplies all our needs. God, being the source of all life, has the authority to determine the geographic boundaries and times within which everyone exists (v. 26). Even though God is transcendent other than his creation, he is also immanent not simply in a spatial or temporal way but in a deeply personal way (v. 27); for he desires that all "would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us" (17:27). Epicureans, when Paul encountered this philosophy, were people who essentially believed that all of life is random, that everything that happens to a person happens completely without reason or purpose. Therefore, there is no reason to analyze events and experiences in life as good or bad. There is no such thing as good or bad. There's no predicting or changing of things. Stoics also believed that life had no meaning. Rather than considering life to be random and unpredictable, they believed in an unchangeable fate set in motion by distant powers. What will happen to you will happen inexorably; it can't be changed. Therefore, the wise person is strong, able to be dealt terrible blows and suffer significant pain, able to bear up under good and bad and never raise an eyebrow, able to steel them-selves against every contingency. They are never fooled by anything, and never allow their hopes to be raised by anything. The stoic is the essence of toughness. .
The trouble with both of these philosophies is that they do not allow for human significance. If you want significance, you need to know God. We are either the victims of chance or the victims of fate.
