Unknown God

The Unknown God or Agnostos Theos (Ancient Greek: Ἄγνωστος Θεός) is a theory by Eduard Norden first published in 1913 that proposes, based on the Christian Apostle Paul's Areopagus speech in Acts 17:23, that in addition to the twelve main gods and the innumerable lesser deities, ancient Greeks worshipped a deity they called "Agnostos Theos"; that is: "Unknown God", which Norden called "Un-Greek".^[1] In Athens, there was a temple specifically dedicated to that god and very often Athenians would swear "in the name of the Unknown God" (Νὴ τὸν Ἄγνωστον, Nē ton Agnōston).^[2] Apollodorus,^{[citation needed]} Philostratus^[3] and Pausanias wrote about the Unknown God as well.^[4]

^ van der Horst, Pieter Willem (1998). Hellenism, Judaism, Christianity: essays on their interaction. Vol. The Altar of the 'Unknown God' in Athens (Acts 17:23) and the Cults of 'Unknown Gods' in the Graeco-Roman World. Peeters Publishers. pp. 187–220. ISBN 9789042905788.
^ Pseudo-Lucian, Philopatris, 9.14
^ Philostratus, Vita Apollonii 6.3
^ Pausanias' Description of Greece in 6 vols, Loeb Classic Library, Vol I, Book I.1.4

[1] van der Horst, Pieter Willem (1998). Hellenism, Judaism, Christianity: essays on their interaction. Vol. The Altar of the 'Unknown God' in Athens (Acts 17:23) and the Cults of 'Unknown Gods' in the Graeco-Roman World. Peeters Publishers. pp. 187–220. ISBN 9789042905788.

[2] Pseudo-Lucian, Philopatris, 9.14

[3] Philostratus, Vita Apollonii 6.3

[4] Pausanias' Description of Greece in 6 vols, Loeb Classic Library, Vol I, Book I.1.4

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