Acts 17:32

When they heard. Respectful attention appears to have been granted the apostle until he broached the subject of the resurrection from the dead. That the dead should be raised appeared incredible to the Epicureans and Stoics, as well as to the Greeks generally, and even to the Sadducees (cf. Acts 23:8; 26:8; 1 Cor. 15:35). The world then, as now, was prepared to believe in the immortality of the soul, but was unwilling to accept the doctrine of the resurrection of the body.

Some mocked. The Greek tense implies that they began to mock, that is, at this point in Paul’s speech. The word “some” may include both Epicureans and Stoics.

Hear thee again. Some may have had a genuine desire to hear more on such a vital subject, but it does not appear that they ever again heard from the Apostle to the Gentiles. Compare the attitude of Felix (ch. 24:25).