' II was only yesterday that the actors were exhibiting tragedy, and were reciting those famous lines of Euripides — *' For Freedom is a name all precious, Even if a man hath tittle thereof, Let htm estc-em himself to have great riches." Then I beheld that all the spectators stood up on tiptoe with excitement, and with loud cheers and sustained cries prolon^^ed their applause of the sentiment no less than their applause of a poet, that not only glorified Freedom in deed, but glorified it« very name.'
Such was the impression which A. made on a cultured Jew, who yet reprobated not less keenly than St. Paul the worship by man of the works of his own hands ; and we may well believe that St. Paul's heart also beat high as he entered so famous a city.
Contemporary writers give the Athenians the same characteristics of over-religiousness and versatile curiosity as does St. Paul. One of these witnesses is himself a .lew, namely Josephus the historian, who declares (Contra Ap. ii. 12) the Athenians to be the most pious of the Greeks {tovs euire^eaTiTovs Tuir 'EXXiji'wi'). Testimony of like effect is rendered by Livy, xlv. 27 : Athenas inde plenas quidem et ipsas uetustate famjp, multa tarnen uisenda habentes ; arcem, portus, niuros I'ir.-eeura urbi iungentes. . . . Simulacra Deonun honiinumque, omni genere et materiie et artium insignia. Petronius Arbiter, Sat. c. 17, unkindly hints that it was easier to find gods in A. th.an men : Utique nostra regio tam pnesentibus plena est Numinibus, ut facilius po.ssis Deum, quam hominem inuenire.t
Nor was the desire of the Athenians to hear something new unnatural. For theirs w.as a city without commerce, but wliose traditicms anil nicmories led many who had leisure and liked discussion to resort thither. Among Alciphron's IvCtters (ii. 3) is one by Menander the poet, relating how he had declined the invitation of Ptolemy to leave A. and settle in Alexandria. In this <liuriningyef< d'esprit we get a iiicttire of A. in its decailence, which shows how ilidiglitful a place it was to live in for religious persons of leisure and cultivation.
• See Inter. Attic, (rt. Romnn(r. 404 knd Sf>4H-3M7.
fCf. HWlon, Paraitite Rtgaintii, Iv. 240: ' Athens the eye of Greece, mother of arts.*
1 Philostr. I'lf. Apollonii Tpanat, Iv. 10, says of his prophet
that he rr,» ul, Of TOiiiTttt imXi-it. iti.S^ ci>.»OuTen rtvt 'AOr^t^iout ilSif. vrif itii, J,iA<£«T«. The experiences of Apollnnius — a tnore 8)>iritijal teacher than most — irt Athens were curiously limilar to those of his contemporary St. Paul.
LrrBRATniB. — Conybeare and Howson, ch. x. ; Wordsworth's Athmt and Atti.'a\ and the classical works of Leake, Grote, Thirlwall, Curtius, Wachsmuth, Gregorovius, Stadt Athen xjti Mittetalter ; A. Mommsen, Atkentx VhrUtiaiux.
F. C. CONVBEARE. ATHLAI ('^ny, perhaps for n;^^;'). — A Jew who married a foreign wife (Ezr ICP, 1 Ea 9*"°). See Genealogy.
ATIPHA ('kT(4,i), 1 Eg 5".— See Hatipha.
ATONEMENT.— By its derivation this word de- scribes the setting ' at one ' or reconciliation of two parties who have been estranged. It is used in the English Bible as the equivalent for various forms of the root nB3 in OT, and for KaToKKwyri in NT. The verb tsd (to cover) is used to describe the effect of the sacrifices at the original conse- cration of the high priest and the altar (Ex '29'*, Lv 8'°, Ezk 43^ etc.), and of the annual sacrifices for the renewal of the consecration of the high priest and his household, of the people, and of the tabernacle (Lv 16'" etc.), on the day called expressly ' the Day of Atonement.'
It is used also to describe the effect of the sacrifices offered on behalf of the nation and of individual Israelites, occasionally in connexion with the ' whole burnt-offering' (Lv 1^), hut more frcquciitl}' in connexion with the various forms of ' sin ' and ' trespass ' offerings (Lv 4" etc., Nu 5*), the prescribed acknowledgment of guilt or de- filement incurred accidentally or in ignorance.
It is used, besides, to describe the effect of the intercession of Moses at Sinai (Ex 3'2^), of the incense ollcred by Aaron (Nu 16^), and of Phinehas' summary judgment on Ziiuri (Nu 25"). The olieuces for which atonement is accepted in these ca.ses go far beyond anytliing with which the Levitical sacrifices were appointed to deal, and so the way is prepared for the hope of atonement for ' moral ollences as such ' expressed in Ps 65' 78™ 79", cf. Pr 16', Dn 9«.
The same verb when it describes the direct action of (Jod is translated ' to pardon ' (2 Ch 30", cf. Ezk 10'").
The subst. lEb (LXX Xirrpoi' = ' ransom,' cf. Mk 10") is u.sed of ' blood money' (Ex 21*', Nu 35»'), sanctioned on behalf of a man gored by an ox, but not in a case of homicide ; and of the half-shekel paid at a census (Ex 30'^).
n-is; (LXX rb lXa<rT^pio>') = the mercy-seat.
Two points in regard to the provision for atone- ment under the old covenant deserve especial attention. First, this provision is ascribed directly to divine api)ointment. The sacrifices, therefore, while bearing witness to the existence of an obstacle in the way of man's communion with God, were guarded against the gross misinterpretation which would represent them as human devices for overcoming God's reluctance to forgive. Second, the power of atonement resided in the blood, as containing the life of the sacrificial victim (Lv 17"). Under cover of the blood of a victim slain by his own hand in acknowledgment of tlie righteousness of the divine juilgment on his sin, and in virtue of the life still (juick within it, liberated rather than destroyed \>y death, and brought by consecrated hands into direct contact with the symbols of the divine presence, the wor- shijiper, in spite of his defilement, might himseli draw nigh to God.