Act 17:23

[Mfhorn]

This is a completely off the wall question, but in Acts 17:23, Paul talked about seeing an altar to an ‘unknown god.’

Most temples had some kind of imagery representing the various gods worshipped there. The falcon head of Horus, or the lyre and bow & arrows of Apollo for example.

So what might an altar to an ‘unknown god’ look like? A block of wood or stone? Just an open niche in a wall?

I know, weird question, and completely pointless since, like Paul said, we know who He is.

 

[d taylor]

-

​

Unknown God - Wikipedia

There is an altar dedicated to the Unknown God found in 1820 on the Palatine Hill of Rome. It contains an inscription in Latin that says: SEI·DEO·SEI·DEIVAE·SAC G·SEXTIVS·C·F·CALVINVSPR DE·SENATI·SENTENTIA RESTITVIT
This could be translated into English as: "Whether sacred to god or to goddess, Gaius Sextius Calvinus, son of Gaius, praetor, restored this on a vote of the senate."

The altar is currently exhibited in the Palatine Museum.

​