The Areopagus

The Areopagus (or Areios Pagos), meaning “Ares’ Rock,” is a large, 10-meter-high rock platform located northwest of the Acropolis in Athens. To ascend the rock, one must climb the sixteen worn-down stone steps carved into the mountainside. The council members, who were former Archons (governors), often met on this hill and were therefore called Areopagites.

During the Greek classical period, this council functioned as a high court for criminal and civil cases. In the pre-classical period (before the fifth century BCE), the Areopagus was a meeting place for Athens’ elite, similar in nature to the Roman Senate. Just like the Senate, membership in the Areopagus was a lifetime position, limited to those who had served as Archons, or high-ranking government officials, unless they were forcibly expelled by their peers for misconduct. In 462 BCE, the democratic leader Ephialtes pushed for reforms that stripped the Areopagus of most of its powers, leaving only jurisdiction over criminal cases. By the fourth century BCE, the Areopagus was given a new task: investigating corruption among officials. While final verdicts still rested with the assembly of citizens, this showed that the Areopagus was no longer a judicial body centered on the elite, eventually evolving into what became the modern Supreme Court of Greece.

According to the book of Acts, when Paul came to Athens, he was distressed to see the city full of idols. He began to debate and confront the idolatry in the synagogue with the Jews and devout people, and daily in the marketplace with anyone he met. Some Greeks then took him to the Areopagus to give an account of himself.

Although Athens produced world-renowned philosophers like Socrates and Plato, the Athenians did not know the true God, for “by their own wisdom people cannot know God” (1 Corinthians 1:21). However, in their hearts, they had an inclination to worship God, fearing that they might offend an unknown deity, so they had an altar in the city dedicated “to an unknown god.” Paul used this as an opportunity to boldly witness to them about the true God. Following his sermon, one of the members of the Areopagus, a judge named Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris became Paul’s followers.