ISB ~ Acts 17 v23

the objects of your worship:The Greeks venerated a vast pantheon of gods. Because they feared offending the gods through neglect, they built shrines for unnamed gods to ensure that every deity was properly honored.

To an unknown god:One tradition links the Cretan poet and philosopher Epimenides with such an altar. The story is told that a panel of elders summoned him from Crete to drive away a plague that ravaged Athens in the sixth century B.C. Epimenides counseled the city leaders on this matter, and when his advice proved successful in lifting the plague, the Athenians built memorial altars on the slope of the Are-opagus (17:19) to honor and remember the unnamed god who saved them. Paul, who excerpts from the writings of Epimenides in 17:28 and Tit 1:12, alludes to this tradition to build a bridge for the gospel, stating that God, although unknown to Athens by name, deserves the honor of all. Unlike the lifeless idols of Greece, Yahweh is the living Creator of all things and does not inhabit man-made shrines or statues (17:24; CCC 287).