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)