Areopagus

Biblical Text

The Areopagus appears in Acts 17. During his missionary journeys, Paul waited in Athens for Silas and Timothy. Seeing that the city was full of idols, he disputed with people in the synagogue and in the marketplace (Acts 17:16–17). Epicurean and Stoic philosophers heard Paul preaching Jesus and the resurrection, so they brought him to the Areopagus and asked him to explain this new teaching (Acts 17:18–20).

Paul took as his point of departure an altar inscribed "TO THE UNKNOWN GOD" (Acts 17:23). The main points of his address are as follows:

• God, who made heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with human hands.
• God "hath made of one blood all nations of men" (Acts 17:26).
• Paul quoted a saying of the Athenians' own poets: "For we are also his offspring" (Acts 17:28).
• God now commands all people everywhere to repent, and he has given assurance of the coming judgment by raising from the dead the man whom he has ordained (Acts 17:30–31).

When they heard of the resurrection, some mocked, while others said they would hear him again on the matter. Nevertheless, a few believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris (Acts 17:32–34).

Background

The Greek Areios Pagos means "hill of Ares." Ares was the Greek god of war, corresponding to the Roman Mars. For this reason the site is also known in English as "Mars Hill."

From ancient times a council of the same name met on this hill, so the term "Areopagus" refers both to the hill and to the council. The "Areopagite" of Acts 17:34 is understood to have been a member of this council. Scholars are divided over whether Paul actually went up onto the hill or stood before the council, and likewise over whether the occasion was a formal hearing.

Significance in the Broader Biblical Context

Among Paul's sermons recorded in Acts, this is a representative address to a Gentile audience unfamiliar with the Scriptures. Paul does not quote the Old Testament directly but begins with God the Creator. For this reason the address is often studied alongside the speech at Lystra (Acts 14:15–17). Its idea that God can be known through creation is also compared with Romans 1:18–25.

Interpretations and Debates

• Point of contact or confrontation: One view focuses on Paul's use of his audience's religiosity and the words of their own poets, regarding the address as a model of communicating the gospel in culturally appropriate terms. Another view emphasizes Paul's critique of idolatry and his proclamation of repentance, judgment, and the resurrection. How one reads this passage depends in part on how far one allows that God can be known through nature and reason.
• The "failure" thesis: Some interpreters point out that in his letter to the church in Corinth, where Paul went after Athens, he wrote that he had determined not to know anything "save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). They conclude that the philosophical approach at the Areopagus failed and that Paul subsequently changed his method. Others respond that the address cannot be considered a failure, since some people believed and it clearly proclaimed the resurrection.
• The poet quoted: "For we are also his offspring" is widely recognized as matching a line from the third-century BC poet Aratus.
• Later traditions: The account that Dionysius became the first bishop of Athens does not appear in Scripture; it is a tradition preserved in sources such as the writings of the church historian Eusebius. There are also mystical writings transmitted under the name of "Dionysius the Areopagite." Scholars regard these works as having been written later by another author who borrowed his name.

In the Korean Church

The "Areopagus sermon" is frequently cited in training for missions, evangelism, and apologetics, where it is presented as an example of communicating the gospel in the culture and language of those who hear it.