Bible Word of the Day

Areopagus (Mars Hill)

Meaning
The Areopagus was a location in ancient Athens. It was a limestone hill located just northwest of the Acropolis. It was also called Mars Hill by the Romans. During ancient times there was a judicial and legislative body which met at the location. In addition, during New Testament times men in Athens highly prized the ability to debate and discuss issues of the day. And it was not uncommon for large groups of people to meet at this location and discuss various topics. The Apostle Paul took advantage of this fact. And after seeing a monument dedicated to the “unknown god”, he went to the Areopagus and preached about Jesus, salvation, His crucifixion and resurrection. There were two people who believed on Jesus as a result of Paul’s preaching. Their names were Dionysius, who was a council member and a woman named Damaris.

In the Greek this location was known as the Hill of Ares. Ares was the Greek god of war or the Areopagus. And the Romans called it Mars Hill after the name of their god of war. In Greek mythology, Ares was put on trial for killing Alirrothios who was the son of Poseidon. And the Greeks believed this hill was the place where mythology says Ares was put on trial by the other gods. The hill stood approximately 400 feet above sea level and was located near both the Acropolis and Agora marketplace. The Areopagus Court met there and it was considered one of the highest level courts in Greece for all types of cases including civil and criminal. And during New Testament times it was a location where philosophers met to discuss philosophy, religion, and the law. The Athenians were eager to hear and talk about new philosophies and ideas and many of the men met there on a daily basis to discuss and debate these topics.