"Men of Athens! I perceive that in all things you are very fearful of gods!"

That's how the Revised Geneva Translation of the Holy Bible renders Acts 17:22b.

Almost all other translations say:

"Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious."

But this may misidentify these intellectual Athenians to a modern audience. They were not 'religious' in the modern sense of monotheistic worship. They merely had a kind of pragmatic curiosity about all gods (especially new ones) and mostly sought only to appease them, not revere them. Sort of First Century Fire Insurance, if you will.

On the other hand, the translations that don't use the word 'religious' usually use the word 'superstitious' instead.

But this word also seems to miss the mark because if Paul had used it, the highly-educated (and prideful) Mars Hill assembly would likely have been offended, which is not in keeping with Paul's stated style of being made "all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." (1Corinthians 9:22)

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Read the full Introduction to the Revised Geneva Translation.

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