Bible Synapse
Areopagus
Site · c. 600 BC – AD 400 · The early church · also called Mars Hill, Hill of Ares
See it on the map and timeline
- Date
- c. 600 BC – AD 400 (the council that took its name from the hill)
- Found
- Athens, Greece. A natural rocky hill below the Acropolis. The ruined church of St Dionysius the Areopagite on its north slope was dug by G. Sotiriou in 1915 and explored more fully by the American School of Classical Studies in 1934.
- Now
- At the site, Athens, Greece
- Passages
- Acts 17:16–34
What it is
A rocky outcrop just north-west of the Acropolis of Athens, named after Ares, the god of war. It gave its name to the city's ancient council, the Areopagus, which met here in early times; by the Roman period the council probably met mostly in or near the Agora below. The ruins of a later church of St Dionysius the Areopagite lie on its north slope.
How it connects to the Bible
Acts 17 says that after Paul had argued with philosophers in the market, they “brought him unto Areopagus”, and that he spoke “in the midst of Mars' hill” (Mars is the Roman name for Ares). Among those who believed was “Dionysius the Areopagite”, a member of the council. Later tradition made him the first bishop of Athens.
What scholars debate
Scholars debate whether Paul gave a formal account of himself before the council, which may then have met in the Agora, or simply spoke on the hill.