Acts 17:23

Your devotions] RV 'the objects of your worship.'

TO THE UNKNOWN GOD] RV 'To an unknown God.' Several ancient writers mention such altars. Pausanias speaks of 'altars of known (lit. 'named') and unknown gods and heroes.' Philostratus says, 'It is more prudent to speak well of all gods, especially at Athens, where altars are erected even to unknown gods.' At Athens during a plague Epimenides let loose at the Areopagus black and white sheep, and commanded the Athenians to sacrifice 'to the proper god,' wherever the sheep lay down. Often 'the proper god' could not be clearly ascertained, and so an altar was raised to an unknown god. The inscription (as St. Paul probably knew) had a purely pagan meaning; but the phrase was a fine one; it was capable of a higher sense, and in this higher sense St. Paul made it the text of his sermon.