The Stoics and the Epicureans encountered him; but they, and all others who came in contact with him, soon saw that he had a store of knowledge even greater than their own. His intellectual power commanded the respect and attention of the more intellectual and learned; while his earnest, logical reasoning, and his power of oratory, held the promiscuous audience. Thus the apostle stood undaunted, meeting his opposers on their own ground, matching logic with logic, and philosophy with philosophy.{LP 92.1}

Epikuræikerne og stoikerne mødte ham; men de og alle som kom i kontakt med ham, så hurtigt at han hade et væld af kundskab, størren deres eget. Hans forstandsmæssige magt påbød mere respekt og opmærksom end de mere intellektuelle og lærde gjorde; medens hans alvorlige, logiske fornuftsslutninger og veltalenhed, fastholde den bladede tilhørskare. Således stod apostlen uforfærdet, og imødekom sine modstandere på deres eget sted, satte logik op mod logik, filosofi op imod filosofi.