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ATHENS, ONE OF THE OLDEST CITIES
in the world, has been continuously
inhabited for at least 7,000 years.
A place of prominence since ancient
times, Athens is city of monumental
beauty and classical scholarship.
Unfortunately, amidst the current
global economic crisis, Athens has
become the center of attention
for financial reasons.
Top image: Marble lion head waterspout from the Old Temple of Athena.
Background image: The Erectheion, a temple on the north side of the Acropolis built between
421 and 406 BC., is associated with ancient and holy relics of the Athenians.
The Porch of the Maidens (Caryatids) with six draped female figures on the south side
of the Erectheion.
Named after Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, courage, and inspiration,
the city has been known as the birthplace of western civilization. It was the
intellectual center of the Greco-Roman world.
During his second missionary journey, the Apostle Paul visited Athens
and engaged in dialogue with resident scholars and gave witness to the
resurrected Jesus (Acts 17). Paul observed that the Athenians were very
religious. He noted that they even had an altar to an “unknown god.”
Paul’s speech to the Athenian intellectual elite was delivered at the
Areopagus. Later know as Mars Hill, named after the Roman
god of war, this place of judicial inquiry and judgment is
in the shadows of the Acropolis.
Atop the hill of the Acropolis is the Parthenon, a temple
dedicated to Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Constructed between 447–432 BC,
it is as an enduring symbol of ancient Greece and
Athenian democracy. It is one of the world’s great
cultural monuments.
The Peplos Kore, a statue of a young woman from the Acropolis,
may have been a votive offering to the goddess Athena.
In the shadows of the Acropolis is the Agora
(“Agora” in Greek means “a place of gathering”).
The Agora was the heart of Athenian life in
ancient times. For centuries it served as a busy
marketplace where merchants and artisans
congregated to offer their goods to all who
gathered, and it also provided a platform for
political and intellectual life.
Here “direct democracy” was birthed and flourished. This was the place where every Athenians
gathered to conduct business, participate in their
city’s governance, decide judicial matters, express
their opinion for all who cared to listen, and elect
their city officials.
For every free Athenian citizen, participating in
such “common” activities was not merely a duty,
but instead it was a privilege and an honor. It is
Top image: Ancient Greek statuary in the Acropolis museum.
Background image: The Parthenon, the crowning achievement of Greek architecture, was
built between 447 and 432 B.C.
said that the term “idiot”
(idiotis - one who acts on
his/her own) was used
to mock those who
avoided participation in the
common citizen
activities.
Paul came to
Athens, not as
tourist to see the
glories of ancient
Greece, but to engage
an intellectually and culturally sophisticated place.
He went first, as he always did,
to the Jews and the god-fearers in the
synagogue. But there doesn’t seem to have been
much response, so he took his message out into the streets.
One can imagine amidst a marketplace with stalls for fruits and vegetables,
interspersed with altars, images and statues of various types; Paul standing
where the philosophers taught and debated. Paul began to preach. He may
Top image: A Marble Sphinx
Background image: A vista view of The Acropolis, where ancient Athenians worshiped,
celebrated festivals and fortified themselves in times of conflict.
have engaged one of the philosophers in a debate. It didn’t take long before
there was a response.
And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers said, “What would
this idle babbler wish to say?’’ “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange
deities!” because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.
Top image: The decorative theme of a lion's head was replicated in an ancient
Corinthian water spout.
Bottom image: The Acropolis is circled by areas dedicated to theatrical performances and
poetry readings, political and philosophical lectures as well as for musical concerts
And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we
know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming? For you are
bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these
things mean.” Both Athenians and strangers visiting enjoyed spending
their time in telling or hearing something new.)
Paul was upset and angry, not at the people, but impact of idolatry on
their lives. He saw the emptiness in the lives of those who believed in such
lies. He saw all the beauty of the city, the culture and the art. On the
surface, everything looked good. But he saw more than that. He knew
that underneath, things were not good at all. He viewed their plight as
morally decadent and spiritually dead.
In response to Paul’s witness, some mocked, some turned aside, and a
few believed.
One of the scholars, Dionysius the Areopagite, believed. So did a woman
named Damaris, and a few others. Upon his departure from Athens, Paul
left a very small group of believers that became the seed bed for an emerging
Christian community. Over time, a few pagan temples were converted to
Christian places of worship.
Background image: The Areopagus or Mars Hill is a bare marble hill next to the Acropolis
where the Apostle Paul delivered his famous speech about the identity of "the
Unknown God." (Acts 17)