Acts 17:21
(For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
For all the Athenians,.... The natives of Athens, who were born and lived there, and were inhabitants of the city, and free of it:
and strangers which were there; who came there from several parts of the world, to get wisdom and knowledge, to learn the several arts and sciences, and to attend the several sects of philosophers they made choice of:
spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing; that is, they did so for the most part; and this was the complexion and taste of the generality of them; and with this agrees what Demosthenes himself says of them {m},
"we, says he (for the truth shall be said), sit here,
ouden poiountev, "doing nothing"----inquiring in the court,
ei ti legetai newteron, "whether any new thing is said."''
The character of such persons is given, and they are described in a very lively manner by Theophrastus {n}. The Jewish doctors, at this time, were much of the same cast in their divinity schools; the usual question asked, when they met one another, was, vwdx hm, "what new thing" have you in the divinity school today {o}?
{m} Respons. ad Philippi Epistolam.
{n} Ethic. character. p. 13.
{o} T. Hieros. Taanith, fol. 75. 4. Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 14. fol. 212. 4.